Flower and Asura

Episode 6

If last week we got a taste of the difficulties in finding suitable material for competition, then this week we got the entire entree. And I'll reiterate that finding good material for competitions like this can be difficult! Just finding the material, in general, can be tricky enough on its own, let alone something that'll fit the rules (especially relating to time) for whatever category you're in, something you resonate with, something that suits your voice well—any number of factors that could be important.

That said, we got a brief glimpse into the trials and tribulations that can often come with writing your own material—something I can very much attest to firsthand. Original oratory (the competitive speech category where you write your own material) was my main category back when I was on a speech team, and even now, I write scripts for YouTube videos that I also narrate. When Anne complained about sentences being too long and repeating the same words more often than she thought, I just wanted to reach out and hug her whilst I sobbed, “SAME.” I can't begin to quantify how many times I've written a sentence for a script that I thought looked fine, only to realize how much of a monstrosity it was upon reading it aloud. I could start a world-class track team with all the run-on sentences I've made. I feel seen. Anne is my relatable queen.

On the topic of Anne, just as this series had me thinking that maybe we won't get this after all, it once again hints that we might get a storyline related to not wanting to compete when everyone else around them is focused on competition. I initially thought it would broach this through Hana, who seemed hesitant to do recitations in a competition setting. But now, I think that arc could belong to either Hakoyama or Touga—the latter is more interested in the production side of things, and the former just doesn't seem particularly interested in competition at all.

Still, if any character gave us the start of a breadcrumb trail leading to what I think could be a fascinating character arc, it was undoubtedly Akiyama. Until now, he's mostly just faded into the background—just another club member with no particularly distinct features. But now, we're learning more about his difficult family life, and the immense conflict and pressure he feels about being in the broadcast club despite what his parents want from him. And I have little doubt that as the series continues, he'll come more and more into focus—and I'm looking forward to that. Learning who you want to be and not who your parents want you to be arc is a classic. And in a group where plenty of other members are on their own self-love and self-discovery journey via the broadcast club, such an arc fits right in.

This week, in short, seemed more about setup than anything else. It was mostly uneventful, which is fine, considering this is the first week that's happened, and we're at the halfway point. We've had so many excellent episodes week after week by now that it's no big deal if it just wants some time to breathe whilst setting the stage for more dramatic story beats in later weeks. Entering the second half of the series, I think my main hopes are for more Anne and also more Mizuki—who hasn't really had much time in the spotlight lately, despite being initially framed as one of the central-most characters and obviously lovable. Still, the character writing has been excellent thus far, so I'm looking really forward to seeing more of that fully coming into bloom.

Rating:

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Flower and Asura is currently streaming on HIDIVE on Tuesdays.