Amaama to Inazuma (Blu-ray)

I'm a sucker for slice-of-life shows about children and parents (or parental figures), like Usagi Drop and Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari. So when Godless Fansubs asked me to edit and typeset the Blu-ray version of their Amaama to Inazuma release, I jumped at it. I ripped through all twelve episodes in two months, and Godless released the first six episodes at the beginning of 2017. After that... silence. It's been more than two years since the last release. Today, Orphan is releasing the rest of the series, including revised versions of the first six episodes.

Amaama to Inazuma (Sweetness and Lightning) is the story of a widowed high-school math teacher, Inuzaka Kouhei, trying to raise his kindergarten-age daughter, Tsumugi, as a single parent. In addition to the constant demands on his time, as a professional and a parent, he lacks certain basic life skills; in particular, he doesn't know how to cook. By accident, he meets one of his students Iida Kotori, the shy daughter of a famous restaurateur, Iida Megami. Kotori doesn't know much about cooking either, but the two team up to master the basics of Japanese cooking and liberate Tsumugi from a life of convenience store bentos and precooked meals.

The setup - a high-school teacher meeting his student at home while raising an adorable moppet - sounds like it could go disastrously wrong, but Amaama to Inazuma sidesteps all the traps. There's no romance between Kouhei and Kotori, or even a hint of one. Tsumugi is a sweet, happy child, but she's also a real one - she can be moody, throw tantrums, or get upset about childish misunderstandings. The show is filled with the minor crises of parenthood, not the major manufactured incidents of anime, and most of the issues are resolved around the kitchen counter at Kotori's mother's restaurant. The show will make you hungry. 

It's a good thing that the subject matter is engrossing, because the animation is nothing to write home about. Much of it is done at 8 frames per second (some of the OP is at 6, perhaps as a stylistic choice), and there are lots of signs to cover up the essentially static nature of the backgrounds. In contrast, the voice cast is very good:

• Nakamura Yuuichi brings a strong presence to the role of Kouhei. His love for Tsumugi is palpable, as is his reticence about expressing emotion and his sadness over his limits as a parent. Yuuichi starred as Shinkaku in the two Bakumatsu series, Tada in Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai, Kyousuke in Ore no Imouto, Hotarou in Hyouka, and Okitsu in DIVE!!, to name just a few of his star turns. He showed his comedic flair as Grizzly-san in Shirokuma Cafe, an Orphan release. He also played Hoshina, Touin's captain in DAYS: Touin Gakuensen, another Orphan release.
• Hayami Soari makes Kotori's shyness and love of food believable. She starred as Saki in the Eden of the East properties, Chiriko in the AnoHana franchise, Ikaros in the Sora no Otoshimono franchise, Leviathan in Leviathan: The Last Defense, Ayase in the OreImo franchise, Shirayuki in Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, and many other roles.
• Endou Rina endows Tsugumi with realism and charm, perhaps because she's a child actress. (She was 10 when the show was made.) She also starred as the scene-stealing Hina in Barakomon.
• Tomatsu Haruka gives the role of Shinobu, Kotori's genki wingman, the upbeat energy it needs. She starred as Anjo in the AnoHana franchise, Manami in Asobi ni Ikuyo!, Nagi in Kannagi, Corticart in Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica and its sequel, Lala in the To Love-ru Franchise, Haruka in Mitsudomoe, Mayu in Nekogame Yaoyorozu, Ichika in Ano Natsu de Matteru, Shiho in Zettai Karen Children, and numerous other roles.
• Seki Tomokazu nails the role of Yagi, Kouhei's morose wingman, concealing a deep attachment to Tsumugi under a gruff exterior. He starred as the title roles in Maze and Keniichi, Kyou in the original Fruits Basket, Yotaro in Showa Genroku Rakugo, Dee in Fake, Rentarou in Futakoi: Alternative, Ryuuiki in Saiunkoku Monogatari, Shuichi in Gravitation, Nobu in Nana, and my personal favorite, Chiaki in Nodame Cantabile. He appeared in Sanctuary and Haruka Naru Toki de Naka de 2, both Orphan releases.

The director, Iwasaki Tarou, also directed the tug-on-the-heartstrings Ishuukan Friends. The OP is a relentlessly genki Japanese earworm; you have been warned.

Godless Fansubs was responsible for the initial TV scripts, the encodes, and the timing of the first four episodes. Yogicat timed the last eight. I edited and typeset all of them. BeeBee QCed. The revisions to the first six episodes are numerous - typos, more signs, consistency fixes. Patches are available if you have the original release.

Although this is labeled as a Godless-Orphan release (a great name for a joint, don't you think?), the Godless team has not participated in finishing the series. I don't have the Godless 1080p raws, so this release is 720p only. If anyone wants to fit these scripts to a different 1080p encode, feel free. You can get Amaama to Inazuma from the usual torrent site or IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.