10 Second Anime - Kuma Miko - Episode 10

Machi gets a cellphone. Machi promotes her village singing songs and meeting fans.

Episode 10 - "Is That an Idol?"

Heh.

I've been talking about Yoshio's not-so-secret Miko Idol Project since that cosplay episode, and he finally made it happen! It only took a bribe with a useless cellphone to get Machi on board the Kumade Village Revitalization Campaign. Machi only figured out she was an idol after her first gig instead of a "campaign girl."

The whole interlude with the cellphone, especially a flip phone, served as a reinforcement of Machi being behind the times, thinking she could catch up, but realizing modernity already passed her by again.

I had an LG phone just like that. It was great! For 2005...

The scenes at Machi's school reminded me of all the shows that take place in farm country, especially Non Non Biyori. There's a big empty clapboard building where the differently aged kids all share the same classroom.

Machi wants a cellphone because all the grade schoolers already have one, but all they talk about is what ringtones they use because there's no cell reception up in the mountains.

She felt so bad about being left out and left behind, that she had to listen to "Soiya" standing out in the rain. Sounded like Enya to me...

But just like how proud Machi was for her mini-disk instead of a CD, she's happy to have a cellphone when telecommunications have progressed into video chats.

Just like the ending song says: no cell reception but they have Wi-Fi. Wired broadband to transmit Wi-Fi up in the mountains is a big deal for rural areas the world over.

What does Machi think Natsu does all day on that table of his? She's so oblivious.

She also doesn't know the difference between cell reception and internet service.

Ha! Getting "skype" to work on an old laptop running Win XP!

It doesn't matter to her. She wants a cellphone!

To Yoshio, this is a bribe to get keep pushing her forward in his Miko Idol Project.

Nice. I haven't heard a MIDI ringtone in years.

Hibiki is so tsundere. Last episode, she complained about Natsu loaning her books so she had to keep trekking back up to the shrine, but here she is again, reading books with Natsu.

Uh oh. More cartoon violence.

Sheesh. Yoshio really doesn't see Machi as a young woman. You can't go trying to take off her clothes like she was a dress-up doll!

Natsu gives the audience some perspective and thankfully Hibiki understood what was going on too.

Still, she had to give him an knock on the head for HIS lack of perspective.

Of course Natsu is going to help out in a photo shoot with Machi wearing Miko Dress Version #2 (the Kuma cosplay).

"Promotional material." Whatever you say, Yoshio.

That sure looked like an idol debut to me.

That was also a pretty clumsy attempt at introducing a village rivalry with this place called Tamura.

I thought both sets of villagers were pretty disciplined in not talking about the special animals they have living with them, because you know this Tamura place has a talking something there too.

Ha! So harsh! "Your village isn't even on the map!" I don't even know which side said that, but it's probably true for both of them.

Well, it looks like we've got our two episode arc to finish the season off. Miko Idol debut complicated by a village rivalry trying to sabotage a revitalization campaign. What will happen when outsiders find out Natsu can talk? Let's see if that bit of drama gets incorporated into the plot.