Sparks of Tomorrow Episode 2 Review - An Ass With An Ass
Well, I was right that Bangs is Yosuke and that he went through an evil transformation. I didn’t know that he had an obsession with Seiroku which is why he went for a flashier change in the four year time skip; his hair most likely turned white due to stress. I can kind of tell that this man is not straight in the sense that he only sees marriage to gain something, mostly the catalog. Like, losing a friend can’t make you change this much if the relationship was only platonic, right? Besides, Yosuke despises Kihachi and only wants Seiroku’s catalog for himself, indicating his status as a antagonist; you know things are serious when a prissy man beefs with teenagers.
Inako is honestly growing on me. She appeared to be a bit too naive at first, but she got a lot of pluck and she’s also cunning in that she hid the catalog in her sleeve before throwing the box out of the window. She’s also the one who believes in Kihachi’s inventions and even guides him through the dark house they went into. She wasn’t kidding when she said she’s good at believing in things. Her existence definitely makes one feel like you can do anything. I just feel bad that she lives in an era where women are treated as lesser, which is why Jinemon easily handed her off to marry Yosuke just to pay off debts because he assumed no other man would take Inako as a bride due to her clumsiness. Inako even mentions that whenever she rebels against her father, she gets put in a storeroom, showcasing that women who talk back aren’t seen as appealing back in the day—the fact that she has to be the one to apologize and not her father really frustrates me as someone who understands how that feels; I’ve had my own fair share of instances where I fight with my dad but I have to be the one to apologize and not him when it’s mostly his fault.
Kihachi still needs some time for me to get used to him, but I love how inventive he is. All of his inventions are really unique and are helpful in some way like the grappling hook that stops the car and the paraglide kite. He definitely has a promising future as an inventor once he knows how to control electricity. Still, I do find it funny that a lot of his dialogue is just him screaming, but other than that, he definitely is the weakest character so far. Though, I’m surprised that Kuga didn’t realize Kihachi was Seiroku’s brother. I thought he knew since he went to the fair four years ago with him? Or is it the case where he never met Kihachi before in person and only through word of mouth by his friend?
I do wonder what’s up with Seiroku. What sort of connection he did he have with the Momokawa family that he’d entrust Noriko with the catalog. How does he know her? I wonder if he was her original fiancé but after dying, she got engaged to Kuga instead. In any case, Noriko is definitely a major key player because of this.
Gosh, the animation was so beautiful in this episode. I loved the scenic shots like Kihachi and Inako staring into the city and the shots of them soaring through the sky. KyoAni really upped their game. Also, I did notice a lot of their budget did seem to go to…Yosuke’s butt because it’s very prominent and there are some scenes where it’s emphasized a lot. It’s funny because there are some incels who hate the fact that Yosuke is “female fan service” as if KyoAni hasn’t done female fan service in the past in the form of Free and Tsurune. One was even arguing that Yosuke’s outfit is anachronistic, but that isn’t the case since western clothes were a thing in Taisho era. I honestly think these incels who get riled up over Yosuke’s prominent ass are just gay men in denial or something. You can focus on other things about the story but if your major complaint is Yosuke’s butt…well, that’s your problem.
Anyways, I do find it funny how Kouki Uchiyama is killing it as Yosuke since he’s usually typecasted as moody emo boys. I think it’s because he got good English pronunciation that he got the role; I did praise his English once in Buddy Daddies where he was narrating the preview. Also, his butler Izo is voiced by Daisuke Hirakawa who voiced Rei Ryugazaki in Free; Uchiyama was in several KyoAni titles like Free and Amagi Brilliant Park.
I do wonder where the catalog went if the one on hand is fake. Did Seiroku really die or is it a fake out? I think Seiroku is the most mysterious character as he haunts the narrative. I do wonder if the plot is going to drag out until the end or if things will get answered each episode. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!
