Shoushimin Series Episode 10 Discussion

@basspig you don't understand the intent? Somehow I don't doubt that

this anime is a genius way of sleep propaganda. one of the best sleep ads I ever seen.


...... boring shit. 3/10

Even though it makes sense that Osanai wanted to keep their relationship for the sake of getting that girl in jail, it was such a lame conclusion to the overarching struggle of becoming ordinary. Especially on Kabato's side because he was unaware yet still continued this relationship. There was no gradual realization that they can't escape being their unordinary selves, just a sudden revelation at the very end.

I was also expecting Kobato to try to convince Osanai of maintaining their relationship when he first says that their relationship wasn't meaningless even if the original 'contract' was no longer effective. But Osanai just said "Nope" and he went along with it.

I do think that season 2 will be more interesting because now they're forced to be normal. But if they start throwing the main characters back into the detective drama from episode 1 instead of easing into it, it will be a drop from me.

- "You can't treat crime like snacks..." I find it interesting that Kobato believes it's wrong to bring a known criminal to justice because of a lie. Whereas Osanai seems to think that the ends justify the means.

- Sure, Kobato may have lied about wanting to become ordinary. But staging a kidnapping that would get the supposed kidnapper arrested is not on the same level.

- Out of context, the part about terminating their relationship does give off the vibes of a romantic breakup.

- Who the heck is this red head girl? Who does she think she is that she can call Kobato as "Joe"? Glorified extra merely crushing on Kobato? Or new main character?

- So Kengo's associate from the newspaper club is crushing on Osanai. I wonder what kind of trouble will he get into this time.

- Speaking of trouble... what's with that final scene of the white van catching on fire? Did Osanai leave a parting gift?

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Overall series impression:

I'm rather mixed with this series.

On the one hand, it at least tries to make an effort in its visual presentation. One can say that it's "cinematic flair" is arguably more blatant when compared to Hyouka's presentation.

On the other, the mysteries are of a mixed bag. I guess I had been spoiled by The Apothecary Diaries approach to small mysteries: if it's a just a minor thing, Maomao will solve it in 5 minutes tops and move on. Whereas in Shoshimin, it indulges half an episode pondering how Kengo made hot coco. I'm just glad that the series got more interesting than what was presented in Episode 2 with the bike theft and kidnapping incidents.

There are only 3 characters worthwhile talking about. Kengo is the straight everyman. Kobato is the wannabe detective, who can also be a capable prosecutor as one of his future career prospects. But it was Osanai who I found the most intriguing. Initially, I feared she was just a subdued Eru Chitanda with a sweetooth. But her darker side really caught me off guard, and is to me a main highlight of the show. On that note, I wish that there was more for Kobato. His quest to be "ordinary" feels trivial when compared to Osanai's deeper issues. An nosy know-it-all vs. a Machiavellian wolf in sheep's clothing. Which between these two urgently needs to be ordinary again?

I felt that two background characters suddenly crushing on our two main leads was so tacked on. I say this is the case because of the sudden rise in prominence of two extras who we did not see having any interest with Kobato and Osanai before Episode 10. The show was too heavily focused on Kobato and Osanai that barely allowed anyone who wasn't Kengo any meaningful screentime for adequate character development.

Despite my qualms about Shoshimin, I will watch Season 2. If only to see what Osanai is scheming behind Kobato's back.

TL;DR - If you ask me, Shoshimin S1 doesn't reach the heights of Hyouka. If you hated Hyouka, I do not recommend Shoshimin. If you're a Hyouka fan, do I recommend this show? Honestly, it depends on what you enjoyed about Hyouka. If it was the mundane mysteries, Shoshimin is definitely worth checking out. But if it was the Classic Literature Club and the chemistry of the main characters, please adjust your expectations accordingly.

@Alpha-Nine Hyouka is the original of this type of anime and very innocent. Shoshimin is its darker, more malevolent sibling. We didn't need a Hyouke-redux, I'm glad we got something different.

@mal_user_2022 I wasn't saying that Shoshimin should have been a "Hyouka redux" as you say. I'm glad it is not. I was merely expressing an opinionated disclaimer for all those folks who are going to watch Shoshimin with the expectation that it is Hyouka S2 in all but name.