After two episodes of team-building, this week’s episode takes us to Kirisaki High to see what the competition is up too. The boys of the Kirisaki Kyudo Club get their time in the spotlight and it’s scary how outclassed Kazemai is…

Plot

Due to midterm examinations, the boys of Kazemai are disappointed to discover that they have a week off from club activities. Meanwhile, over at Kirisaki, the Kyudo Club is holding tryouts for the upcoming preliminary tournament.

Episode Highlights

Scoping out the competition: This episode, we spend a considerable amount of time with the Kirisaki Kyudo Club, and before we even see them shoot, we get sweeping shots of all of their awards and trophies. Talk about an elite school, there are at least 25 members in their club, while the Kazemai Club only has eight total.

Weekend Date: Tommy-sensei takes Masa out for a drink and the pair talk about Masa’s training under his grandfather and his reasons for agreeing to coach the Kazemai team. It gives some great insight into who he is as a character while also delving into his past albeit briefly.

Kyudo Facts and Terms

I realize now that there will most likely be a lot of Kyudo specific terms and phrases that will crop up throughout the series, so I figured it’d be best to give them their own section moving forward.

Yugaeri: Kaito asks Masa for tips on turning his bow while shooting, this is called yugaeri. It’s a technique where the bow turns in the left hand after the release, traveling from its original position on the inner left arm to the outer side of the left arm.

Themes & Trivia

Escalator School: The team remarks that Kirisaki is an escalator school, these types of schools start at elementary school (sometimes middle/junior high) and continue up until university. Students are usually able to rise to the next grade level without having to take entrance examinations.

Comments

So, the parallels between Tsurune and Free! are hard to ignore at this point, especially with the focus shifting from the Kazemai boys to the elite Kirisaki High Kyudo team. Kazemai is Iwatobi, Kirisaki is Samezuka Academy, and Shu is the new Rin! I can already smell the character drama on the horizon and I swear, if the relationship between Minato and Shu plays out the same as the Haru/Rin drama from Season 1 of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, I will be severely disappointed. You’re better than that, Tsurune…

On a positive note, I will admit that I got chills when Masa shot that arrow at the start of the episode. Before watching this series, I knew next to nothing about kyudo, but damn, even a novice like me can appreciate a beautifully animated archery scene. Simply divine!

Checking out the competition

Now that the Kazemai team is in a better place, it’s time to officially introduce the rival team and it goes about how you’d expect. Kirisaki is clearly superior to Kazemai hands down and our boys are going to get a run for their money at the upcoming tournament. This week’s episode will definitely put you in the mind of KyoAni’s Free series, but, not enough to feel like an exact replica… but, just enough to be noticable.

I’ll be back next week with another Tsurune review, but in the meantime, be sure to check out MANGA.TOKYO’s other amazing Fall 2018 reviews!!

NEXT TIME: Reunion

Tsurune

Fall 2018 | Anime Info | Simulcast