Hanayamata

Episode 10

Since the beginning of the series the opener and closer have shown that Machi, the Student Council President, would eventually join the Yosakai Club. That finally happens in episode 10, and with that the core performing group is now complete.

Predictably, the first episode with her in the club deals extensively with integrating her very different personality and style in with the others. Machi is the classic quietly prideful, studious, and responsible type, the kind who insists on doing something fully and properly and staying focused on the task at hand, which initially causes a bit of friction as she tries to get a handle on the group's mindset. That she does not have an established role in the group yet (Hana is the choreographer, Naru is the fashion designer, Yaya is the musical arranger, and Tami is the musical composer) also seems to bother her, although the role she will evolve into is very plain to the viewer: while Hana may be the heart of the club, Machi is the manager, the one who will make sure things get done. But as her presence will help the club in that regard, so will the club change her; we are given the impression that she does not have an easy time loosening up, and that is something that her clubmates can and will help her with. The greatest strengths of the series lie in the way the group dynamics form and how participation in the club comes to mean something important to each member, and while this episode may not tackle those matters with the emotional weight of some of the earlier episodes, the way it plays out here nonetheless feels exactly right.

The episode does have at least some plot to it, too. With Machi now on board and serious about training to be ready for the upcoming festival, a training camp at an onsen is, of course, necessary. (What would a club-focused series be without an episode like this?) However, in keeping with the established tone of the series, this is hardly an excuse for fan service; even the one bathing scene is kept pretty clean and is hardly gratuitous anyway. A minor crisis arises when it looks like they may have missed the registration deadline for the festival, but that it only a temporary bump, and eventually the girls naturally realize anyway that doing yosakoi together was always the whole point, with the festival performance just being a means to an end. One personal circumstance was revealed in the episode which, based on the final shot, could lead to a much bigger crisis in the next episode, however.

The artistic merits take a bit of a dip, as some scenes (especially at the onsen) have a softer and less refined look to them. However, the pacing problems which plagued episode 9 seem to have been only a temporary thing, as they are not at all in evidence here. Instead the writing and directing return to the smoother flow and firmer progression of events and character development seen in the earlier stages of the series, which also fully restores the series to its previous high levels of charm and quality. Hanayamata may not be doing anything excitingly different, but what it is doing, it is doing very well.

Rating: A-

Hanayamata is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.