Gin no Saji Thoughts and Review

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"Dammit - how can something so tasty come out of an anus?!" 
~Yugo Haachiken


Last night while browsing through new anime, I found some interesting one. It's based on agriculture and I got attracted easily since I have some experience on taking care of different things on a farm.

Plot:

Silver Spoon or Gin no Sajo  is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa, set in the fictional Ooezo Agricultural High School  in Hokkaido. It depicts the daily life of Yugo Hachiken, a student from Sapporo who, unlike his new classmates, has no intention of following an agricultural career after graduating. Instead, he decided to study there under the misguided notion that he could easily be the top student in the class.

Review:

I should say that the title itself is one great term that one could think of if it wants to gather enough marketing critics because it combines commercial and critical success in a way few manga can. Thinking about the title, it seems that the meaning of silver spoon, newborns in Europe - when it was an agriculturally-driven continent - were given at birth, to symbolize the hope that they never go hungry. I guess this come from how the story takes the fold towards trying to eat what you have taken care of.
It would not be a surprise if a manga or anime comes into life if the author istelf, Arakawa-sensei , comes from a dairy farm. I should say that I was a little thankful that she could at least contribute this story for the farmers and those who live on agriculture and also a way to educate people how hard farm life can be.

I guess one of the point that the story goes is that it covers how modern people tries to cut the ties from working on their source of sustenance - the dirt, dung, and of course, the blood.

Personally, I think that people find a way to at least escape the hard work of farming or has little knowledge of it. With a style like this, Hachiken Yuugo (Kimura Ryouhei), is a city boy that comes from Sapporo who's enrolled at Ooezo Agricultural High School, somewhere in rural Hokkaido. From the start it's clear that Hachi-kun seems to have no knowledge of how to deal with animals, early wake-up calls, Phys-Ed classes taught by Major Armstrong look-alike Todoroki Gou  with 20 KM runs and the reality of where eggs come from (He really doesn't know where they came from). While he's clearly more comfortable in conventional subjects such as math - an area where he seems to be far ahead of his classmates - it's agricultural matters that are the main focus of life at Ooezo. Hachiken's classmates all express a desire to achieve successful careers in agriculture, many carrying on their family's farming business - it's clear these are not ignorant bumpkins but modern farm kids with a mind towards succeeding in the 21st-Century. Just what Hachiken wants - and what he's doing at Ooezo in the first place - isn't made clear, but he seems to express a certain disdain at the idea of having goals.

Life is really hard at Ooezo and right from the door, they are pushed towards the harsh reality of farm work. Practicals right from the start of school, which I think is rare when it comes to schools. They were also split into groups and Hachiken's Group composed of kids coming from family of farmers ranging from poultry to general farms. And also one of the uniqyue among his group is,Aikawa Shinnosuke (Shimazaki Nobunaga) who dreams of being a veterinarian. Hachiken most takes notice, however, of Mikage Aki (Miayki Maire), a horse-loving girl and the neighbor of one of his classmates, seemingly destined to be the primary love interest in the story.
Hachiken's struggles with runaway calves and glasses and hair-chewing horses, and his (and Aikawa's) squeamishness at what happens to chickens are genuine and believable (And a real surprise from my part). Silver Spoon is quite funny and resolutely earthy, and it seems intent on showing both the idyllic and harsh nature of agricultural life (Which is true). Deplorable conditions at poultry farms are mentioned in the premiere, and the OP suggests the struggle for Hachi-kun as he realizes that the bacon and steak he enjoys so much comes from cute little piggies and calves. This is a world that's mostly unseen and unknown for most of us, and certainly one almost never visited in anime. One of many reasons why Gin no Saji looks to be a fascinating change of pace both for Arakawa and for the medium itself. Fittingly for a series focused in the farm, a big part of the magic of Silver Spoon is that it feels so fresh, and despite the high expectations this is a premiere that doesn't disappoint in the slightest. All the signs point to this being one of the best shows of the season.

I could really relate to this anime since I was also raised on farms and such and I think this will make me realize more and learn more about the things I am doing and have done.

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