You're Under Arrest Season 2/Fast & Furious - Episodes 1-21
Okay, so I think last time one of the last episodes I watched was the one with the subway train, as I remember that one clearly. Into new territory now.
Well, it finally happened and while I don't necessarily feel
good because it's causing the characters a lot of pain, I do feel vindicated as an observer of human nature. Something had to blow up with Ken and Miyuki's relationship
eventually and it's doing so quite spectacularly right now and bringing a lot more drama and feeling to the proceedings. After just a couple of recent episodes I understand both of the characters considerably better than I did. Ken knows exactly what he wants but is terrified of actually
getting it, because what happens then? The familiar is safe and the unfamiliar is scary to him. Meanwhile Miyuki doesn't know what she wants (like, at all, in life any more, which was quite a revelation but does explain some of her behaviour even from quite early on) and I feel for both of them, because these are both ways of feeling I know well. The scene where Miyuki's inability to convey how and why she feels the way she does to an uncomprehending Natsumi who sees the world in much simpler terms leads to conflict was very well done (and surprisingly relatable). If this were earlier episodes I might have just rolled my eyes and said I know how it's all gonna end, but the seriousness with which it's being handled means I'm no longer so sure.
While I don't quite enjoy the animation as much now it's made the switch to digital ink & paint (gone are the things like gorgeous close-ups of the lines on the glass in car headlights and the like - I presume this was animated at SD so bye bye fine detail) I feel like this is possibly a more solid series in writing terms. There are serious episodes, there are almost pure comedy episodes (and those that incorporate both get the air-fuel mix just right) but everything here really grows from the
characters, scenarios both comedic and dramatic work because in almost all cases it's the sort of thing the characters
would do. In some the first season episodes it felt a bit like "here's an idea for dramatic police scenario, chuck the characters in" but here it appears more well thought out and characterisation is really integral to most of the plots.
I have also now come to terms with and accepted Officer Toukairin (Tokairin in the subtitles now, apparently Sentai uses different romanisations to AnimEigo, daft romanisations getting on my nerves again... I'm just going to use my own and use ō from now on). It is clear now that he is Natsumi's imaginary friend who she uses as a sounding board to help her make decisions, the rest of her colleagues just humour her because they don't want to upset her. The excuse for his lack of personality and monosyllabic responses in conversations that might as well have been Natsumi monologues is that they
are Natsumi monologues and he doesn't really exist.
Yes,
thank you, Yoriko.