Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re returning to Shoushimin Series at a moment of unexpected crisis, having just learned that Osanai has apparently been abducted for ransom! It’s a development so sudden and dramatic that I’m frankly not entirely sure I believe it, but Osanai does have a habit of getting dangerously ahead of the team when it comes to these investigations, as demonstrated through her reckless actions during the bicycle thief incident. And as that adventure also demonstrated, there are stakes to these investigations beyond boredom or disappointment; our protagonists are idly toying with their town’s various crime rings, heedless of the material consequences.
But can you really blame them? Abduction aside, these last two episodes have served as a warm celebration of Jogoro, Osanai, and even Kengo in their element, flexing their wiles and enjoying each other’s company and eating a whole bunch of good cakes in the bargain. Shoushimin Series’ marvelous character chemistry should come as no surprise to any fan of Hyouka, with each conversation demonstrating layers of affection, one-upmanship, and an underlying testing of comfort levels, as Osanai continues to push their relationship in a more overtly codified, romantic direction. Well, there’s nothing like a dramatic rescue to prove your love, so let’s see where the case takes us today!
Episode 8
“Come here, I’ll Give You a Candy.” An episode title with all sorts of relevant, ominous resonances. It seems to be clearly riffing on the “don’t accept candy from strangers” truism, summoning images of ominous men and unmarked vans that could be pointing towards Osanai’s abduction in some way. And of course, candy is a fine stand-in for Osanai’s obsession with sweets, which in turn is often used as a metaphor for her indulging in her secret, violent nature – thus this title could also be interpreted as Osanai accepting an opportunity to “indulge in her sweet tooth” by directly confronting the antagonists of our current arc. Finally, “candy” can also be used as a pseudonym for drugs, particularly the kinds of synthetic drugs these characters appear to be peddling – thus “I’ll give you a candy” can signify potentially being offered a free dose of MDMA or whatnot, the classic “first one’s free” method of establishing a dependent customer
We open with a visual echo of the opening from two episodes ago, offering a sequence of pillow shots leading us into the San’yadori festival. Rather than the warm lantern light of that festival, this one is white-saturated and unsparing, concluding on an image of a candy wrapper carelessly tossed aside. A sequence designed to both establish a pattern and emphasize what has changed, the more alienating tenor now that Osanai has been abducted
Jogoro’s eyes are obscured as he trudges away from Osanai’s house. Eyes are the window to the soul in general, doubly so in this production, and so their intentional absence naturally evokes a defensive posture, and the sense he is concealing something
The fact that this production so often uses these jumps around town to illustrate their intellectual probing actually creates a nice emotional counterpoint here; the town feels inherently lonely when it is just Jogoro witnessing it by himself
And here’s what he’s concealing: a private smile, and attendant eagerness to treat this mystery like his usual quests. He chides himself for his eagerness, but still can’t deny it
“I’m sorry. Please buy four candy apples and a canele. I’m sorry.” Goddamnit Osanai, what are you up to? I’d idly wondered if Osanai had somehow set this situation up herself, but it seemed beyond her to involve her mother in a fake kidnapping operation. Of course, the other alternative is that she’s still ordering sweets while actively held hostage, which… you know, that actually wouldn’t surprise me
The passersby are reduced to a faceless blur as Jogoro reaches the market. This conveys multiple things at once: the apparent density of the crowd, Jogoro’s mental preoccupation, and the fact that they are at this point simply a collective “other,” a faceless obstacle separating him from Osanai
Ooh, I love this one. We get a panning shot following alongside Jogoro as he calls Kengo for support, with both his willingness to be so frank with Kengo and his literal increasing speed emphasizing his full investment in this moment. Jogoro has learned not to make waves, but he’s desperate enough to impose himself on others here
Of course, the very fact that he considers calling the police first (we see him first type 110, the Japanese emergency number) emphasizes that he has chosen his own way, not the “ordinary” path
Right, the cake order is a code they can decipher with Osanai’s map, thus disguising her cry for help. Unsurprisingly, Osanai is scary composed under pressure
Actually quite a reasonable deduction – the two shops mentioned give them a line on the map, and the quantities dictate the relative distance along that line from each shop, with the initial indicator of a puzzle being that one wouldn’t order just a single canele. Many would-be puzzlers forget the necessity of that first step – there can’t always just be a mystery, there must also be some sort of indicator that there is a mystery to be solved, something that seems out of place with the initial situation
The heavy white saturation and massive blue sky strand Jogoro between an ocean and a desert, casting him in long shots set so far back that he has to sprint to make any progress across the frame. So nice that both of Honobu Yonezawa’s adaptations possess such a casual mastery of visual drama
The music cuts as they reach their destination, emphasizing how every sound they make might lead to discovery
It seems Osanai is using her lollipop wrappers as a sort of Hansel and Gretel-style breadcrumb trail
Kengo, the pragmatic one, quickly snaps a photo of this van’s license plate. He’s an excellent co-investigator
Their metaphorical wandering features Osanai wrapped in a blindfold, still trying to feel her way across the bridge. A fine reflection of how she might be acting outside her depth here
Hah, the “music” now is just pure static guitar distortion, sickly noises emphasizing a deeply troubled mind
Osanai is being held by five girls, with the leader angry that Osanai apparently ratted her out to the authorities. I know selling drugs is considered a much bigger deal in Japan than the United States, but it still feels wild to me that these girls would happily escalate from dealing to outright kidnapping
Kengo confirms that the leader is Isawa Hasemi. The other girls laugh and play each other up, but Hasemi seems like iron; her confidence is the permission structure for this group’s existence. At this age, you’re not dealing with confident criminals; normally there’s just one or two people who are willing to go further than others, which can spiral as you all start to feel collectively culpable, playing up your enthusiasm just to affirm to each other you’re all on the same side
Even with a knife in her face, Osanai looks up with the wolf’s smile. And as Jogoro notices, in his mind’s eye, the blindfold falls from Osanai’s face. They’re standing on opposite sides of furious traffic, but neither of them are blind or helpless here – they both know the danger, and Osanai at least seems in control of her situation
“If you cut me with that, you’ll leave a mark. If that happens, I’ll probably end up reminded every time I see it.” God, she conveys such ominous power even while bound and surrounded. Osanai is a lot of fun
Her cold fury contrasts quite charmingly against Jogoro’s awkward rescue, as he announces “you don’t want any more on your record” before blushing and fiddling with his hands. Osanai is comfortable on this field, where mutual animosity is clearly stated, but Jogoro clearly prefers to keep things theoretical
“She doesn’t hold back when she hits me.” After the fact, Osanai seems to even have a certain respect for Isawa’s ferocity. They are similar animals, even if they were enemies here
Their shared vision shifts from the saturated-light bridge to the sturdy adjacent hill, with pinkish late afternoon light emphasizing their reestablished security and mutual fondness
And at last, it’s Jogoro who is affirming their bond, saying he’ll pick up the next items on the Osanai Sweets Selection as a present. After several episodes of Osanai clearly pushing their relationship forward through these indirect activities, this is the first time Jogoro takes the initiative, emphasizing that this is exactly what he wants to be doing, not a task he’s accepting out of friendship or obligation
“Tinker Linker’s peach pie!” How can one town possess so many adorably named sweets shops
The two later meet at Cafe Cecilia, in a sequence whose warm earth tones and general setup immediately call to mind Hyouka’s cafe date
“It’s no fun if you don’t say anything. Say something.” Neither of them are very good at being on a traditional date – I’m reminded of that stinger from one of the first episodes, where they both came alive when they noticed a nearby couple was offering them a tidy mystery
“You knew you were going to be kidnapped, didn’t you, Osanai-san?” She didn’t just accidentally have to rely on her hidden nature – she pursued it, even at the cost of personal safety
And Done
Well that was a tumultuous adventure! Osanai almost got stabbed in the face! And yes, if this is the degree to which Osanai will throw herself in harm’s way purely to indulge her wolf-like instincts, then I can see why both she and Jogoro might have decided it’s an instinct to be repressed. Jogoro’s sleuthing can come off as condescending to others, but he is still ultimately trying to help people, and will eventually find people who can appreciate his personality. But Osanai comes alive in direct confrontation, through directly reaching towards live wires in the hopes they’ll offer her a satisfying contest of ferocity. While this episode and arc overall did an excellent job of conveying their unspoken mutual desire for a more definitive relationship, that stinger raises a difficult question – is being with Jogoro actually good for Osanai, or will it only facilitate her self-destructive instincts?
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