I looked forward to this episode and it surely did its job well in keeping my mind off from stress after a long day’s work. Flying Witch‘s second episode is as comfy and relaxing as you can get. Add a sprinkle of humor, and you should be good for the day. I’d associate this show to a stress food – any snack you bite into to satisfy your binge and craving. Much like how Chinatsu looks at her pudding with delight. It’s a kid’s food but WHO DOESN’T LOVE PUDDING?
The episode is divided into two parts: the first includes the introduction of two new characters, the second takes over with a funny, cute cooking show. After this you’d realize how boring cooking is at your kitchen. Well, I sure did!
The first character introduced, or should I say, the first one who took the stage is Spring (I’ll just call him/it Spring). Spring is… a harbinger or sorta like a messenger who appears when the season starts changing from Winter to, well, Spring. To Chinatsu’s mind though, he’ll stay as a fairy who she first suspected as someone very suspicious. Her first meeting with Spring almost brought her to the point of learning to dial the local police’s number. Oh, I just love Chinatsu’s reaction to everything. The second character is the sibling’s mom. We didn’t get to see much of her but I find her as the kind of parent who is very, very pampering of her children. I guess that should explain Kei and Chinatsu’s upbringing.
The episode’s second part is easily my favorite. A “cooking in the kitchen” scene doesn’t sound that exciting but the punchline in the end made me slap my forehead in a Eureka! like moment. Lesson learned: not everything you eat is clean especially if you picked it up at the side of the road – it might even have dog pee in it. Anyways, what Kei and Makoto were cooking is a turnip looking thing called “bakke”.
Now, I tried to Google what this is but I totally found 0 answers (I’d appreciate some help with this thing’s English name). I just realized I’ve been calling the bakke a “thing”. Perhaps my subconscious doesn’t like the look of it. Just think of it as a small cabbage that tastes great (according to Makoto and Kei, who sounded like an old man by the minute) when deep-fried. What made this particular scene is, again, Chinatsu’s reactions. Apparently, like any other kid, she hates veggies and seeing her disgusted look is funny enough to illicit a chuckle in me. Something about her grimacing at a vegetable reminded me of how I hated eating peas and raw tomatoes when I was 12. What made it worse for her is listening to Kei and Makoto indulging on how delicious the fried bakke is. At least Chinatsu didn’t get to eat a rootcrop watered by a dog’s pee. Good for her.
Perhaps it’s better to leave their obliviousness alone for now. Even poor Nao is still waiting for that “lucky” thing that perhaps may never come true. Apparently, witches’ dreams are accurate premonition of what is to come… according to legends. But who knows? It may be a foreshadowing for the next episode. Two episodes in and Flying Witch manages to execute everything that it’s good at. The character interactions are just what makes this show a treat to watch. We’ve yet been introduced to the full cast but we can expect a wacky and fun filled neighborhood in this series.
Wait a minute. Maybe Makoto’s dream of Nao’s “Super Lucky” turned out to be the opposite? Afterall, she’s the one who looks to be enjoying the taste of our extra flavored bakke. I don’t know. I’m just messing around here 🙂
Nice post about a nice show’s nice episode. On a completely unrelated note, try searching “Butterbur Sprout” to find out more about bakke. That second half of the episode really made me find out more about it, even if by itself bakke doesn’t look like the most tasty thing in the world.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I just did and I’ll agree with you here. I love fried food but I can’t get the hang of any fried veggies (with the exception of veggy toppings for pizzas and yakisoba).
LikeLike
If you’re still wondering what the plant in “bakke tempura” is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petasites_japonicus
The common Japanese name is 蕗の薹 (fuki no tou). My guess is that Bakke is a dialect/regional thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Got it. Now I can finally put this question into rest.
LikeLike