10 Second Anime - Amanchu! Advance - Episode 4

Hikari encourages Futaba to look for Autumn Wonders. Kokoro and a new girl join them on an Autumn day-off full of wonders.

Episode 4 - "The Story of Autumn and a Tender Happiness"

Hmm.

It's well established that Amanchu is the spiritual successor to ARIA, but that hasn't meant it has taken on the old show's sense of magic and surrealism. ARIA's setting was on a colonized Mars with a recreated Venice filled with many anachronisms. Amanchu is set right now, with smartphones and scuba diving gear. It did well to capture a similar sense of connectedness through moments of friendship, coincidences, and communing with Nature. The background music really helps this a lot. But where could the surreal and wondrous come from? Professional Dreamer Futaba showed us the way.

Dreams! Lucid dreams. Connected dreams. This is where we can find our magical cats, our flying heroines in long dresses, and dreamlike symbols following the characters back to their everyday lives. I can't see them doing this too often, because the kids would have to be napping a lot, but every once in a while fits this healing anime's style.

These dreams are also a great place to see the kind of character Futaba will turn into. A calmer, graceful Hikari talking to strangers is what dream-version Futaba looks like. It's also interesting to see this confident personality follow Futaba out from dream world into the real world for a little bit too.

While Summer was meant for making special memories, Autumn is the time to find wonders. Dreams are specifically made for this task and I'm pretty happy how they introduced this new narrative device. Let's see where it takes Futaba.

Heh.

Summer is over and it's already Autumn. Where was my bikini beach episode? Are we supposed to be happy with the swimwear purchasing trip from the first season? I'm way too greedy for that.

Futaba sadly states that Fall is the twilight of the year, but Hikari offers that Autumn is the season full of wonders! You just have to find them.

And they found some roasted sweet potatoes justlikethat.

There may be many Autumn Wonders to find, but Autumn itself is a tough customer.

It's a day-off but Hikari and Futaba are doing their own things. Interesting.

Hikari found her first Autumn Wonder - teasing that Kokoro youth she met during the Summer.

Ha. He doesn't want to go yelling someone's name from across the street. Too bad Pikari has no qualms about yelling his embarrassing name out in public.

Random kitten. Fancy terrace cafe. Of course, Futaba is here.

Aargh. Pumpkin spice latte, even in Japan.

Are there cherry blossoms in Autumn? Also, look at Futaba totally hiding behind her book to eavesdrop on this couple.

Ah. There's the girl who looks like she's related to Kokoro. Older sister? She and Futaba ordered the same things. She gets marked down a peg in my book because of the pumpkin coffee. You too, Futaba.

Oops. Futaba is getting drowsy in the cool Autumn air and warm sun.

All of a sudden, Futaba is psychic.

Apparently all kittens in the Amanchu world walk this strange way.

"Nice body." Oh! Futaba realized she's dreaming. Lucid dreaming! And she's totally going for it.

Amanchu - Flying Witch crossover when?

That girl is sharing the dream! We are now in ARIA territory.

Ho. This Towano-sensei knows how to get Katori-sensei talking - beer. I detect "leaning" on both their parts.

Ha. This is totally a dreamworld from Futaba. That bird on the branch is now blue, and that OPEN sign for the cafe now says DREAM and its hours are "until you wake up."

Nice. Chakamon and Ohime get "summoned" by Futaba. With witchy outfits!

So mean! Somebody wrote "octopus lips" on Kokoro's notebook in school with a cute octopus. Hikari wants to laugh.

Hikari still thinks Kokoro is a girl, so she asked whether the boy who wrote that likes Kokoro. If it was a boy, that even makes less sense, Kokoro exclaimed. So, there's another little clue slowly revealing that Kokoro is a boy. Besides, only a girl Kokoro's age would draw a cute octopus.

Futaba, "lets-a-go!" to December! This is interesting. Futaba has never been to where those Autumn cherry blossoms are, but the girl has, so now the dream's details are being supplied by the girl instead of Futaba. A real connected dream.

Aw. The girl woke up before she could give her name. That would have been really interesting to see Futaba call her name before they officially met.

Har. Hikari is on a "date" with Kokoro. He must still be young enough that he doesn't mind holding hands with an older sister type friend.

Fun. The red maple leaf of fate. For all four of them. It's an Autumn Wonder!

Next time, that blonde girl from the opening credits shows up. She has the same eye color as Hikari and Hikari loves hugging her. Sisters? Cousins? She also sounds kind of jaded. Good foil for Hikari, I hope.