Skip and Loafer – Episode 10

[Alderis]

Skip and Loafer – Episode 10

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’d like to settle down to enjoy a cozy new episode of Skip and Loafer, and see how Mitsumi is faring with festival preparations. Our last episode offered one of this production’s most enchanting tone pieces so far, vividly realizing the nostalgic, lackadaisical atmosphere of Mitsumi’s summer vacation. You could practically feel the sun and taste the watermelon as Mitsumi reunited with her old friends, with this gentle romantic comedy demonstrating its command of boarding, pacing, and sound design can compete with the best slice of life productions in the business.

Now that we’ve returned to school, the race is on to prepare for the upcoming school festival. But while Mitsumi is prepping for the trials ahead, Shima is still bound by the past, unable to embrace his high school life in the wake of his prior transgressions. That’s somewhat understandable given he’s literally got an old friend shouting “how dare you embrace high school in the wake of your prior transgressions” right in his ear, so my current hope is that Ririka and Mitsumi actually meet and hash things out, prompting Shima’s childhood friend to perhaps lighten up and embrace forgiveness. Regardless, I’m sure we’re in for some thoughtfully written and altogether charming shenanigans, so let’s not waste any more time hypothesizing. Onward to the festival!

Episode 10

We open with preparations for the festival in full swing. I’m very curious as to whether these cultural festivals are as all-consuming in actual Japanese high school life as they are in anime; either way, they’re certainly a useful dramatic device, thrusting characters out of their comfort zones and facilitating dramatic peaks like concerts and bonfire confessions

And of course, Shima has ultimately gotten roped into their class’s play performance. Shima’s relationship with acting has essentially been defined as the millstone around his neck, the embodiment of his haunted sense of self. Acting is a reminder of his past crimes, meaning him embracing acting again would serve as a clear refutation of that guilt and self-hatred

They’re apparently putting on an original play adapted from “The Family Singers,” a beloved musical

The class was inspired to perform this musical via the earnest request of their class representative. Funny how your high school experience will always be sorta painted in your own colors; I’ve watched plenty of anime whose cynical protagonists perceived high school as a duplicitous battleground, but Mitsumi always sees the good in people, and our perception of her classmates is accordingly kind and cheerful

This enthusiasm is then contrasted against the world as seen by Shima and his old friend, who can only marvel at the energy of his classmates

“Last year, a couple got handsy in the dark at our school, so haunted houses are banned this year.” That definitely feels more true to my experience of high school events, though. The “popular kids” weren’t giving their all to musical theater performances, they were sneaking in liquor and making out in stairwells

Shima of course didn’t want to perform, but when it came down to either performing or abandoning his happy-go-lucky persona, he chose to protect his familiar affectation

“If you’re more concerned with breaking character than your own feelings, you’re going to snap at some point.” Love this guy. He’s right, maintaining a character like this just isn’t sustainable, and what’s more it’s simply self-defeating. It took Mitsumi about ten minutes of group karaoke to discard her fears about presenting the right image for high school and start making authentic friends – the longer Shima takes to do the same, the more isolated he will ultimately become

Of course, as Mika recently pointed out, “be yourself” is much easier advice to embrace when your authentic instincts are friendly and charitable. For people with less kind inherent natures, getting along in society necessitates a degree of subterfuge, particularly if you are trying to become a better person than your natural instincts would dictate. “I’m just telling it like it is” is the refuge of the proud asshole – we are capable of aspiring to higher standards of behavior, and it is not simply cowardice or complacency that inspire us to hold our tongue rather than articulate an ungenerous thought

“They’ll notice that you’re not being honest, and that you’re distancing yourself.” But of course, holding it all in doesn’t work either. The frustrating truth is that there is no all-purpose solution here; we all must find our own paths towards sharing our truths with others, and sculpting our personalities through what aspects of ourselves we choose to embrace and demonstrate. The thing about becoming a better person is that it starts as an act, which becomes a practice, which becomes a routine, which becomes an authentic truth

Shima counters that he’s willing to sacrifice a little intimacy, if it means he can keep his childhood secrets and not bother Ririka further

His friend leaves him with some fine parting words, emphasizing that Shima truly loved acting, and that he should try to find that joy again in this new performance

Ooh, I love this shift to textured backgrounds and ornate floral framing for describing their play’s story. It seems like it’s basically a riff on The Sound of Music

Yeah, it’s definitely The Sound of Music, which I guess means Shima will be returning to the stage by playing a young Nazi

Mika’s a bit jealous she’s not playing the love interest, but she gallantly swallows that frustration. As always, there are necessary compromises between speaking your truth and getting along with others

Though she’s already overworked, Mitsumi doesn’t want to miss out on her own class’s preparations, and thus volunteers to help go over their rehearsals. This festival seems like it’ll be a good test for Mitsumi as well, pushing her to the point where she has to accept that she can’t do everything herself. Basically the opposite lesson of Shima, learning that there are times when relaxing and prioritizing yourself is actually what’s most important

And of course, it’s the expert slacker Shima who suggests she take a break

Mitsumi’s proud dedication to her work calls his own mother to his mind, declaring how proud she was in turn regarding his commitment to his childhood performances. Could he ever regain that joy in giving his all to a project like that?

We’re at least getting some excellent exhausted Mitsumi faces out of her dedication to the cause

She ends up sleeping through her planned rehearsal review

“She’s always on the brink of tripping and getting hurt.” Shima realizes that Mitsumi reminds him of his old self, when he was brimming with enthusiasm unmarred by censure or disappointment. Mitsumi believes she is invincible, but the truth is that she simply hasn’t failed yet

Mitsumi overhears her classmates gossiping about her making promises she can’t keep

Oof, this flashback is brutal. Back during his acting days, Shima used his excellence as a performer to try and cheer up his mother while her marriage was falling apart. Like Mitsumi, he believed he could handle and fix everything if he only tried hard enough

Oh damn, apparently they actually are including Shima’s character turning to fascism, which Shima is embracing as a reflection of his own cowardice

Nonetheless, he’s determined to protect Mitsumi from the collapse he experienced, and thus distracts her from her classmates’ gossip by offering to buy her a drink

Mitsumi realizes what he’s doing, and furthermore realizes that he’s clearly suppressing his own feelings in order to participate in the play, all of which collectively brings her to tears. What a mess these two are!

Of course, that’s the opposite of what Shima wanted. He was willing to sacrifice his own happiness to maintain the class atmosphere, but now the person he cares about most is shouldering the weight of his sacrifice alongside him

“Now I see… I wasn’t thinking about anyone but myself.” There is an arrogance inherent in believing you can shoulder all the world’s burdens, an audacity that is leading both Shima and Mitsumi to suffer in spite of them only desiring happiness for everyone

“Are you really sure you want to be in Tokyo and in politics?” Shima can’t see a girl this gentle surviving the real world. Another thought he could never say out loud

“I want you to never get hurt, and stay just the way you are.” He can’t bear the thought of Mitsumi becoming broken in the way he sees himself

“But no one dies at the end. He can still turn back.” Shima sees Johan’s conclusion as the final verdict of his own life, but Mitsumi still holds out hope that anyone can change

Perhaps anyone can. In spite of his hesitation to join this production, it’s Shima who suggests they play out a happier ending for just the two of them. For the sake of Mitsumi’s happiness, he can embrace acting once more

“I’m the kind of person who falls flat on my face a lot. But that makes me a pro at dusting myself off and getting back up!” A hopeful reinterpretation of Shima’s fears: Mitsumi’s tendency to fall doesn’t mean she’s likely to break, it means she’s even better at pulling herself back together. Just like she hopes for Johan and Shima himself, she knows she’ll make mistakes, and is eager to rise above them

And Done

Thus the day of the festival draws ever closer! Man, that episode was an absolute feast of character interiority, psychological contrast, and thematic metaphor, putting both this class play and our leads’ divergent philosophies to work in illustrating how differently they see themselves and each other, and how much they each have to learn from the other’s example. Skip and Loafer has always possessed an intelligence to match its fluffy exterior, and this episode was the richest so far in demonstrating the intricacies of identity-forming, and the complexity of negotiating the distance between your natural instincts and aspirational desires. Just an embarrassment of character drama riches all around, leaving me eager to see how Shima handles his first live performance in years. You’re stronger than you think, Shima!

This article was mad e possible by reader support . Thank you all for all that you do.

Source: Skip and Loafer – Episode 10