DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- Hmm, so that's Fuuka's mother. I'm not surprised to see that Kururu decided to help Fuuka out again, even it means 'escaping' from her. The character chemistry reamins strong between Kukuru and Fuuka. Plus, I do think Fuuka's decision to stay is great decision for herself and her future. She's made a great friend there and it seems her mom approves of her decision. |
 |
| WELP...Fuuka's mom is here *cue in HigeHiro's parental PTSD vibes* Well thankfully she's not like that, and is thankful for Gama Gama Aquarium for taking her in. But the fact remains: she's here to take Fuuka back home to Iwate, and Kukuru is ready to fight for Fuuka, with Kai supporting her like a lover's trance of Yuri. So what did they do? Disguise her back into her old self and "kicked" her out of the aquarium until she's gone for God knows how long her mom will be around, all for Kukuru to keep her busy in this familial "escape" game of sorts. Whatever it is, both Fuuka and her mom shouldn't cross paths, that's what the situation is like to everyone...except Kuuya who places work above all else. It's also a good thing that to hold her mom in Kukuru's grandparents' house means that they can talk good about Fuuka. Oh? The fortune teller that foreshadowed Fuuka's future is also here (seems to be Tsukimi's mother), and no surprise, she also helps out to draw Fuuka out around Okinawa to find her temporal living quarters. But Fuuka has second thoughts, and both Kukuru and Fuuka's thoughts intertwine through this coral blenny fish that hides itself in the rocks, unable to free itself from death, and Kukuru isolating it to give it some breathing space just isn't enough (symbolism matters throughout this show, which is good IMO). And Fuuka replicates that by going back to Gama Gama Aquarium to free herself of the trouble, to face her mom again, and they resolve their conflict with understanding and approval of helping out with Kukuru's dream, at least until Summer ends. Everything is back to normal, yet this red-haired being is still eating those fishheads of offerings. Well, if this ain't a lovely episode, then I don't know what is so. |
KANLen09Aug 5, 2021 10:31 AM
 |
It's a girl? Not a boy? |
  |
| Whoops, forgot to edit that, should've kept it ominous first. |
|
| Well hiding things from your parents isn't a good idea, running from them is worse yet somehow things worked out. Mainly because her mother didn't find out about her present escape attempt. Still Fuuka and Kukuru still have a lot to learn. |
| You can't escape your past. Nice character development for both Kukuru and Fuuga. Fight for your sweetheart, Kukuru. :3 |
SerafosMay 28, 9:15 PM
 |
| That went way better than I expected. Fuuka’s mother was way more receptive to her staying than I thought from last week’s cliffhanger. Nice character development for Kukuru too. Wondering if it’ll go full blown shoujo ai. |
 |
| wooooww!!!! twin-tail Fuuka. Her mom is better than my expectation. RIP little fish. Why death of a fish makes me sad like this. 😢 |
何それ？意味分かんない  |
| This was handled very swiftly yet beautifully. I'm glad there wasn't any unnecessary drama. This was all possible because Fuuka's mother is a nice woman and supportive of her daughter. Also I hope by helping Kukuru achieve her dream Fuuka also realises her dream too. |
 |
| Good that Fuuka mother accept that and nice to see that they all help fuuka. Tbh that scene with kukuru grandmother was sad idk maybe but overall very nice episode. |
P O S I T I V E V I B E Sシ  |
| Only a matter of time before her mother found her though. Kukuru's idea crazy as it sounds is just like her. Fuuka hiding from her mum though was pretty amusing. That was quite the feast that Kukuru's grandparents prepped for Fuuka's mom though. Still that wine sure was a pretty potent weapon. Its so unfortunate that the Blemy died though. But at least they were able to give it a proper sendoff. Its nice that Fuuka's mother was so understanding though. If she had insisted of taking Fuuka back then things could have gotten worst. The little talk between mother and daughter though was nice to see given that they seem to have been apart for quite some time. Overall an excellent ep that served to expand well upon Fuuka's character both personality wise and in the bonds that she had with her mother. Being protective is a good thing for a parent but there comes a time when you need to let them take their first steps by themselves and find their route in life. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| Shit, it looks like Fuuka's mom is here. Well, it hasn't been a long while since I've seen a worried mother in anime recently. So, it seems that Fuuka is back to square one, but at least she got Kukuru supporting her. Fuuka made the right decision to stay with Kukuru and the aquarium. She has found an occupation that she's passionate about and a very supportive friend. Suprinsgley, her mother was pretty nonchalant about the whole situation. Great character development in this episode. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| Mom: Worryingly comes to visit the aquarium after Fuuka disappears with some half assed explanation Fuuka: time to fukin yeet lmao rip coral blenny-chan |
 'On-Hold' is another way for a completionist to say 'Dropped' |
| Luckily,Fuuka's mom was supportive... I was worried because these situations in anime mean "drama" incoming,and I'm not fond of that. |
 |
dzmetal said: Sweet episode. Good to see that her mom is supportive. What sealed it for me was the conversation about how she was hoping she'd be home after being on her own in the business for a while; shows really the love she has for her daughter I think. Little bit more advancement too with the development between Kukuru and Fuuka. Are we actually getting something or is it bait? Let's see... This is either ship tease, or the development of their friendship. Stop seeing bait in any intimacy between characters. |
 |
| Udon-chan so pumped that she gotta strike a Kamehameha xD Love her attitude and zest for life. Last weeks episode and the stern expression of Fuka's mother gave me the impression that things wouldn't go that smoothly. Then again, it's understandable that she wouldn't look pleased coming all the way after her daughter who just ran away. Fortunately, Kukur and her grandparents knew how to deal with the situation. Such hospitality with so many delicacies surely worked wonders. They're precious people. But Fuuka is even more blessed with such an understanding mom. Pleased with the outcome. This was definitely another enjoyable episode. 5 in a row. |
One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron |
| I thought Fuuka's mom would force her to come back or something, I'm glad she didn't. That hand holding at the end... 😳 |
 |
| Kai's sudden energy and playfulness when reacting to Fuuka's "escape" this episode gave such a whiplash, because he ended feeling like a completely different character than what he had been up to here, at least for me. Well, I think presenting a conflict and solving it in the same episode, the formula so far, isn't really working in this show's favor. There's no time to properly build up tension, the characters feel like characters (not as people) and there is no emotional stakes behind anything. In a hurry, Kukuru and Kai sent Fuuka on the run, not one minute stopping to ponder not on whether if it's the best or not, but whether they're going to miss her. For Kukuru this was specially egregious, considering she said a fast "it was fun while it lasted, bye" after the supposedly "unique" connection the show has been trying to sell us this far, but I digress. It feels like it all always returns to the status quo by the end of each episode as a 90s cartoon: the characters, the relationships, and the progress that was made regarding the internal and external conflicts. The one that escapes this the most is Fuuka, whose character is the most fleshed of the cast so far, the only one that has any sense of steady progression. 5 episodes in already (to others, it might be "yet", but all characters should be sufficiently presented at this point) and, regarding everyone else, we only know Kukuru is impulsive and energetic, Kai is impulsive and energetic (apparently, he hadn't been so far and he returned to status quo immediately after the show didn't need him egging Fuuka on any more), everyone else is impulsive and energetic, but the gynophobia boy, who's not impulsive and not energetic, v a r i e t y. This episode to me was not only lackluster, but also pointed out to me exactly what had been bothering me so far. |
KosmonautAug 5, 2021 11:37 AM
 |
Kosmonaut said: Kai's sudden energy and playfulness when reacting to Fuuka's "escape" this episode gave such a whiplash, because he ended feeling like a completely different character than what he had been up to here, at least for me. Well, I think getting a conflict and solving it in the same episode, the formula so far, isn't really working in this show's favor. There's no time to properly build up tension, the characters feel like characters (not as people) and there is no emotional stakes behind anything. In a hurry, Kukuru and Kai sent Fuuka on the run, not one minute stopping to ponder not on whether if it's the best or not, but whether they're going to miss her. For Kukuru this was specially egregious, considering she said a fast "it was fun while it lasted, bye" after the supposedly "unique" connection the show has been trying to sell us this far, but I digress. It feels like it all always returns to the status quo by the end of each episode. The one that escapes this the most is Fuuka, whose character is the most fleshed of the cast so far. This episode to me was not only lackluster, but also pointed out to me exactly what had been bothering me so far. Most likely they just use the SoL element to stretch the time. But until it turns into another Sakura Quest, I don't want to complain. |
|
RobertBobert said: That's what I don't get, there are better ways to stretch the time, for example, taking your time with each new conflict they come up with. Kosmonaut said: Kai's sudden energy and playfulness when reacting to Fuuka's "escape" this episode gave such a whiplash, because he ended feeling like a completely different character than what he had been up to here, at least for me. Well, I think getting a conflict and solving it in the same episode, the formula so far, isn't really working in this show's favor. There's no time to properly build up tension, the characters feel like characters (not as people) and there is no emotional stakes behind anything. In a hurry, Kukuru and Kai sent Fuuka on the run, not one minute stopping to ponder not on whether if it's the best or not, but whether they're going to miss her. For Kukuru this was specially egregious, considering she said a fast "it was fun while it lasted, bye" after the supposedly "unique" connection the show has been trying to sell us this far, but I digress. It feels like it all always returns to the status quo by the end of each episode. The one that escapes this the most is Fuuka, whose character is the most fleshed of the cast so far. This episode to me was not only lackluster, but also pointed out to me exactly what had been bothering me so far. Most likely they just use the SoL element to stretch the time. But until it turns into another Sakura Quest, I don't want to complain. Besides, I've seen even "pure" CGDCT SoL shows with a better sense of emotional stakes and character progression than this one, to be fair. Probably because the conflict in those is "there's no more tea", so the stakes are low, and not "I can't go home because I can't properly face my biggest failure yet", which should have pretty high stakes understandably, but it doesn't, because of how the show deals with its episodic formula. It's fine if the first one has no weight to its tension, but not the second one. |
|
Kosmonaut said: RobertBobert said: That's what I don't get, there are better ways to stretch the time, for example, taking your time with each new conflict they come up with. Most likely they just use the SoL element to stretch the time. But until it turns into another Sakura Quest, I don't want to complain. Besides, I've seen even "pure" CGDCT SoL shows with a better sense of emotional stakes and character progression than this one, to be fair. Probably because the conflict in those is "there's no more tea", so the stakes are low, and not "I can't go home because I can't properly face my biggest failure yet", which should have pretty high stakes understandably, but it doesn't, because of how the show deals with its episodic formula. It's fine if the first one has no weight to its tension, but not the second one. I think it all depends on the specific intentions. For example, if they want to follow the Sakura Quest route, the whole plot will continue to look like this, but if not, then at certain SoL intervals, we will still get the development of the personal stories of the characters. To be honest, it reminds me of Key with their use of Slice of Life as a backdrop for character development, or at least showcasing their personalities in general. Ideally, of course. |
|
| I must say, this episode dealt with the appearance of Fuuka's mother a lot better than I thought it would. I guess worrying about myself getting some vibes of HigeHiro was nothing more than a false alarm. XD I can't blame her mother for coming out of her way to ask Fuuka to come home with her, and who can blame her when your own daughter doesn't turn up at home after her idol career came to an end, then you find out that she ran away to Okinawa when you do hear from her again days later. Most caring parents would go out of their way to get their own child back home safely. As amusing as the plan was to have Fuuka run away again to avoid her from going back home (which gave us some fun times with her and Udon-chan, whose bubbly personality made me smile a lot, as they chatted), I'm glad that she wanted to go back to the aquarium in the end, although it was too late to save the poor Coral Blenny, though. It's part of the job, but it was a sad moment, though. =( Thankfully, Fuuka's mother agreed that she can stay in Okinawa until the end of summer vacation, which gives her a month, until she has to go back home and to resume her school studies. Overall, I think this was the best episode so far. It had some funny moments, solid character development, drama that was handled really well and the visuals, especially during the scenes involving the sunset reflecting an orange hue into the background, looked amazing. It makes me even happier that this series is 24 episodes long. ^_^ |
| Ahhh, this is not good ahhah, starting your escape from mom's plan 😂 Unexpected reunion, I thought I was never going to see her again in my life, but who knew she was Tsukimi's mother? Nicee, in the end it was all sorted out without any problems c: |
RobertBobert said: I also think they'll give us pockets of episodes focused on each of the characters occasionally going forward (at least I hope so), but my complaint isn't that. Kosmonaut said: That's what I don't get, there are better ways to stretch the time, for example, taking your time with each new conflict they come up with. Besides, I've seen even "pure" CGDCT SoL shows with a better sense of emotional stakes and character progression than this one, to be fair. Probably because the conflict in those is "there's no more tea", so the stakes are low, and not "I can't go home because I can't properly face my biggest failure yet", which should have pretty high stakes understandably, but it doesn't, because of how the show deals with its episodic formula. It's fine if the first one has no weight to its tension, but not the second one. I think it all depends on the specific intentions. For example, if they want to follow the Sakura Quest route, the whole plot will continue to look like this, but if not, then at certain SoL intervals, we will still get the development of the personal stories of the characters. To be honest, it reminds me of Key with their use of Slice of Life as a backdrop for character development, or at least showcasing their personalities in general. Ideally, of course. It's how even conflicts that relate directly to the overarching plot, such as this episode's refusal of going home from Fuuka, feel empty and tepid. That plus how the characters don't properly act following the development of past episodes: Kukuru is still as unapologetically impulsive even after supposedly getting a reality check in the pregnancy episode and vowing to herself to try acting more restrained, for example. But okay, I don't want to say anything definitive about this show at the 1/4 mark, but, in my opinion, the writing just isn't all there, and, considering the supernatural elements could play a bigger part going forward, it wouldn't bode well. But we'll see if it's more Key or more Sakura Quest. |
|
| I really thought, that this will lead to a hard srgument between Fuuka and her mother. But then we see, that Fuukas mother is just caring and sympathetic. But I should this have known! Fuukas mother shows the same attitude as in the first episode, when she understands her daughter when Fukka gave up her dream. Her mother even wanted to support her daughter! Therefore it shouldn't had been surprising that she supports her daughter now, too. Only my sense for clichés let me expect otherwise...Shame on me! Furthermore: Kuuya reminded me on Belkar Bitterleaf from the webcomic "The Order of the stick" at timestamp 10:50. |
 |
Twintails Fuuka won this episode  |
|
Kosmonaut said: RobertBobert said: I also think they'll give us pockets of episodes focused on each of the characters occasionally going forward (at least I hope so), but my complaint isn't that. I think it all depends on the specific intentions. For example, if they want to follow the Sakura Quest route, the whole plot will continue to look like this, but if not, then at certain SoL intervals, we will still get the development of the personal stories of the characters. To be honest, it reminds me of Key with their use of Slice of Life as a backdrop for character development, or at least showcasing their personalities in general. Ideally, of course. It's how even conflicts that relate directly to the overarching plot, such as this episode's refusal of going home from Fuuka, feel empty and tepid. That plus how the characters don't properly act following the development of past episodes: Kukuru is still as unapologetically impulsive even after supposedly getting a reality check in the pregnancy episode and vowing to herself to try acting more restrained, for example. But okay, I don't want to say anything definitive about this show at the 1/4 mark, but, in my opinion, the writing just isn't all there, and, considering the supernatural elements could play a bigger part going forward, it wouldn't bode well. But we'll see if it's more Key or more Sakura Quest. So, if I understand you correctly, it seems to you that such subplot does not affect characters strongly enough and seems formal? |
|
| That moment you try to run away from your mom for most of the episode, get tired halfway,and come back. Im not criticizing but is funny thinking that way. Great mother that Fuuka have. RIP coral blenny. |
 |
dzmetal said: Hopefully not bait, manifesting shoujo-ai for this anime.Sweet episode. Good to see that her mom is supportive. What sealed it for me was the conversation about how she was hoping she'd be home after being on her own in the business for a while; shows really the love she has for her daughter I think. Little bit more advancement too with the development between Kukuru and Fuuka. Are we actually getting something or is it bait? Let's see... They're teasing it A LOT, so unless they pull the hardest bait and switch and make them straight, this should go into that shoujo-ai territory, or if not just make it extremely ambiguous like Banana Fish. We'll see though. |
 |
| I didn't imagine Fuuka's mum to be so understanding and supportive. Maybe recent shows had corrupted the image of Anime mum's.. So Fuuka now has until September to stay and work at GamaGama before heading back to Iwate for the next school term. 1 months seems very short though, but with the aquarium on the line here as well, there's probably a lot they gotta face to save it before Fuuka returns to her parents. That shot focusing on the photo of Kukuru's mother was quite surprising, this and the two child handbooks are definitely going to be some kind of subplot to the story. Need more understanding on Kukuru's late parents. |
 |
RobertBobert said: It doesn't need to "affect characters strongly" for now, but it should at least affect them or their actions in some way. After all, the characters are allegedly learning life lessons each episode in the process of beating the monster of the week.Kosmonaut said: I also think they'll give us pockets of episodes focused on each of the characters occasionally going forward (at least I hope so), but my complaint isn't that. It's how even conflicts that relate directly to the overarching plot, such as this episode's refusal of going home from Fuuka, feel empty and tepid. That plus how the characters don't properly act following the development of past episodes: Kukuru is still as unapologetically impulsive even after supposedly getting a reality check in the pregnancy episode and vowing to herself to try acting more restrained, for example. But okay, I don't want to say anything definitive about this show at the 1/4 mark, but, in my opinion, the writing just isn't all there, and, considering the supernatural elements could play a bigger part going forward, it wouldn't bode well. But we'll see if it's more Key or more Sakura Quest. So, if I understand you correctly, it seems to you that such subplot does not affect characters strongly enough and seems formal? |
|
Kosmonaut said: RobertBobert said: It doesn't need to "affect characters strongly" for now, but it should at least affect them or their actions in some way. After all, the characters are allegedly learning life lessons each episode in the process of beating the monster of the week.So, if I understand you correctly, it seems to you that such subplot does not affect characters strongly enough and seems formal? Well, hopefully in the future this will trigger different "JoJo moments" where the characters will remember different moments and point out influences that we missed. |
|
Fuuka has a nice mom, glad she understood how important is Gama Gama for Fuuka. |
RobertBobert said: Yeah, yeah, very witty. I pointed it out where I think there was no sense of progression and why there's no sense of progression, mainly for Kukuru. Kosmonaut said: It doesn't need to "affect characters strongly" for now, but it should at least affect them or their actions in some way. After all, the characters are allegedly learning life lessons each episode in the process of beating the monster of the week. Well, hopefully in the future this will trigger different "JoJo moments" where the characters will remember different moments and point out influences that we missed. But I promise I won't dare criticize an episode you, according to your list (unless it's not updated), haven't watched yet by using information pertinent to the episode in question. Until next week, when I do it again, because my writers forgot this little character insight moment they gave me and make me behave as nitpicky as before it. |
|
Kosmonaut said: RobertBobert said: Yeah, yeah, very witty. I pointed it out where I think there was no sense of progression and why there's no sense of progression, mainly for Kukuru. Well, hopefully in the future this will trigger different "JoJo moments" where the characters will remember different moments and point out influences that we missed. But I promise I won't dare criticize an episode you, according to your list (unless it's not updated), haven't watched yet by using information pertinent to the episode in question. Until next week, when I do it again, because my writers forgot this little character insight moment they gave me and make me behave as nitpicky as before it. I haven't even started this season yet, just skimming over the shows that interest me in the first place. I'm going to open it after I finish watching the last episode of Loki. |
|
| Kinda refreshing that the parent for once wasn't an asshole and actually was a lot more caring and understanding than I imagined. Of course she's worried about her daughter immensely since she was in hiding essentially for a long time, and wants her to come back with her, but was never aggressive or angry to cause more damage. After seeing how much her own daughter was putting in the work with passion too, and how she has people that care for her in a pretty good environment, nice to see her allow her daughter to work with Kukuru and the aquarium for just a while longer. Parents can be understanding and loving to their children even in tough times like this, which is in contrast to most anime out there. |
| Predictable ending with the Mom being accepting, but I mean that's better than Mom being a total cunt I'd say. Still was a decent episode. The running away bit made me feel bad for the mom even if it was mostly a meme. Glad she came back on her own will, even if it was for the fish. |
| Most anime tend to make the parents assholes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but quite often that choice can come off too weightless or unjustified. Aquatope thankfully doesn’t pull that trope. Fuuka’s mom is very understanding of the situation; she was simply very worried about her daughter because of how she hasn’t really been regularly at home due to leaving school early to be an idol at the time (which also isnt uncommon), and how she doesn’t want her to be a burden to others. Kudos to this move, as I often get exasperated by tiresomely dragged-out and exaggerated family drama. I appreciate this show’s more grounded approach. This is also the first time an anime made me feel bad about a fish dying lmfao. I like how Fuuka compared it to herself, and it may have very well represented how she would’ve been if things didn’t turn out as fortunate for her as they have so far. Nice nuance there. |
 |
| Yeah that’s gonna be it for me.The story isn’t anything to note and the characters are severely lacking for a character-driven SOL-esque anime. I don’t like Fuuka as a character and I felt all of the main characters were extremely childish this episode, yet they played it completely serious. Fuuka (an 18 year-old woman) doesn’t want her mom to take her home so everyone tells her to run away and hide as they try to distract the mom. This is something my friends and I did when I was like 9 years-old. Fuuka has been completely immature this entire time not telling her mom that she wasn’t coming home, ignoring her calls, telling her mom where she is weeks after ghosting her, and then running away again instead of talking to her like an adult or even a normal teenager. All because she wants to run away from facing her failure as an idol which she caused upon herself. I could forgive this anime if they addressed how selfish and immature Fuuka is, but it doesn’t look like they are going to so I’m gonna drop it. Maybe I’ll pick it up again if it gets better, but who knows. |
| I was hoping for a little more drama with her mom, but I guess that's been put off for now. TBH, Udon-chan and the fortune teller helping her run away again didn't feel that believable to me. I kept expecting someone to shut her down and tell her to talk to her mom, and for her to refuse to go home. Still, it was sweet that her friend was willing to let her go so easily, even though she obviously has feelings for her. They make for a cute couple and it will be fun to watch their romance bloom. |
miniika said: Still, it was sweet that her friend was willing to let her go so easily, even though she obviously has feelings for her. They make for a cute couple and it will be fun to watch their romance bloom. That already goes to show that "obviously" is too big a word for that, lol. Again, this is the original anime, you can ship them as much as you like, but self-conviction doesn't help much with that. |
|
| Fuuka had a surprising amount of help from folks around the area, even Udon-chan's mom. Really heartwarming that the parent understands their child's needs instead of forcing their own way of living |
| the whole running away thing was pretty wack but im glad her mother let her do her own thing |
More topics from this board
Poll: » Anyone else getting a little bit sick of it?GakutoDeathGlare - Sep 10, 2021 |
48 |
by SakurakoMikage
»»
Aug 23, 11:03 PM |
|
Poll: » What happened with the direction of this anime?GakutoDeathGlare - Oct 14, 2021 |
25 |
by GakutoDeathGlare
»»
Aug 23, 10:57 PM |
|
Poll: » Shiroi Suna no Aquatope Episode 24 Discussion ( 1 2 3 )Stark700 - Dec 16, 2021 |
147 |
by TheRealClutch
»»
Aug 12, 9:58 PM |
|
Poll: » Shiroi Suna no Aquatope Episode 22 Discussion ( 1 2 )Stark700 - Dec 2, 2021 |
75 |
by KursedArcana
»»
Aug 1, 1:05 PM |
|
Poll: » Shiroi Suna no Aquatope Episode 23 Discussion ( 1 2 )Stark700 - Dec 9, 2021 |
78 |
by basskiller
»»
Dec 10, 2023 6:06 PM |