Non Non Biyori Nonstop | Episode 10 and 11 Review

ByOOCentral

Episode Ten Thoughts

I never would have thought that watching fictional characters play pretend outside during a blizzard would be so entertaining. This scene was Natsumi and Renge playing pretend. Two characters that think and act the same the majority of the time. Then we had Hikage, who didn’t know what was going. What made this scene in particular so entertaining was Hikage’s refusal, confusion and frustration throughout it all. She didn’t know what was happening, and she didn’t know how to play along, while Natsumi and Renge continued with their roleplay, simply disregarding Hikage’s outbursts throughout it all. That is what made the scene great for me.

ALSO. I love how they brought back Honoka (if you haven’t seen the previous seasons primarily the first season then you wouldn’t know who she is). Anyway, long story short, she was a friend that Renge enjoyed hanging out with, and she was someone Renge connected with. When Honoka left, seeing Renge sad broke my heart. So seeing them reconnect once again, even if only for one episode, was nice.

Episode ten had a little bit of everything. You had the high and funny moments, like Hikage asking everyone under the sun for New Year’s Money, Renge and Natsumi playing pretend to Hikage during a blizzard (because that’s normal), Honoka and Renge making memories before they had to say goodbye to each other.

As I am a sucker for those heartfelt moments, seeing Honoka and Renge say goodbye to each other pulled at my heartstrings. Especially when Honoka gave Renge one of her kitty hair ties so they could match before she left and as Renge watched Honoka disappear from view, her saying “I got to say goodbye this time” made me go crazy because those are the kinds of things I love hearing in anime. It made me happy and sad.

Episode Eleven Thoughts

One thing I love about the ED of Non Non Biyori Nonstop is that if you watch it all the way through, it foreshadows things that’ll happen the next episode on the TV. Usually, I am not someone who likes to see what’ll happen next, but I think it works well with regards to Slice of Life anime.

I love the dynamic between Renge and Shiori. Renge is that friend who feels the need to act like the ‘big sister,’ and I find that to be very adorable, considering who Renge is. I find entertaining about these two because whenever they’re together, their conversations can either be so complex or extremely basic. There is no in-between, and I find that so entertaining because you never know what type of conversation they’ll have.

Speaking on the topic of dynamics, I love the relationship between Renge and Kaede, more commonly known as “Candy Store.” It mimics that of which I mentioned earlier; there’s this whole ‘big sister’ vibe. However, unlike the Renge-Shiori, which is an attempt to be a that big sister. This one has that genuine feel. When Renge was still a baby, the whole reminiscing about the past only added to that genuine feeling. However, seeing a side of Kaede that we do not normally see was nice. Kaede getting jealous when a baby Renge preferred to play with Konomi over her, and Kaede’s determination to not let Renge see her drunk was also admirable. It says something when Renge’s real older sister is less of a ‘sister’ figure than Kaede, who isn’t related to the Miyauchi family.

Overall, both episodes have been amazing (to me anyway). I like the vibe that each episode has given, and I like the connections that episodes ten and eleven have focused on.