Tsurune

Episode 6

Did this episode of Tsurune give you K-ON! flashbacks? That's because Kyoto Animation's Naoko Yamada directed and oversaw storyboarding for this episode, “The Reason for Shooting.” After last week's fairly formulaic training camp comes an in-between episode about the team ramping up for their first tournament. We learn about Masa's motivation, cover the team's aspirations, and get to know the opposition in a fluid episode that feels more like a part of a whole than a standalone chapter of the Tsurune story.

Yamada's fingerprints are all over this week's animation. Her preferred shots—feet in motion, steepled fingers, a chin lift accompanied by a wide-eyed expression—pepper the visuals. The music, which ranges from rambunctious to intense to sentimental, also plays a larger role than usual in setting the scene. This episode is about contrasts, which makes Yamada's focus on the details fit particularly well. Her shifting camera angles are a visual expression of the changes occurring in the kyudo club as the archers' feelings shift, as they grow closer to one another and more determined to excel in their sport. The most obvious contrast of the episode is between our protagonists and the Kirisaki kyudo team.

Six episodes in, Minato is still a mystery. We don't know what triggered his target panic or how we got that scar. Now we're uncovering not answers, but even more questions by viewing him through his rival's eyes. Shu Fujiwara is lauded as a first-year prodigy, but unlike his twin companions, he doesn't trash-talk other archers. “Are you acting this way intentionally?” he says, finally calling out their behavior when they reference “that one guy who self-destructed” last year. A scene depicting Shu at practice is delivered back-to-back with Minato telling Seiya that he's sure Shu doesn't remember him anymore. However, it appears that even after Minato lost confidence in himself, Shu never stopped seeing him as a rival. Shu must know the missing pieces of the puzzle that we can't yet see, which is why he feels so strongly.

Another contrast exists between Masa and his grandfather. I was wondering at first if it would be revealed that Tommy-sensei is Masa's grandfather. But unlike kindly Tommy, Masa's grandfather sounds like an exacting archery teacher and an extremely difficult person to love. When Tommy asks Masa if he teaches to surpass, forgive, or forget his grandpa, the latter replies that he teaches as a form of revenge. It's an explanation of Masa's laissez-faire teaching style—it has always been in contrast to the invisible strictness of his late grandfather. Re-watching Onogi's question about making his bow turn naturally post-shot after learning Masa's backstory puts the scene in a totally different light; Masa wants to help, but he doesn't want to be overbearing.

Tropes can make anime predictable, but they also make it a lot easier to review. This episode didn't fall strictly into any familiar plotlines, so it's difficult to label. It's a transitional episode, marking the gap between training camp and tournament as neatly as the study break for clubs that happens right before exams. It will probably make more sense when we're not watching week to week. For now, we can only look for new clues among Yamada's many visual details.

Rating: B+

Tsurune is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist.