Usagi Drop – 07

Episode 07 –

This was a markedly different episode from the norm of this series, where instead of getting focus on Daikichi and Rin, the attention is drawn to Haruko and her marriage issues with her husband. This sudden plot twist brings into focus the issues and differences between married life, and the life of being a single. This difference is amplified because of the contrasting positions of Daikichi and Haruko, mainly due to how even though they are both raising kids, their outlook on raising them and life in general is very different. It was a great move on the creator’s part to emphasize this distinct difference, which allowed for some introspection and added perspective to the prospects of everything that comes with adulthood.

That being said, this was also one of the funnier episodes of Usagi drop so far. It’s pretty funny how Rin and Reina manage to tease their adult counterparts, all while innocently chiding them. This episode does also show that kids are not completely stupid, and they are also keenly aware of problems going on in the family. Reina’s little comment where she says she knows that her parents fight all the time, and yet she tries to play the role of the happy and innocent kid, does emphasize the idea that Reina is mature in her own little way.  I guess as adults, they tend to forget that the ones most affected by their problems are the kids that are always living right next to them.

There was a very interesting focus on the differences between married life and the life of a single parent here, and managed to bring some rather stark questions to the table. While I’ve always thought that Daikichi would eventually marry Kouki’s mother, here we are shown the burdens and stress that also come with married life. It does bring up some doubts about the ideal image that marriage tends to have, and proves to have an odd contrast to the pros and cons that comes with single parenthood. Rin and Reina’s silly comment at breakfast, where they note how “the adults” are contradicting each other, actually is dead-on target here.

In the end, the introduction of Haruko brought some very important questions to the table, but this episode was much more straightforward with it’s conflict. This entire ordeal does seem to have brought a different set of questions to Daikichi’s mind, that’s for sure. It was very noticeable when Daikichi came home to an already bright house, which normally doesn’t happen because nobody gets home before he does. Not to mention, the brief moments he is around Kouki and his mother keep bringing up those little lingering questions to mind. This was an episode very focused on the ordeals of the parents themselves, which is a nice changeup from the parent-child issues that this series has always touched upon until now.

Overall Enjoyment: 3.8/5

Screenshots are later in the post.