[Simulcast] Hanasaku Iroha Episode #4 Review

[The Great Bear]

Review by Greg Smith

Mania Grade: A-




* Released By: Crunchyroll
* Series: Hanasaku Iroha

In Summary:
We get the introduction of the school comedy part of this slice of life show, having put aside the overdone melodrama and farce of the last episode. But we do not get an entire episode devoted to the girls' time at school, which is just as well, since that would be a troubling sign that this show is just going to be a series of short arcs that will flirt with other genres, one at a time, never finding its own voice. Instead, after a brief look at school, we return to work at the inn, with the usual sparring between Ohana and Tohru, the assistant chef. Things turn out to be very complicated, however, in terms of one particular relationship at the inn, especially when the ending of the episode reveals that there has been nothing wasted at all in what has been shown to us this whole time.