Episode 8 – Sakuna: Of Rice And Damage

For an episode referred to as “The Rice Riots that Shook the Capital,” this ended up being so much tamer than I used to be anticipating. After Kokorowa’s hidden jealousy of Sakuna is revealed, the path of the story appears to be resulting in Kokorowa working with the demons to undermine her fame. It may very well be fairly thrilling, and I used to be excited to see that play out over the remainder of the present, so I used to be a little bit shocked when Kokorowa’s storyline was roughly wrapped up by the top of this week’s episode. Whereas we nonetheless get some drama between her and Sakuna, it is so much much less dramatic of a breakup than I hoped for, and whereas it isn’t precisely unhealthy, I used to be a little bit disillusioned.

Whereas Sakuna and the others are busy having fun with the rice from their newest harvest, she receives a message that her rice providing to Woman Kamuhitsuki has been tampered with. This manipulation was finished by including particular rice grains that may grow to be dangerously addictive, and rumors are already circulating that Kokorowa is accountable. Sakuna naturally denies that her good friend may ever do such a factor. To be able to show Kokorowa’s innocence, she makes an attempt to sneak again into the Lofty Realm to talk to her straight. In the meantime, Woman Kamuhitsuki decides to query Kokorowa concerning the rumors. Whereas Kokorowa tries to disclaim her connection to the manipulation, she nonetheless feels conflicted about having finished it. She feels worse when Sakuna reveals up and instantly assumes that she was arrange. Kokorowa finds the guilt far an excessive amount of to deal with. As a substitute of telling Sakuna the reality, she chooses the same old methodology of evading it: she places Sakuna in a field and tries to ship her again to Demon Island.

Evidently, issues don’t precisely go in keeping with plan, and when Sakuna ultimately returns to the Lofty Realm, Kokorowa’s new plan is to fireplace some mechanical dolls at her whereas she hides. With all this buildup, I used to be anticipating this showdown between these two to get fairly messy – and at first, it appeared prefer it may. When Kokorowa is inevitably caught red-handed with the stash of addictive rice, she decides to take all of her resentment out on Sakuna. Given how Kokorowa had began out speaking about how burdened she felt by their friendship, I half-expected (and truthfully hoped) that she would double down on her actions and absolutely commit to creating herself Sakuna’s enemy. Nevertheless, any dramatic pressure that was constructing throughout this scene is straight away undermined by Kokorowa unintentionally setting fireplace to the rice storage. I might be mendacity if I stated it wasn’t humorous to see Kokorowa rant, despite the fact that she’s oblivious to the whole lot burning round her. Nonetheless, it additionally feels a bit anticlimactic, so it felt like an odd option to finish the scene. I’d have most popular a extra dramatic ending.

I’m additionally a little bit disillusioned with how this all ends as a result of when Woman Kamuhitsuki tries to determine who’s accountable for all of the rice being burned, Sakuna decides to take the blame for Kokorowa and is seemingly banished from the Lofty Realm endlessly as punishment. If the episode had stopped there, I’d have been high quality with the result as a result of it will have proven how far more mature and accountable Sakuna has grow to be. It will have given her extra cause to completely commit to creating a life for herself on the island with the others. As a substitute, Kokorowa decides to hitch Sakuna on the island and tells her that if they’ll full their mission on the island and rid it of demons, Woman Kamuhitsuki will allow them to each again into the Lofty Realm. It’s candy and within the grand scheme of issues, it was most likely a bit a lot to anticipate her to have an prolonged villain arc, so I most likely shouldn’t be shocked by the way it ended. Nonetheless, given how a lot potential there was with Kokorowa’s grudge enjoying out over the remainder of the present, I am a little bit disillusioned that every one of this was simply organising her journey to grow to be a brand new group member. I am curious to see how she ultimately meshes with the remainder of the group, however contemplating her storyline in these two episodes has most likely been the most important supply of battle we have seen on the present thus far, I am unsure how a lot to anticipate there. For now, the collection is again to the established order of rice farming and demon bashing – and whereas it isn’t unhealthy, it may have finished higher by taking this chance to goal a little bit greater.

Judgement:

Sakuna: Of Rice And Damage at the moment streaming on
Crispy bread.