10 Second Anime - Silver Spoon S2 - Episode 8

Silver Spoon S2 - Episode 8

Mr. Nakajima recruits cheese makers. Hachiken finds out the bad news related to Komaba and Aki.

Before we get to the bad news that's been hanging over Aki, Komaba, and Hachiken since the early part of the season, we have time for some slice of life moments to get us back into normal school stuff at the agricultural school. Mr. Nakajima has been brooding over his cheese stash for a week, and now plots his comeback. Obligatory "Blessed are the cheese makers" reference here. Making sure only the "clean" students help out, they start making the cheese. Even just eating the fermented beans from Natto is enough to contaminate the cultures used to make cheese. All the mixing, timing, and keeping track of temperature reminds Hachiken of a chemistry class, and he enjoys the cheese making even more. For reference, see the first season of Moyashimon to get a real education on cutesy yeasts and other microbes.

Hachiken is still keeping track of all the piglets' names, so the dairy program wants to give him the honor of naming the calf they're going to keep at the school. There's no danger of her being fattened up for slaughter, but she will face the cloying attention of the Holstein club. Hachiken doesn't want his new daughter to be manhandled like that!

By getting the audience back into regular school life, it's now time to slam home the drama. Komaba has been missing for a week too, and it takes the appearance of Ayame to shockingly tell us why. She's there because she wanted to announce to Aki and Hachiken that she may be transferring to their school. But this means somebody in their class is leaving the school, and Hachiken quickly surmises that it is Komaba. Aki then tells Hachiken what's been going on back home: the Komaba farm had to declare bankruptcy, and the Mikages co-signed one of their loans, so they're responsible for the debt too.

Komaba's dad had just received a big loan for improvements to the farm, but with his death, the Komabas couldn't run the farm well enough to pay off the debt on time. Komaba decides to quit school and work off the payments as quickly as possible, so as not to be a burden to the Mikages. Feigning illness, Hachiken figures he'll see Komaba collect his things while everyone is in class.

Komaba tells him that he didn't want to see him suffer by telling him this bad news, because he knows how much Hachiken cares for his friends. Hachiken also gets another lesson of farming life in the modern age, that just like any other business, they can fail, causing shattered dreams. Komaba's dream of helping his farm by becoming a pro baseball player is dashed because of this bankruptcy. "It can't be helped," he says, ever the stoic.

Hachiken, along with the principal and a few other teachers see Komaba off. Hachiken howls in frustration, wanting to help, but not knowing how. Part of his frustration too, is knowing that with how bad he feels, Komaba must be feeling worse. Even if he can't help, Hachiken wants Komaba at least to share those feelings with him.

In a similar conversation with Aki, he makes an even more emotional plea. After Aki explains why they didn't want to tell him, because they didn't want to see him suffer too with feeling sorry for his friends, and drag him into family business matters, Hachiken grabs Aki's hand. "Drag me into it!" he exclaims. It's one thing to collapse from being spread too thin helping out a bunch of people for a fun event like the cultural festival, but wanting to help your close friends in a serious matter is something else. This matters.