Skip and Loafer – Episode 9

[Alderis]

Skip and Loafer – Episode 9

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today the rain is casting a dreary scene outside my window, and giving me a craving for something upbeat and energetic to brighten my day. As such, we obviously have no choice but to return to Skip and Loafer, and check in on the continuing adventures of Mitsumi and her companions. Mitsumi’s earnest cheer is so contagious it actually extends beyond her own friends; it’s hard to watch this show and not feel warmed by her endearing presence.

Granted, we’re currently mired in some uniquely thorny territory as far as Skip and Loafer is concerned. The introduction of Ririka has brought Shima’s unhappy history to the forefront, as he is condemned anew for derailing her route to stardom. It’s easy enough to see why this experience would prompt Shima to withdraw from both celebrity life and earnest, vulnerable engagement with the world, but in truth, my own immediate response to Ririka’s “you think it’s okay now that four years have passed” was an unconditional “yes, absolutely.” Ririka is holding an unreasonable grudge against a boy who no longer exists, and I can only hope Mitsumi is able to help Shima forgive himself. Let’s get to it!

Episode 9

We open on a bright Tokyo morning, soft clouds floating across a blue sky as the city begins to rise. Already feeling the nourishment I’m here for

Lovely bedraggled Mitsumi faces as she conducts her morning routine. Comforting to know that even Mitsumi looks like a mess in the morning

Oh damn, it looks like Mitsumi is actually visiting her hometown! I’m a little distraught this means we’ll be delaying the resolution of Shima’s drama, but nonetheless eager to see this show direct all its resources to portraying Mitsumi’s village

As always, Mitsumi is wearing a distinctly Mitsumi outfit, this time a bright yellow dress whose style feels a touch childish for her age. I always appreciate a show that takes care with its outfits; fashion is a natural vector for characterization, even if the only characterization offered is “this character doesn’t care about their appearance”

The subdued sound design during this sequence both helps evoke the early morning atmosphere, where all sounds seem to be muffled, and also creates a sense of anticipation, an aesthetic blank space waiting to be filled. Every choice is intentional and consequential, even absences create a dramatic effect

Huh, apparently Mitsumi’s home is so remote she actually has to fly there

The use of blue and yellow during the opening is very intentional. Shima is generally associated with blue colors, but Mitsumi’s appearance actively pushes these blues away, both during the sequence when he first sees her and leading into their dance

Mitsumi proudly distributes gifts to her parents and younger siblings. She’s clearly enjoying this chance to be the worldly one for a change

“A little bit of bad manners adds to the flavor.” The pace of life is slower here, and Mitsumi is absolutely luxuriating in it. A feast for lunch, and then a well-earned afternoon nap

Ooh, gorgeous later afternoon clouds. The layouts are doing a solid job of balancing the tone of this new venue – the house feels very intimate and familiar, but the surrounding area is open and untamed, a dramatic shift from the narrow streets of Tokyo

Fumi arrives next, with news that she’s actually dating the boy she was crushing on

“Since the start of summer break. I knew I wouldn’t see him for a bit, so I asked for his contact deets.” Apparently all agree that the the pre-break rush is the perfect time for love

“I wanted you to be the first to know.” A nice affirmation of their enduring bond. These moments of return to the hometown can be quite difficult sometimes, as you are forced to either reaffirm or reassess bonds that you’ve taken for granted all of your life. Friendship can be an effortless assumption when you’re young, but once you start to move away from the people you love, you realize it will from then on have to be an active practice

Her old friends rag on her for wearing the same dorky t-shirts. Honestly, I would happily wear an “Atsui” shirt with a sunglass-decked sun on it

We get our requisite beach fireworks montage. I’ve seen so many of these at this point that I sorta feel like I missed out on some quintessential adolescent experiences

Mitsumi tells Fumi that she quit taking her standardized Japanese lessons. “I found friends who won’t make fun of me over my dialect.” Mitsumi was anxious about integrating into the big city life, but has found a group who allow her to take pride in what makes her unique

Incredible rolling “good morning” as a clearly still-asleep Mitsumi greets her mother the next morning

The episode continues to employ generally subdued sound design and very little music, all of which contributes to this “unvarnished, unmediated” sense of relaxation, an absence of aesthetic drama that feels very appropriate for returning to your childhood home

A wordless moment of staring at her mother’s back, then staring out the window. Such familiar sights, so firmly lodged in her memory, now oddly novel after her time in the city

Mitsumi luxuriating in the warm stillness of the moment, with only the chirp of the cicadas and the occasional crunch of her watermelon to break the silence. This episode is a uniquely focused tone piece within Skip and Loafer, its delicate approach bringing us closer into Mitsumi’s headspace than ever before

The gang then head to the beach. Man, I was hoping for a warm and summery episode to counteract my own gray day, and this episode is more than delivering

And now we’re back to school!

“I cried a little, but that’s all in the past.” I’m very proud of you, Mitsumi

Shima greets her with the same bright smile as ever, keeping whatever anxieties he might be feeling locked tightly inside. She definitely got a bit of a tan over the break

At school, Kanechika is already setting up for the school festival. Man, we’re just running from one high school tentpole to the next

Kanechika has already written a script for the festival play, and asks Shima to offer his thoughts. With the context of Ririka’s scandal, Shima’s situation has grown more complicated in a very dramatically fertile way. He doesn’t necessarily hate acting at this point – it’s just as likely he actually still enjoys it, but between being burned in the past and Ririka’s continuing condemnations, it’s likely he believes he doesn’t deserve to perform, or can see nothing good coming from it

And of course, Shima’s general behavior consistently demonstrates that he’s still a talented actor, capable of effortlessly hiding his true feelings and performing whatever role is required of him. At this point, acting is for Shima simply a way to shield himself from emotional pain, rather than an authentic, desirable expression of passion. It’s little wonder that he doesn’t want to do any more acting than he already performs as an extremely socially conscious high schooler

“Makochan, did you get paler instead?” And at the far end of the spectrum, we have the delightfully blunt Mitsumi

Nice light character beat of Mako just eating every souvenir the moment she receives it

Staring across her class after a month away, Mitsumi is able to clearly recognize the various transformations of her classmates. High school is a time of rapid and repeated reinvention, of trying on new affectations to see what feels like an authentic post-childhood self, and seeing your classmates going through that process can easily provoke a sense of being left behind. Mitsumi’s confidence and earnestness actually make her quite mature for her age, but it can be hard to appreciate that – from the inside, the active performance and social games of high school often parse as “maturity” relative to the unflappable optimism of childhood, even though they are in truth just a stage we must pass through on our way back to earnest confidence

Mitsumi is overwhelmed by the grandeur of their approaching festival

Another protagonist might work themselves into a frenzy of anxiety regarding drifting away from Shima, but Mitsumi of course seizes her chance to reaffirm their bond, racing down the hallways after him with squid crackers in hand

Mitsumi refers to Shima as a “cool and composed adult,” but Shima knows that’s not the truth. Mitsumi’s earnest engagement with the world is laudable – in contrast, Shima’s self-assessment is “I get frozen in place because I don’t deserve anything.”

“You’re so dazzling… and so far away.” But he’s not entirely correct. For Mitsumi notices his gloomy mood, and returns to offer him more crackers. He might be a good actor, but Mitsumi knows him very well

And Done

Ah, that was just the pick-me-up I was looking for. This episode’s first half was a delightful exercise in dramatic economy, a tone piece entirely dedicated to evoking the distinct texture of summer break in Mitsumi’s hometown. Between the sound design, pacing, and carefully boarded perspective-embedded scenes, that half succeeded in evoking a sense of nostalgia for a town I’ve never been to, drawing on universal touchstones of summer relaxation while simultaneously realizing the specific pleasures of Mitsumi’s home. And back at school, it was lovely to see Mitsumi carrying her upbeat vacation attitude back to Shima, ultimately demonstrating he’s far less isolated than he’s prone to believe. You deserve happiness too, Shima!

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Source: Skip and Loafer – Episode 9