GLASSLIP

Episode 11

In the wake of last episode's climactic moment, some questions remain. Both Touko and Kakeru doubt the veracity of Kakeru's love. They tell each other this in no uncertain terms, and Touko (for some reason) decides to stay in the school's art room overnight.

In the midst of all of this, Hina provides an unexpected bit of comic relief. Wrongfully assuming that Touko has stayed out late with the intention of spending the night with Kakeru, she dashes around trying to cover her older sister's tracks. She mimics Touko's voice, eats Touko's share of dinner and, when Touko returns, greets her with an ear-to-ear grin and some words of encouragement that only confuse Touko further. It's a pointless aside, and Hina's role in the story is as dubious as ever, but a bit of lighthearted energy in a show that often struggles to find its own pulse can only be a good thing.

GLASSLIP uses much of this episode to allow the relationships formed in the previous one to settle. Yanagi and YUKINARI's daily runs become a shared routine. YUKINARI seems to be seeking out Touko, likely to obtain some kind of closure. Sachi apologizes to Hiro for dragging him into her earlier deceit, and the two hike together. If you didn't buy into any of these pairings before, there's no reason to now, but the show conveys the impression that a sense of normalcy and security seems to have at last been achieved where previously there was turmoil. It's a step towards conclusiveness, if nothing else.

The biggest question mark hanging over the show is still the matter of Touko and Kakeru—specifically, whether Kakeru will accept or decline his mom's invitation for him to leave with her. Most of his decision seems to hinge on the future fragments, and whether he and Touko can align their perspectives and face whatever's inside the glass together. This is yet another episode which seemed like it might contain a major revelation, but with the exception of a tantalizing shared vision of fireworks, (a call back to the first episode,) any explanation seems to have been pushed off once again.

The appearance of the oft-discussed snow at the end of the episode is undoubtedly beautiful. Not just because of the impressive animation or the stellar contrast between its pure white and the show's typical greens and blues, but because the whole scene speaks of nostalgia, memories, uncertainty, and the drift of time—the loose ball of themes swirling somewhere at the heart of GLASSLIP. It all seems like emotion unmerited by the show's threadbare writing, however. It's a crafted faux-catharsis designed to dazzle and overwhelm the sensibilities where all else has failed. Craftsmanship is still craftsmanship, and it deserves to be complimented, but it rings hollow without the requisite buildup.

Rating: C-

GLASSLIP is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.