10 Second Anime - Non Non Biyori Repeat - Episode 7



Hikage is back from Tokyo for the Summer. Hotaru begins to fit in with her new friends and surroundings.

Episode 7 - "We Bravely Dove In"

Heh.

The theme for the episode is fitting in a new place with new friends. Hotaru, the city girl who moved to the country, has contrasting experiences with Hikage, the middle sister of Renge's family who moved to Tokyo for school. Hikage is back for the Summer break, trying to reinforce her new Tokyo identity. Meanwhile, Hotaru is just a 5th Grader, so she can't really confirm everything that Hikage talks about from a high schooler's perspective.

 

I found it pretty funny that Hikage's new best friend in Tokyo has the same hair antennae that Renge does.

 

Even going to the bus depot for a lost bag can turn into an adventure in the country. They may not have amusement parks or shopping districts, but they have jumbo dragonflies and fresh water and produce sold by the honor system.

 

I wonder if Renge was accidentally making a pun by calling those dragonflies "Jumbo." The jumbo dragonfly in Japanese (yes, that's what they call it in English), is オニヤンマ (oniyanma), also known as Siebold's Dragonfly. The generic dragonfly is 蜻蛉 (tonbo), so maybe Renge was combining "yanma" with "tonbo" to make "janbo" (jumbo).

 

Renge was practicing that director's viewfinder hand signal with Hikage. We must be at this point in time from the first season. Was drawing something supposed to be part of the Summer homework? I don't remember.

 

Hotaru is a tall girl, so she's still going to get those jokes about how her friends look younger than she does.

Playing dolls is SRS BSNS, Hika-nee! It doesn't matter that Mama is a robot and Baby is some weird thing. Babies don't complain about homework!

 

I think Hikage might have a talent for voices. At least her voice actress does...

Renge appreciated the newfound dedication to "goo-goo."

 

I chuckled at Renge's perceptiveness that Hikage had lost all of her city atmosphere by the time they got to fresh water and fruit stand. Leaving money for produce by the side of the road is a long-standing cultural tradition, which explains why vending machines are so popular in Japan.

Country living - eating fruit you never had before. Pomegranates are great!

Renge accepted the glorious mission to take a picture of Hikage's splashdown.

Hmm.



This scene where Hotaru overcame her fear to jump from the bridge into the river was a brilliant conclusion to the theme of fitting in. She took in the scenery first, then her new friends, and bravely dove in. It was like an impromptu ritual in becoming a country girl with her band of friends. She had already been accepted by hanging out in their secret bases, but she still had to accept that she was already one of them.

 

Chasing dragonflies, consuming fresh water and fruit or just hanging out at a neighbor's house in the Summer meant she had become a country girl. But it's not like she left her old friends behind either, because she's still trading letters and pictures with them. These little scenes of children growing up by making new friends and welcoming new places but still honoring the past is one of the major charms of "healing anime."