A lot of P.A. Works’ anime originals these days have a very specific…. flavor, and Narenare -Cheer For You!- episode 6 is a great example of that. Making it out the other end of Anna’s crisis, the group has to figure out where they’re going next- besides the hot springs, of course- and along the way really exemplifies the delightfully out there and unique vibes that the studio is known for across their glut of original series that have been seeing the spotlight in recent years.
So, what is the weirdest part of the episode? Most would gravitate towards PomPoms offering a “public cheering service” while on their little vacation, and I’m very inclined to agree. It’s not some off the walls sense of oddity, but it’s enough that when combined with their very cheerful (pun intended) nature, it’s something that gets a chuckle out of you alongside a smile. Seeing PomPoms cheer on a bungee jumping proposal was really funny, but adding in an old lady crossing the street as well as a cat stuck in a tree gets it to a point where you just can’t deny the cuteness of it. The girls are neck deep into the cheerleading spirit and parade around town having a blast. It’s like the girls are unwinding after the sort of make or break for Stout Records earlier.
More importantly though, their little adventure does well to highlight the purpose of the PomPoms in Narenare -Cheer For You!- episode 6. While it’s very much still a cheer squad for the girls to have fun with and express themselves via, it’s also about cheering on themselves and each other to make it past the parts of life that they’re hung up on. Anna got her spotlight moment as the glue of the group last week, and now we’re seeing the focus more explicitly shift towards Kanata and Megu. Of course, we’re not neglecting the other girls, but their stories are much more transient. Obunai’s is rather vague but still consistently developed, Shion’s is slowly progressing as a foundation for PomPoms, and Nodoka is sort of there? She’s getting over the whole ordeal slowly but surely, and is sort of the comic relief character for this sort of emotional development.
Back to Megu and Kanata, though. Narenare -Cheer For You!- episode 6 does a great job of handling this pair, placing them on opposite ends of the spectrum. Mental vs physical limitations is an interesting discussion to bring up, and the team did really well with it in this episode. One of the biggest things is how a physical wall is erected between Kanata and Megu in regards to cheerleading in the competitive sense. Even though Kanata struggles in her own ways, her ability to participate in some capacity is not limited. Megu on the other hand is stuck where she sits because of things outside of her control. It’s hard, an understandably difficult thing to experience. They could have Megu lash out at Kanata down the road regarding their unique situations, but I think that unlikely. Either way, the distinction between Kanata’s ability to participate and Megu’s inability is very well defined in regards to competitive cheerleading, but the same can be said for PomPoms, interestingly enough.
The idea of using Megu as a camerawoman does make a bit of sense, but placing them once more behind a wall that stops them from participating really hammers home the difficulties they face because of a condition they have no control over. Rather than seeing frustration with Kanata, it’s far more likely that Megu will begin to loathe herself and create a rift between them and PomPoms, despite the support that they receive from the girls. If I were to explain it, it’s one of those things where the girls aren’t always aware of the limitations place on Megu. Shion and Kanata are wonderful at supporting her and making sure everything remains accessible to her on their trip to the hot springs, but like cheerleading, PomPoms exists in a different world with different problems. It’s all very interesting, so I’m curious to see how the series might handle it if Megu and Kanata remain our focus through the next few episodes.
Now, for the visuals of the episode. For quite an interesting boarder, we have Iwahata Gouichi, the boarder behind episode 3 of No Longer Allowed In Another World. Much like their work over at Atelier P’ontdarc, I wouldn’t say that their boards really stand out- especially against the really great cheer sequences from the prior episodes. In reality though, there’s not all that much room to explore interesting layouts in this episode. A trip to the hot springs doesn’t have too much that you can really work with all that well. They certainly still have their moments though- mostly thanks to the hilarious nature of characters like Obunai.
The real standout in this episode is Naomi Nakano, as well as Yuusuke Takeda. Nakano’s been consistently outstanding on the series, and with Narenare -Cheer For You!- episode 6 being no different, I feel like it’s more worthwhile to talk about what Takeda’s able to bring. With a totally different outdoor setting, the pair really thrive, and actually pull a way from the harsher line art colors that the series has come to be known for. It hardly changes the nature of the wonderfully vibrant and sharp colors, but it’s a very interesting change all the same. In particular, their work with the evening and nighttime scenes is really incredible. There’s just something about the softness of the details in Takeda’s art this episode that feels so… receptive to Nakano’s colors.
When it’s all said and done, Narenare -Cheer For You!- episode 6 isn’t necessarily the series firing on all cylinders like it was for Stout Records, but I think it’s a rather solid example nonetheless. There is no do or die in this episode, so taking your foot off the gas a little and just having plain fun is plenty serviceable. Sure, we’re not getting any great cheer sequences or other animation here, but it still sits at a very happy level in terms of production output, and something similar can be said about the story. Being an anime original, Narenare has the ability to control every little piece of itself, and this episode is that very control on display. It’s a great set up that takes advantage of the girls wiping the sweat off of their brows, making use of that space to refocus on where we’ll go next and what antics our PomPoms will get up to. It’s the kind of quality work you expect from a studio that effectively owns the anime original territory.
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