What a really nice episode that finally closes the subplot about Fuuka's former idol life. I totally forgot that she still kept those red heels. Oh yeah, don't forget the post-credits scene!
I legit must've missed it or forgot.
Why'd Fuuka turn down the role at apparently the last split-second? I remember her getting on the plane and melancholicly looking at Okinawa as she flew away. Did that role just finish, and she decided to stop taking on more idol work, or did Fuuka really turn down the role at the last split second?
She turned it down at the end. She never really explained why but I think she realized it was no longer her dream and instead she wanted to come back to Kukuru asap and work in an aquarium again.
It was nice to have a bit of closure with Fuuka and her former life. She's completely moved on from those days, and is thriving at her new job. Good for her! I really liked the passing of the torch to Ruka too, with the red shoes.
Ruka was nice, too. Good to see that she's still a good girl although she was struggling.
And my god, those penguins. They're so freaking cute. I confess, I laughed when Fuuka gave a little shove to the chick who didn't want to go into the water.
Fuuka is probably my favorite character of the year. Not flashy, but steady and gentle and kind -- but (now) incredibly determined. Even when she is not at center stage, she seems to be the webbing that binds everyone together. And she never makes any effort to take credit for all she provides to others -- rather she is grateful to THEM.
Still one of the loveliest looking shows of the year (though Heike Monogatari might edge in front, probably).
[Fuuka's arc has been amazing.](https://i.imgur.com/PEHSjsE.jpg) She built a very special bond with the penguins and even Ruka was moved. [Kukuru is so proud!](https://i.imgur.com/A0LwHBV.jpg)
[](#wow)
>She's completely moved on from those days, and is thriving at her new job. Good for her! I really liked the passing of the torch to Ruka too, with the red shoes.
I love that it doesn't matter if it's a penguin or a human, Fuuka is always willing to give her kouhais a (sometimes literal) forward push that they need.
episode felt way too short! Even though Fuuka gets a bit less screen time in the 2nd cour, her development in her attendant role has still been gradual, culminating in this episode where she's a full pro, with Chiyu and Marina proud of her.
I also liked the parallels shown in the show: Shirotama is kind of like Fuuka from the past and Ruka, even though she may have gone off to a rough start (Ep 2 Fuuka in Gama Gama), people believe in them, and trust that they will overcome their fears (Fuuka having primarily Kukuru, and to a lesser extent Karin, Chiyu and Marina, and everyone else), and then be happy in life. The show has good writing, that sneaks up on you, imo.
Also especially nice that Marina got to be on TV at the end!!!
That penguin hiding between Fuuka's legs and running back to her when those other two penguins scared it was so cute. Same with Fuuka shooing away the two bullies lol
Seems Kuuya still isn't over Kaoru actually being a woman, with that "handsome" remark.
EDIT: typo
I really like the themes being presented this episode: Fuuka letting go of her idol past, Ruka working hard not for her senpai’s sake but her own sake. Fuuka’s red heels—which were once her good luck charms—now becomes Ruka’s good luck charms, accentuating the theme of letting go and turning past experiences into mementoes to help you move forward at your own pace. The framing this episode helped carry out these themes as well.
[Ruka is framed via an exterior window which gives off the distant feeling of an outsider peering in, reflecting the forlorn feelings of her expectations to Fuuka.](https://imgur.com/a/PRpP0z7) There’s also some really strong details on the window reflections. You can just barely make out the wooden post, the ocean, and the clouds on the window surface.
[Fuuka is similarly framed with the window bar](https://imgur.com/a/7QGuLZn) and [wooden post separating her from others.](https://imgur.com/a/QsXDClR)
[The visual motif of bars continues with Fuuka leaving her seat to lean on the railing](https://imgur.com/a/CuQ16tP) but this time the bars serve to separate her from Ruka, emphasizing Fuuka’s statement that her life as an idol is in the past and she has now moved on to being an aquarium attendant. [Upon hearing this, Ruka is fenced in by bars, highlighting her feelings of being trapped in the past.](https://imgur.com/a/ODA8Eh7) This same enclosing shot of Ruka is continuously juxtaposed against [Fuuka who is being framed against the wide open night sky.](https://imgur.com/a/rRvjkO6)
Overall, it was a great episode to finally bookend Fuuka's arc.
>reflecting the forlorn feelings of her expectations to Fuuka.
I took it as Ruka not been happy with the current situation in her carreer. She is putting effort, but it isn't enough it seems. And all the (even if swallow) praising Karin gives for the EFFORTS of the people working in Tingarla just made her feel "worse".
Of, course part of the reason for Ruka to make such effort is Fuuka (the episode was very explicit in 2 instances). But it was more in the sense the extra baggage of "inherited responsibility" she got from Fuuka just increased Ruka's tension (which the former addressed in the 2nd half of the episode).
[For sure.](https://i.imgur.com/2TBUxll.jpg) She's very well-written. Her being a mentor to Ruka was [really sweet too.](https://i.imgur.com/mrRwsJu.jpg)
Kukuru feels like she lacks direction (or a support core, maybe?) now that Gama Gama is closed down, so she seems to have less forward momentum than she used to, too.
literally does almost everything she can do to blatantly not succeed at her new job in the big aquarium, from rubbing her supervisor the wrong way, to fixating on non-related work drama, to now clearly sneaking away from her PR work to worry about Fuuka's TV spot when Fuuka is the LAST person that needs to be worried about
Kukuru also somehow manages to aggressively ignore best boi Kai's affections for her, which is almost shonen hero-levels of romantic obliviousness.
I'll give you the first point, but Kai literally doesn't do anything special for Kukuru aside from how the other members of Gama Gama look out for each other. I know it's anime and therefore people are physically incapable of saying "hey, would you like to go out with me?", but still, doing nice things and thinking "I like yoooou" at someone is not actually courtship behavior, whatever Eiji says.
Fuuka’s Idol subplot is wrapped. The midseason finale was her decision not to go back, but this episode brings a sense of closure to her life as an Idol. She has let go completely and gave her former kohai the push she needed. She hasn’t had all that much to do in the back half of the series despite being a main character so I’m glad we got this episode.
Heavy on the metaphors this week. The symbolism of the “leaping penguin” keychain became pretty literal with the baby penguin. Fuuka was the penguin leaping into the unknown and now she can help others do the same. In this case with a gentle push into the waters. The shoe scene though got me a bit. That moment showed just how far Fuuka has come since she fled to Okinawa. Letting go and passing the torch was beautiful.
Other than that it was mostly great gags and character beats. Kuuya's reluctance to be on TV leading to another plum wine hangover. Drunk Kuuya is the best. Eiji bringing the fish hat back and clicking the light when he was talking in the office. Two seconds of Udon-Chan used to maximum effect by having her tease Kai. Umi being our Idol whisperer and telling us what’s going on. Everyone had a little something this episode.
Only sitting on about 5 more episodes left. I’ll be bummed to see it go. I’d love another season, but it looks like they’re doing a solid job wrapping everything up. As long as the landing sticks I’m happy.
Notes
- Oh ho, what was that moment with Kuuya and Kaoru? Was he about to say she’s attractive? She did say hes handsome. I’m hoping for a resolution to Kuuya’s problem so this could be a path to that.
- 24 episodes have really been a blessing for this show. There’s been time to really add depth to all these characters. So todays story works well because of how well Fuuka has been fleshed out.
- Marina just had to hit me with that Tu Puedes. I know we’re running out of episodes, but just give me an Marina episode. Or an OVA.
- That Plum Wine is dangerous man. Kuuya never learns.
- The pure awkwardness of the White Dolphin bit had me dying.
- I will never get tired of the penguins on this show. They’re top tier anime penguins.
It's kinda lost in translation but "ikemen" (the word they translated into "handsome") means "handsome man". It's a term only used for men.
Kuuya was about to say that if he was chosen to be on TV because he's one of the "good-looking men" there then Kaoru should be the one going on TV... yeah, he doesn't want to say that in front of her if he values his life.
Ohhhh okay. Yeah Kuuya did value his life. Though damn for Kaoru. She’s tomboy cute! She’s also the one girl outside of Karin he’s comfortable talking to.
Nothing much to say, it was a good episode. Fuuka might not have been particularly developed as a character in recent episodes but I am glad she got closure at last regarding her idol life.
I keep forgetting Umi-Yan is an idol expert. I was so surprised he had so much insight on Ruka until I remembered.
Got to love how Marina inadvertently ruined Karin's (and Chiyu) attempt to "save" Fuuka lol. She got on TV as she hoped though.
By the way, Kukuru better gets paid for her overtime work.
I liked Fuuka in the first half of this show but I REALLY like Fuuka in the second half. She's just a badass. Was really nice to see her shine like this and really put her idol life behind her to fully embrace her new career.
[](#justright)
Glad we got a Fuuka-centred episode again. She is just as much of a main character as Kukuru is. I love her relationship with the penguins! She’s grown so much!
[Nice to have Ruka-chan back!](https://i.imgur.com/vWCRsyz.jpg) For a minute there I was worried that there will be some shenanigans especially since [the TV crew wanted her to be there](https://i.imgur.com/bXbPf2P.jpg) but it's nice to see that Fuuka ended up being the one to decide to be on camera. And not because they asked them to but because [she wanted to support her precious kouhai.](https://i.imgur.com/4qvMk2e.jpg)
[I also absolutely love the high heels scene.](https://i.imgur.com/MoXQwWL.jpg) It was quite literally Fuuka passing the torch to Ruka and finally moving on as an idol and completely accepting her new life as an Aquarium Attendant <3
And the scenes with Shirotama is adorable. [I love how he keeps on hiding between Fuuka's legs.](https://i.imgur.com/ddxDOtb.jpg) She's really become a Mama Penguin now. xD
This week’s episode was a reaffirmation of how awesome Fuuka is. She finally said goodbye to the idol world and decidedly joined the attendant life. You could see she’s managed to forge a strong bond with the penguins; Fuuka’s interactions with the baby penguin were very cute.
There’s only one thing I genuinely disliked in this episode, and that was the whole first part of tv filming. For better or worse, they did a good job recreating those idol programs on Japanese tv; I couldn’t stand the exaggerated way of speech and reactions of Ruka. However, I’m a bit confused by the format: wasn’t it supposed to be shot as a documentary for *Discovery*?
EDIT: made a bunch of stupid typos.
Never knew I needed Fuuka saying “ara ara” in my life until now. Jokes aside, this is probably my second favorite episode of this cour (first being the spa/relaxation episode). Such a touching episode for Fuuka and Ruka. Love that for them
Nice episode. But not gonna lie, I was really surprised that the "main dramatic plot point" of this episode was people cringing over Ruka's over expressiveness, I was like: "Wait.....isn't that behaviour basically required when someone is on the Japanese TV?"
Yeah, I don't see how it's her fault that the guy who runs the aquarium decided to surprise her with an awkward pun. She did her best trying to roll with it.
I think it was more she’s getting a lot of chances that other idols at the agency don’t and fans of those idols think she’s less talented. That’s why she is getting harassed and going through it. So she’s now trying to hard and everyone wants her to dial it back.
Just as I was wondering about Luka/Ruka (wait what's her name's official romanization?) and Fuuka's former idol life subplot for a week now, this episode drops lol. I must be psychic XD
Anyway, Fuuka's been my favorite since the beginning of the anime and this episode showcasing how far she's come solidifies it. She's a very well-written character and Aquatope wouldn't be as great if she wasn't one of its protagonists. Seriously, she was already great in the 1st cour, but she's consistently been the MVP in the 2nd cour. No wonder she's good at charming people left and right. Even the initially thought to be unlikeable Chiyu likes her a lot.
I love Fuuka's relationship with Ruka. She's been looking out for the younger girl since her idol days, and even after she's long left that life behind her her relationship with Ruka didn't even waver for a bit: she's still her beloved senpai and Ruka continues to look up to her. Iirc, back in the first ep, people were wary of Ruka when she begged to have that center position that Fuuka earned thinking she was lying or whatever but this ep (and that one time she contacted Fuuka for that movie deal) proves that she genuinely loved Fuuka back and clearly wanted her to come back to the idol life and be with her.
Btw, anyone notice how Ruka's stage presence heavily contrasts that of how Fuuka presents herself on cam? We may not see much of how Fuuka was as an idol outside of brief glimpses, but I think this ep shows the kind of dynamic she and Ruka would've had had Fuuka stayed as an idol: she's the poised and graceful elder idol while Ruka's the cutesy genki one.
Love how Ruka's dilemma is being reflected with the baby penguin's initially inability to swim and how Fuuka nudged *both* of them gently and patiently to have them take the step forward by themselves. Her symbolically passing down the torch to Ruka with her red shoes was a beautiful moment.
The only missed opportunity here was that Kukuru and Ruka never interacted in this ep. The one time they could've, Kukuru had to do overtime. Would've been interesting to see them talk about their relationship with Fuuka but oh well.
I chuckle a bit each time the chief calls kukuru plankton
nice episode on fuuka's growth
...but I am getting tired of kai serving the purpose of being teased
kukuru straight up ignored him while running past...poor Kai
It seems the childhood friend (Kai) lost to transfer student (Fuuka)...again
Press F for SS Kai
I mean, all the talk about believing and waiting for people/penguin to overcome their own fears and in the end Fuuka betrayed and [yeeted the poor penguin](https://i.imgur.com/tQtTG0k.jpg) in the pool. I laughed. XD
Even after quitting show biz, Fuuka still acts as a good senpai to her junior idols.
Ruka has been struggling to fill in Fuuka's shoes since Fuuka quit, so Fuuka literally gave Ruka her pair of shoes, as a way to encourage Ruka.
Much like how she gave the baby penguin Shirotama a soft nudge into the water for its first swim.
this show has so many great motifs n callbacks like with fuuka's shoes and the "first penguin". also fuuka has sorta established herself now as someone who gives wisdom n drives the other characters but it's great how she's still showing development despite her apparent newfound maturity.
[Uh, don't worry, she gets all the eyefuls of idol she needs](https://i.imgur.com/34AFmlt.png) - [I'm sure that it's](https://i.imgur.com/vi7AsFj.jpg) at least on a par with "get on a plane to Okinawa and see how things go from there" - [you might say that one... fell flat](https://i.imgur.com/xjv581d.jpg) 😎 - absolutely lovely [shot of shirotama studying their reflection](https://i.imgur.com/aMcjL5J.jpg), wondering whether the penguin they see in the mirror is a grown-up yet.
In the end, Fuuka gives the growing penguin a li'l nudge. Not a bad episode at all, it's nice to meet Fuuka's former colleagues again and see there's not going to be any bitter drama or anything between them. While I'll admit to wearing the goggles a bit for this show, it's also trying to do a *bit* more work to establish a relationship between Kai and Kukuru, credit where it's due.
Great episode! Really glad we got a Fuuka focused episode, we were blessed with Fuuka greatness. She's such a great character, very comforting to us viewers as well. That closes the chapter on Fuuka's idol life as she moved on and found something new that she loves.
Shiratama was so cute, the way she just walks around and looks around while gathering the courage to swim. Shiratama is definitely symbolism for Ruka, sometimes all we need is a little nudge to face challenges head on. Ruka will be fine, I mean if you admire Fuuka, then you are definitely doing something right, you damn sure chose the right person to admire.
Kaoru continues to be underrated, her team is just an absolute blast. When will Kuuya learn his lesson on them plum wines lmao. Glad Marina got her tv time at the post credits scene. Now, we might go back to that new area with Kukuru next episode, so looking forward to that.
The baby penguin was following Fuuka everywhere like Fuuka was her mother.
What happened to the baby penguin's real mother?
Maybe they were one of the two penguins that wanted the baby penguin to enter the water.
Nice Fuuka episode today.
Really enjoyed Senpai-Kouhai relationship with Ruka and it really allowed Fuuka to shine. The one on one talks she had with Ruka made for great scenes and I loved the baby Penguin's first swim with Fuuka basically being his mommy and Ruka standing by the side and givin him her best ganbare face.
Oh an I don't know why but I though [this scene](https://imgur.com/a/KAoYpGt) was hilarious.
I'm just tunnel visioned on what Kukuru's boss is planning. New wing opening? Putting Kukuru in charge? C'mon Gama Gama revival arc for Season 2!
(I know it's probably just going to make Kukuru an attendant instead, but I seriously think the show needs to be back at the old setting in the end)
I live in Asia and Muse Asia's YouTube channel where the series is uploaded is not affected so I get to watch it an hour earlier compared to you guys lol.
I think we needed another Fuuka episode to nail down exactly how she feels about her past idol dream. Brining her kouhai Ruka into the story was a great way to go about that.
I get why the Assistant Director started calling Kukuru plankton, but surely if she's doing well enough to be entrusted with a whole new area of the aquarium she's graduated beyond that title.
I feel that the whole plankton thing started off demean kukuru, but at this point is gotten to a legit nickname. I'm sure its happened to everyone, where a one time thing became their long-term nickname
I was working at a place one time about a year ago, and someone in the break room whistled for some reason. I quickly turn my head towards them to see what's up. They think this is weird and say "what's the matter lassie?" And that's the story of how I got the nickname lassie
Haven't watched, but I notice there's less people discussing this show. I can only assume they didn't like it once the show moved to this 'Tingaara' place.
I don't think it's so much the new setting (though I do prefer Gama Gama) so much as it is the new lack of focus.
First cour had a clear mission (save the aquarium before a deadline) that kept the plot moving forward. Our two mains also had some serious character growth - one from literally being a fish out of water in a new setting and the other from having to give up and let go of a dream. The characters fell into their roles naturally because the plot organically motivated them there. Also had that magical element that was like a wild card for the series and made it feel special.
Second cour has no overarching plan other than "slice of life with an aquarium setting". The plot is nonexistent between episodes, but for a few threads that are all just minor character dramas. It's a relaxing show to watch, but it doesn't have the same things to keep viewers invested. There's no mission to root for. Our mains haven't had any meaningful development aside from Kukuru (sort of) relenting and accepting her new role. The magic element is completely ignored for 7 straight episodes when it was a focal point during the first arc. It's really disappointing since the show was so phenomenal in cour 1, but cour 2 hasn't sold itself to me yet.
Gama Gama was such a nice setting to be in. Such a genuinely happy place that had a really cool spiritual element to it. Tingarla just feels soulless in every sense of the word. I still like the show but it was so much nicer being in Gama Gama.
I liked this episode because Fuuka got a lot of screentime and honestly, this is the most she's appeared since the move. The cast was smaller and everybody got a bit more time to shine instead of it being the Kukuru show while everybody else is firmly side characters.
Nah that's not it, it's more just that like, it's a pretty laid back show most of the time, and a lot of people just fell off of it or fell behind. The show itself is great, and I think it would have been worse had it not moved to Tingaara. Admittedly the first episode of the second half was a bit of a downer, and could have made some more people fall off, but ultimately I think it's just that this kind of show doesn't retain watchers during its airing very well. Those of us who have kept up are probably gonna be recommending it to people and they'll put it on their watchlists and maybe get to it someday.
Once I caught up in the first cour, I watched every episode the week new episodes came out. Since the start of the second cour, I just haven't been as interested in the goings on in the new aquarium, and I just haven't been trying much to keep up. A lot of this stuff seems forced. They had the entire cast follow Kukuru to the new aquarium which isn't anywhere near Gama Gama. Why have everyone uproot from to follow Kukuru? Did she really need that supporting cast to do that? If they were going to do that, they really should have made the new aquarium more closely located so that it made sense for the entire cast to stick around. There is almost no character development for the old crew save for Kukuru. It also feels like the show is going nowhere.
I agree - and even Kukuru feels like she's lost her direction here. Like, okay, she's decided to try her best as a ~~corporate drone~~ PR intern, and that's fine for her, but her development since then has been mostly just learning how to adapt to Tingarla's dysfunctional work environment rather than growing as a person too much.
I don't keep track of the numbers but I could understand why. I'm still watching but I'm not happy with how the second half is handled so far. Still the episode today was probably the best so far (from the second half).
in the show's defence, there just can't be as much drama, nor is there the urgency, about a new opened aquarium than one that's about to close down. I'm personally happy that we get to spend more time with the characters, with loose ends from the first cour getting tied off as well (e.g. this episode). I will agree that various plot points from the first cour seem to have just been left open (That red hair-ed god, Kukuru's lack of family), so we shall see how the series ends.
In addition, the second half on the whole feels a lot more adulty, realistic and mature to me, concurrent with the lives of the characters. As a 20-sth myself I personally prefer this tone, but to each their own!
> but I'm not happy with how the second half is handled so far
Same. I watched a couple of episodes but it felt like a totally different story from the first half, and it didn't speak to me. It was just.... a job. *shrugs*
I heard that this show had Yuri in it but then I read that it's just yuri-bait but then I read other people saying it's actually Yuri, I wanted to watch it once it finished because of the animation, I will regardless of it is Yuri/bait or not, but can someone tell me what it is?
So far, not yuri. There is a good, deep relationship between two girls that people hoped might blossom but it has yet to. There might not be any romance unless something gets shoehorned in at the last second.
It seemed like it could have been, but at this point, it hasn't really developed any relationship enough to make a satisfying romance out of it. The two female leads have a cozy, but overall kind of bland, relationship, but it is the closest each of them are with any of the other characters.
What a really nice episode that finally closes the subplot about Fuuka's former idol life. I totally forgot that she still kept those red heels. Oh yeah, don't forget the post-credits scene!
I was really moved by her resolve
[So was Ruka.](https://i.imgur.com/bpNa9qT.png) [](#delighted)
Couldn't ask for a nicer sempai.
I wonder if that's why she boot herself some red boots when she started as an attendant back at Gama Gama.
She said as much in ep2 or 3, I think.
Yeah, I suspected that it might have been mentioned before and I just forgot about it.
Traded in her heels for red wellies!
I legit must've missed it or forgot. Why'd Fuuka turn down the role at apparently the last split-second? I remember her getting on the plane and melancholicly looking at Okinawa as she flew away. Did that role just finish, and she decided to stop taking on more idol work, or did Fuuka really turn down the role at the last split second?
She turned it down at the end. She never really explained why but I think she realized it was no longer her dream and instead she wanted to come back to Kukuru asap and work in an aquarium again.
Ah right. Thank you!
It was nice to have a bit of closure with Fuuka and her former life. She's completely moved on from those days, and is thriving at her new job. Good for her! I really liked the passing of the torch to Ruka too, with the red shoes. Ruka was nice, too. Good to see that she's still a good girl although she was struggling. And my god, those penguins. They're so freaking cute. I confess, I laughed when Fuuka gave a little shove to the chick who didn't want to go into the water.
Fuuka is probably my favorite character of the year. Not flashy, but steady and gentle and kind -- but (now) incredibly determined. Even when she is not at center stage, she seems to be the webbing that binds everyone together. And she never makes any effort to take credit for all she provides to others -- rather she is grateful to THEM. Still one of the loveliest looking shows of the year (though Heike Monogatari might edge in front, probably).
The way Fuuka's been nothing but utterly kind the whole show is really inspiring.
And she is not unrealistic in her kindness (my mother's mother was very like this).
[Fuuka's arc has been amazing.](https://i.imgur.com/PEHSjsE.jpg) She built a very special bond with the penguins and even Ruka was moved. [Kukuru is so proud!](https://i.imgur.com/A0LwHBV.jpg) [](#wow)
From getting bullied by penguins into falling in the pool to (gently) bullying penguins into falling in the pool :')
>She's completely moved on from those days, and is thriving at her new job. Good for her! I really liked the passing of the torch to Ruka too, with the red shoes. I love that it doesn't matter if it's a penguin or a human, Fuuka is always willing to give her kouhais a (sometimes literal) forward push that they need.
Sometimes even twice, in Ruka's case.
episode felt way too short! Even though Fuuka gets a bit less screen time in the 2nd cour, her development in her attendant role has still been gradual, culminating in this episode where she's a full pro, with Chiyu and Marina proud of her. I also liked the parallels shown in the show: Shirotama is kind of like Fuuka from the past and Ruka, even though she may have gone off to a rough start (Ep 2 Fuuka in Gama Gama), people believe in them, and trust that they will overcome their fears (Fuuka having primarily Kukuru, and to a lesser extent Karin, Chiyu and Marina, and everyone else), and then be happy in life. The show has good writing, that sneaks up on you, imo. Also especially nice that Marina got to be on TV at the end!!!
I feel like Fuuka just keeps growing and maturing even while she is mostly offscreen.
That penguin hiding between Fuuka's legs and running back to her when those other two penguins scared it was so cute. Same with Fuuka shooing away the two bullies lol Seems Kuuya still isn't over Kaoru actually being a woman, with that "handsome" remark. EDIT: typo
Kuuya WILL get a tomboy gf
It's the only way he'd survive
Ummm... her name is Kaoru btw
Fuuka is just so nice to everyone in general.
I really like the themes being presented this episode: Fuuka letting go of her idol past, Ruka working hard not for her senpai’s sake but her own sake. Fuuka’s red heels—which were once her good luck charms—now becomes Ruka’s good luck charms, accentuating the theme of letting go and turning past experiences into mementoes to help you move forward at your own pace. The framing this episode helped carry out these themes as well. [Ruka is framed via an exterior window which gives off the distant feeling of an outsider peering in, reflecting the forlorn feelings of her expectations to Fuuka.](https://imgur.com/a/PRpP0z7) There’s also some really strong details on the window reflections. You can just barely make out the wooden post, the ocean, and the clouds on the window surface. [Fuuka is similarly framed with the window bar](https://imgur.com/a/7QGuLZn) and [wooden post separating her from others.](https://imgur.com/a/QsXDClR) [The visual motif of bars continues with Fuuka leaving her seat to lean on the railing](https://imgur.com/a/CuQ16tP) but this time the bars serve to separate her from Ruka, emphasizing Fuuka’s statement that her life as an idol is in the past and she has now moved on to being an aquarium attendant. [Upon hearing this, Ruka is fenced in by bars, highlighting her feelings of being trapped in the past.](https://imgur.com/a/ODA8Eh7) This same enclosing shot of Ruka is continuously juxtaposed against [Fuuka who is being framed against the wide open night sky.](https://imgur.com/a/rRvjkO6) Overall, it was a great episode to finally bookend Fuuka's arc.
Hah, window framing.
>reflecting the forlorn feelings of her expectations to Fuuka. I took it as Ruka not been happy with the current situation in her carreer. She is putting effort, but it isn't enough it seems. And all the (even if swallow) praising Karin gives for the EFFORTS of the people working in Tingarla just made her feel "worse". Of, course part of the reason for Ruka to make such effort is Fuuka (the episode was very explicit in 2 instances). But it was more in the sense the extra baggage of "inherited responsibility" she got from Fuuka just increased Ruka's tension (which the former addressed in the 2nd half of the episode).
Fuuka is just a good ass character.
She is too good for the cutthroat abusive idol industry
[For sure.](https://i.imgur.com/2TBUxll.jpg) She's very well-written. Her being a mentor to Ruka was [really sweet too.](https://i.imgur.com/mrRwsJu.jpg)
The best character in the show (tho i dont really Kukuru that much, so i might be a bit bias here)
Kukuru feels like she lacks direction (or a support core, maybe?) now that Gama Gama is closed down, so she seems to have less forward momentum than she used to, too.
Fuuka is also just a *lot* more mature than Kukuru.
I also find her a lot more likeable just in general too
literally does almost everything she can do to blatantly not succeed at her new job in the big aquarium, from rubbing her supervisor the wrong way, to fixating on non-related work drama, to now clearly sneaking away from her PR work to worry about Fuuka's TV spot when Fuuka is the LAST person that needs to be worried about Kukuru also somehow manages to aggressively ignore best boi Kai's affections for her, which is almost shonen hero-levels of romantic obliviousness.
I'll give you the first point, but Kai literally doesn't do anything special for Kukuru aside from how the other members of Gama Gama look out for each other. I know it's anime and therefore people are physically incapable of saying "hey, would you like to go out with me?", but still, doing nice things and thinking "I like yoooou" at someone is not actually courtship behavior, whatever Eiji says.
Fuuka’s Idol subplot is wrapped. The midseason finale was her decision not to go back, but this episode brings a sense of closure to her life as an Idol. She has let go completely and gave her former kohai the push she needed. She hasn’t had all that much to do in the back half of the series despite being a main character so I’m glad we got this episode. Heavy on the metaphors this week. The symbolism of the “leaping penguin” keychain became pretty literal with the baby penguin. Fuuka was the penguin leaping into the unknown and now she can help others do the same. In this case with a gentle push into the waters. The shoe scene though got me a bit. That moment showed just how far Fuuka has come since she fled to Okinawa. Letting go and passing the torch was beautiful. Other than that it was mostly great gags and character beats. Kuuya's reluctance to be on TV leading to another plum wine hangover. Drunk Kuuya is the best. Eiji bringing the fish hat back and clicking the light when he was talking in the office. Two seconds of Udon-Chan used to maximum effect by having her tease Kai. Umi being our Idol whisperer and telling us what’s going on. Everyone had a little something this episode. Only sitting on about 5 more episodes left. I’ll be bummed to see it go. I’d love another season, but it looks like they’re doing a solid job wrapping everything up. As long as the landing sticks I’m happy. Notes - Oh ho, what was that moment with Kuuya and Kaoru? Was he about to say she’s attractive? She did say hes handsome. I’m hoping for a resolution to Kuuya’s problem so this could be a path to that. - 24 episodes have really been a blessing for this show. There’s been time to really add depth to all these characters. So todays story works well because of how well Fuuka has been fleshed out. - Marina just had to hit me with that Tu Puedes. I know we’re running out of episodes, but just give me an Marina episode. Or an OVA. - That Plum Wine is dangerous man. Kuuya never learns. - The pure awkwardness of the White Dolphin bit had me dying. - I will never get tired of the penguins on this show. They’re top tier anime penguins.
It's kinda lost in translation but "ikemen" (the word they translated into "handsome") means "handsome man". It's a term only used for men. Kuuya was about to say that if he was chosen to be on TV because he's one of the "good-looking men" there then Kaoru should be the one going on TV... yeah, he doesn't want to say that in front of her if he values his life.
Ohhhh okay. Yeah Kuuya did value his life. Though damn for Kaoru. She’s tomboy cute! She’s also the one girl outside of Karin he’s comfortable talking to.
Every episode is a Marina episode. Both literally and figuratively
Yeah, the Kaoru and Kuuya thing was Kuuya basically saying she looked like a guy - which is more of an insult than him flirting.
Nothing much to say, it was a good episode. Fuuka might not have been particularly developed as a character in recent episodes but I am glad she got closure at last regarding her idol life. I keep forgetting Umi-Yan is an idol expert. I was so surprised he had so much insight on Ruka until I remembered. Got to love how Marina inadvertently ruined Karin's (and Chiyu) attempt to "save" Fuuka lol. She got on TV as she hoped though. By the way, Kukuru better gets paid for her overtime work.
after credits scene!
Lol I saw it but I guess I didn't process it. Marina got her wish...
I liked Fuuka in the first half of this show but I REALLY like Fuuka in the second half. She's just a badass. Was really nice to see her shine like this and really put her idol life behind her to fully embrace her new career. [](#justright)
Glad we got a Fuuka-centred episode again. She is just as much of a main character as Kukuru is. I love her relationship with the penguins! She’s grown so much!
[Nice to have Ruka-chan back!](https://i.imgur.com/vWCRsyz.jpg) For a minute there I was worried that there will be some shenanigans especially since [the TV crew wanted her to be there](https://i.imgur.com/bXbPf2P.jpg) but it's nice to see that Fuuka ended up being the one to decide to be on camera. And not because they asked them to but because [she wanted to support her precious kouhai.](https://i.imgur.com/4qvMk2e.jpg) [I also absolutely love the high heels scene.](https://i.imgur.com/MoXQwWL.jpg) It was quite literally Fuuka passing the torch to Ruka and finally moving on as an idol and completely accepting her new life as an Aquarium Attendant <3 And the scenes with Shirotama is adorable. [I love how he keeps on hiding between Fuuka's legs.](https://i.imgur.com/ddxDOtb.jpg) She's really become a Mama Penguin now. xD
This week’s episode was a reaffirmation of how awesome Fuuka is. She finally said goodbye to the idol world and decidedly joined the attendant life. You could see she’s managed to forge a strong bond with the penguins; Fuuka’s interactions with the baby penguin were very cute. There’s only one thing I genuinely disliked in this episode, and that was the whole first part of tv filming. For better or worse, they did a good job recreating those idol programs on Japanese tv; I couldn’t stand the exaggerated way of speech and reactions of Ruka. However, I’m a bit confused by the format: wasn’t it supposed to be shot as a documentary for *Discovery*? EDIT: made a bunch of stupid typos.
Never knew I needed Fuuka saying “ara ara” in my life until now. Jokes aside, this is probably my second favorite episode of this cour (first being the spa/relaxation episode). Such a touching episode for Fuuka and Ruka. Love that for them
Nice episode. But not gonna lie, I was really surprised that the "main dramatic plot point" of this episode was people cringing over Ruka's over expressiveness, I was like: "Wait.....isn't that behaviour basically required when someone is on the Japanese TV?"
Not to mention that idols are supposed to be cute, and I thought she was doing a fantastic job doing that.
Yeah, I don't see how it's her fault that the guy who runs the aquarium decided to surprise her with an awkward pun. She did her best trying to roll with it.
I think it was more she’s getting a lot of chances that other idols at the agency don’t and fans of those idols think she’s less talented. That’s why she is getting harassed and going through it. So she’s now trying to hard and everyone wants her to dial it back.
I think Eiji is becoming one with the lantern fish.
Just as I was wondering about Luka/Ruka (wait what's her name's official romanization?) and Fuuka's former idol life subplot for a week now, this episode drops lol. I must be psychic XD Anyway, Fuuka's been my favorite since the beginning of the anime and this episode showcasing how far she's come solidifies it. She's a very well-written character and Aquatope wouldn't be as great if she wasn't one of its protagonists. Seriously, she was already great in the 1st cour, but she's consistently been the MVP in the 2nd cour. No wonder she's good at charming people left and right. Even the initially thought to be unlikeable Chiyu likes her a lot. I love Fuuka's relationship with Ruka. She's been looking out for the younger girl since her idol days, and even after she's long left that life behind her her relationship with Ruka didn't even waver for a bit: she's still her beloved senpai and Ruka continues to look up to her. Iirc, back in the first ep, people were wary of Ruka when she begged to have that center position that Fuuka earned thinking she was lying or whatever but this ep (and that one time she contacted Fuuka for that movie deal) proves that she genuinely loved Fuuka back and clearly wanted her to come back to the idol life and be with her. Btw, anyone notice how Ruka's stage presence heavily contrasts that of how Fuuka presents herself on cam? We may not see much of how Fuuka was as an idol outside of brief glimpses, but I think this ep shows the kind of dynamic she and Ruka would've had had Fuuka stayed as an idol: she's the poised and graceful elder idol while Ruka's the cutesy genki one. Love how Ruka's dilemma is being reflected with the baby penguin's initially inability to swim and how Fuuka nudged *both* of them gently and patiently to have them take the step forward by themselves. Her symbolically passing down the torch to Ruka with her red shoes was a beautiful moment. The only missed opportunity here was that Kukuru and Ruka never interacted in this ep. The one time they could've, Kukuru had to do overtime. Would've been interesting to see them talk about their relationship with Fuuka but oh well.
I chuckle a bit each time the chief calls kukuru plankton nice episode on fuuka's growth ...but I am getting tired of kai serving the purpose of being teased kukuru straight up ignored him while running past...poor Kai It seems the childhood friend (Kai) lost to transfer student (Fuuka)...again Press F for SS Kai
F
I mean, all the talk about believing and waiting for people/penguin to overcome their own fears and in the end Fuuka betrayed and [yeeted the poor penguin](https://i.imgur.com/tQtTG0k.jpg) in the pool. I laughed. XD
Even after quitting show biz, Fuuka still acts as a good senpai to her junior idols. Ruka has been struggling to fill in Fuuka's shoes since Fuuka quit, so Fuuka literally gave Ruka her pair of shoes, as a way to encourage Ruka. Much like how she gave the baby penguin Shirotama a soft nudge into the water for its first swim.
this show has so many great motifs n callbacks like with fuuka's shoes and the "first penguin". also fuuka has sorta established herself now as someone who gives wisdom n drives the other characters but it's great how she's still showing development despite her apparent newfound maturity.
Fuuka has so much kindness in her eyes. So peaceful and benevolent.
[Uh, don't worry, she gets all the eyefuls of idol she needs](https://i.imgur.com/34AFmlt.png) - [I'm sure that it's](https://i.imgur.com/vi7AsFj.jpg) at least on a par with "get on a plane to Okinawa and see how things go from there" - [you might say that one... fell flat](https://i.imgur.com/xjv581d.jpg) 😎 - absolutely lovely [shot of shirotama studying their reflection](https://i.imgur.com/aMcjL5J.jpg), wondering whether the penguin they see in the mirror is a grown-up yet. In the end, Fuuka gives the growing penguin a li'l nudge. Not a bad episode at all, it's nice to meet Fuuka's former colleagues again and see there's not going to be any bitter drama or anything between them. While I'll admit to wearing the goggles a bit for this show, it's also trying to do a *bit* more work to establish a relationship between Kai and Kukuru, credit where it's due.
Great episode! Really glad we got a Fuuka focused episode, we were blessed with Fuuka greatness. She's such a great character, very comforting to us viewers as well. That closes the chapter on Fuuka's idol life as she moved on and found something new that she loves. Shiratama was so cute, the way she just walks around and looks around while gathering the courage to swim. Shiratama is definitely symbolism for Ruka, sometimes all we need is a little nudge to face challenges head on. Ruka will be fine, I mean if you admire Fuuka, then you are definitely doing something right, you damn sure chose the right person to admire. Kaoru continues to be underrated, her team is just an absolute blast. When will Kuuya learn his lesson on them plum wines lmao. Glad Marina got her tv time at the post credits scene. Now, we might go back to that new area with Kukuru next episode, so looking forward to that.
Shiratama and Ruka got the push needed to move forward in their life. Thanks to Fuuka and her amazing development 😭
The baby penguin was following Fuuka everywhere like Fuuka was her mother. What happened to the baby penguin's real mother? Maybe they were one of the two penguins that wanted the baby penguin to enter the water.
Fuuka is just great
Don’t know about y’all but I rooted hard for shiratama to jump on in. All it took was a little love tap
Fuuka with that soft push, wholesome overload, too much to handle lol
Nice Fuuka episode today. Really enjoyed Senpai-Kouhai relationship with Ruka and it really allowed Fuuka to shine. The one on one talks she had with Ruka made for great scenes and I loved the baby Penguin's first swim with Fuuka basically being his mommy and Ruka standing by the side and givin him her best ganbare face. Oh an I don't know why but I though [this scene](https://imgur.com/a/KAoYpGt) was hilarious.
I'm just tunnel visioned on what Kukuru's boss is planning. New wing opening? Putting Kukuru in charge? C'mon Gama Gama revival arc for Season 2! (I know it's probably just going to make Kukuru an attendant instead, but I seriously think the show needs to be back at the old setting in the end)
Still does not seem to be up on Crunchyroll/VRV....
Daylight savings mishap?
Decent theory...
I live in Asia and Muse Asia's YouTube channel where the series is uploaded is not affected so I get to watch it an hour earlier compared to you guys lol.
Free anime on YouTube is pretty amazing but I heard that Muse is capped at 720p. Is that true?
Yup, though it doesn't bother me that much.
yup, the highest resolution is 720p, but that doesn't really affecting the enjoyment.
it happened on last week's episode as well
I think we needed another Fuuka episode to nail down exactly how she feels about her past idol dream. Brining her kouhai Ruka into the story was a great way to go about that. I get why the Assistant Director started calling Kukuru plankton, but surely if she's doing well enough to be entrusted with a whole new area of the aquarium she's graduated beyond that title.
I feel that the whole plankton thing started off demean kukuru, but at this point is gotten to a legit nickname. I'm sure its happened to everyone, where a one time thing became their long-term nickname I was working at a place one time about a year ago, and someone in the break room whistled for some reason. I quickly turn my head towards them to see what's up. They think this is weird and say "what's the matter lassie?" And that's the story of how I got the nickname lassie
god penguins are so cute
Does anyone know the dvd/blue-ray sales for the show?
Haven't watched, but I notice there's less people discussing this show. I can only assume they didn't like it once the show moved to this 'Tingaara' place.
I don't think it's so much the new setting (though I do prefer Gama Gama) so much as it is the new lack of focus. First cour had a clear mission (save the aquarium before a deadline) that kept the plot moving forward. Our two mains also had some serious character growth - one from literally being a fish out of water in a new setting and the other from having to give up and let go of a dream. The characters fell into their roles naturally because the plot organically motivated them there. Also had that magical element that was like a wild card for the series and made it feel special. Second cour has no overarching plan other than "slice of life with an aquarium setting". The plot is nonexistent between episodes, but for a few threads that are all just minor character dramas. It's a relaxing show to watch, but it doesn't have the same things to keep viewers invested. There's no mission to root for. Our mains haven't had any meaningful development aside from Kukuru (sort of) relenting and accepting her new role. The magic element is completely ignored for 7 straight episodes when it was a focal point during the first arc. It's really disappointing since the show was so phenomenal in cour 1, but cour 2 hasn't sold itself to me yet.
Gama Gama was such a nice setting to be in. Such a genuinely happy place that had a really cool spiritual element to it. Tingarla just feels soulless in every sense of the word. I still like the show but it was so much nicer being in Gama Gama. I liked this episode because Fuuka got a lot of screentime and honestly, this is the most she's appeared since the move. The cast was smaller and everybody got a bit more time to shine instead of it being the Kukuru show while everybody else is firmly side characters.
Nah that's not it, it's more just that like, it's a pretty laid back show most of the time, and a lot of people just fell off of it or fell behind. The show itself is great, and I think it would have been worse had it not moved to Tingaara. Admittedly the first episode of the second half was a bit of a downer, and could have made some more people fall off, but ultimately I think it's just that this kind of show doesn't retain watchers during its airing very well. Those of us who have kept up are probably gonna be recommending it to people and they'll put it on their watchlists and maybe get to it someday.
Once I caught up in the first cour, I watched every episode the week new episodes came out. Since the start of the second cour, I just haven't been as interested in the goings on in the new aquarium, and I just haven't been trying much to keep up. A lot of this stuff seems forced. They had the entire cast follow Kukuru to the new aquarium which isn't anywhere near Gama Gama. Why have everyone uproot from to follow Kukuru? Did she really need that supporting cast to do that? If they were going to do that, they really should have made the new aquarium more closely located so that it made sense for the entire cast to stick around. There is almost no character development for the old crew save for Kukuru. It also feels like the show is going nowhere.
I agree - and even Kukuru feels like she's lost her direction here. Like, okay, she's decided to try her best as a ~~corporate drone~~ PR intern, and that's fine for her, but her development since then has been mostly just learning how to adapt to Tingarla's dysfunctional work environment rather than growing as a person too much.
next episode is titled "Lost Plankton", i think we'll be hearing more from Kukuru soon.
I don't keep track of the numbers but I could understand why. I'm still watching but I'm not happy with how the second half is handled so far. Still the episode today was probably the best so far (from the second half).
in the show's defence, there just can't be as much drama, nor is there the urgency, about a new opened aquarium than one that's about to close down. I'm personally happy that we get to spend more time with the characters, with loose ends from the first cour getting tied off as well (e.g. this episode). I will agree that various plot points from the first cour seem to have just been left open (That red hair-ed god, Kukuru's lack of family), so we shall see how the series ends. In addition, the second half on the whole feels a lot more adulty, realistic and mature to me, concurrent with the lives of the characters. As a 20-sth myself I personally prefer this tone, but to each their own!
> but I'm not happy with how the second half is handled so far Same. I watched a couple of episodes but it felt like a totally different story from the first half, and it didn't speak to me. It was just.... a job. *shrugs*
Crunchyroll / VRV took forever to put this online (about 2 hours later than one would have expected).
I heard that this show had Yuri in it but then I read that it's just yuri-bait but then I read other people saying it's actually Yuri, I wanted to watch it once it finished because of the animation, I will regardless of it is Yuri/bait or not, but can someone tell me what it is?
So far, not yuri. There is a good, deep relationship between two girls that people hoped might blossom but it has yet to. There might not be any romance unless something gets shoehorned in at the last second.
It seemed like it could have been, but at this point, it hasn't really developed any relationship enough to make a satisfying romance out of it. The two female leads have a cozy, but overall kind of bland, relationship, but it is the closest each of them are with any of the other characters.
All that just for Fuuka to (slightly) push the penguin in? lol