[Highlights] Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho 06: Singapore and Durians

This was a fun episode! The girls finally leave Japan and arrive at Singapore. All the energy that I thought was missing from the past three episodes is back at full force. Durians are gross.

Shirase contacts mom before setting flight

• She does it so naturally that I have to think for a moment before remembering that her mom’s missing, and is most likely dead. I’m anticipating some powerful drama when Shirase does get forced to confront this reality at some point in the future.

WHICH AIRLINE??!

• Damn, I just love airplane food. I love the moment of removing the aluminum foil from the main dish, and I do genuinely enjoy the dish, all the time. I’ve been on many airlines and honestly don’t get why people hate airplane meals so much…don’t you love surprises? Anyways. I just had my fangirl moment with the food. Anime food sure is getting prettier and prettier these days…
• THEY HAVE DESSERT TOO. Individual servings on pretty plates. What is this…

Yuzuki is getting tired…of her plebeian friends

• Loved watching what they do on the plane. Kimari plays games, Shirase cries at penguin documentaries, Yuzuki naps professionally, and Hinata…is apparently studying English for her college entrance exams! Didn’t even notice that until I looked more closely at this screenshot. Still not exactly sure what Hinata’s school situation is – she’s shrouded in many mysteries.

Yuzuki is confused

• Awkward photo posing. The girls still treat Yuzuki like she’s special sometimes, which I guess is sort of inevitable. We can see Yuzuki feeling slightly uncomfortable about it though – there’s always this momentary pause before she figures out what to do. I like Yuzuki’s dress. It suits her innocent and refreshing aura and looks very comfortable.

Hinata lost her passport…

• The anime did a good job depicting how Hinata struggles with being the one to drag everyone down. Since her friends discover that she has lost her passport, Hinata’s face is never shown. These shots, as well as the mellow music played when Hinata talks to Shirase, makes her cheery voice sound awfully wrong.
• I wonder what Hinata’s backstory is. She hates being pitied by others with a passion, and insists on being the one to make sacrifices. It’s totally relatable, at least for me anyways, but I was surprised to see this in Hinata.

Shirase is self-aware

• Episodic confession time! I still love how honest all these characters are being around each other. There’s something relieving about watching these scenes. It’s not just Shirase either. Hinata doesn’t conceal her insecurities about being pitied at all either. Good communication.

Intense things tend to happen at the airport

• After slapping a scary amount of money onto the table, Shirase confesses some more! And then she declares her priorities. She’s definitely the one in the group with the greatest drive to act on things, and that’s probably my favourite thing about her.

And all is fine in the end~

• Shirase finds Hinata’s passport in her purse. I kind of expected the passport to magically turn up, but I have to say that having it show up in someone else’s purse is probably the most realistic choice they can make. All is fine now.
• For anyone fortunate enough to not have been exposed to this fruit, let me reiterate that durians are truly horrendous things. There was a time when my dad took the advice of a naturopath and decided that he must eat durian every day in order for his cortisol levels to return to normal. The house smelled like durians for many months straight. Every container that abominable fruit ever touched smelled even after repeated washing. This stuff is super expensive in North America too. A whole durian can cost up to $70 CAD. Eat durians at your own risk!

So yes, I really liked this episode! But man, they’re not even in Antarctica yet at the halfway mark. And Fremantle’s going to take another episode, at least. I don’t mind it – I like seeing different countries. Not quite what I expected from the snowy OP though!