Tasokare Hotel

Episode 6

Tasokare Hotel, you were on thin ice last week, but this week's episode is an improvement in every way that matters. Whereas the Cinderella story was vapid, boring, and disposable, this week's pair of cases has both intrigue and emotional heft. Plus, there's plenty of saxophones. That's much closer to my wheelhouse, so thank you.

As a rule, I don't think anthology series must prioritize or pursue an arc for their core cast of characters. If the fundamentals and formula are good enough, each new story can function just fine. That's usually what I prefer. Look at Mushi-Shi and Mononoke, for instance. Ginko and the Medicine Seller are facilitators for the narratives, and they don't receive or require too much focus outside of that role. This frees up space that can be used to develop each case more thoroughly, and in the end, the whole anthology is stronger for it.

Tasokare Hotel doesn't have those fundamentals, so I don't mind that it plumbs a little deeper into the personalities of the hotel staff. Case in point: Atori. Although he's essentially the male lead, he has been the least interesting character working for the hotel. Before this week, I would have struggled to assign him a single adjective. However, I like Atori now that I know he's a washed-up jazz musician. This episode sketches his backstory with broad brushstrokes, but it's enough to contour his character.

Atori's problem is that passion is a double-edged sword, and after coasting through much of his life without it, he isn't equipped to handle its ups and downs. Atori was serious about pursuing the saxophone. Brimming with youthful spirit, he upended his life and moved to the U.S. to study it. And when he felt stymied by his limitations, he gave up and moved back to Japan just as quickly. This was foolish, but it's also admirable. How many of us wish we had the gumption and means to chase after our passions with such volatility? Still, Atori's lack of maturity meant he couldn't handle the fires of passion. His idol, Ogawa, tells him about another path. His interactions with Atori are the heart of his episode. The episode could have been stronger if they had more time together. Ogawa tells Atori that he started playing sax as a gig and it only grew into a vocation for him the more that he did it. In maturity, he eased into his life's calling after a similarly directionless youth. Atori, in other words, isn't a lost cause. Youth and impatience can be good for a lot, but some things take time. This isn't a new or revelatory message, but the connection between Atori and Ogawa makes it land.

This connection also explains why Shota's case is part of the episode. If Ogawa is the calm voice of experience, then Shota is the loud cry of youth. Shota and his cat spend most of the runtime tiring out Neko, but in the second half, his story is the one pulling at the heartstrings. It got me a little choked up. It's not my fault I'm weak to dying kittens. Shota is also an analog for Atori. While he's passionate about spaceships and not saxophones, the boy is similarly tunnel-visioned and prone to contradictions, bad-mouthing his mom in one breath and praising her cooking in the next. Ogawa's avuncular attitude towards Shota mirrors his later interactions with Atori. In both cases, he saw a kid who needed a little direction and did his best to guide them. And he can do so because he died fulfilled on that stage, saxophone in hand.

I can't say this episode feels particularly inspired, but it is about as good as Tasokare Hotel has been able to get to date. I was invested in the closure of Ogawa's and Shota's cases, and I liked how both guests tied into Atori's arc. We also see snippets of Ruri, who hints that she has a strained relationship with her parents, and Masaki, who thankfully draws the line at messing with a grade-schooler with asthma. Additionally, the manager has some cute material, and Neko reminds us again that her true love is her oshi. Even in concert, these positives aren't enough to bump Tasokare Hotel up to necessary viewing, but they put together a pleasant episode that highlights the series' strengths.

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