Yuki Yuna is a Hero: A Sunny Place

“A Sunny Place” is a recap of Yuki Yuna is a Hero Season 1 as well as the seventh episode of Season 2, serving as an interlude between its two miniseries. I considered skipping this but it’s technically part of the thirteen episodes, is included in Amazon’s stream, and I want to experience Season 2 as it aired so here I am.

The recap is narrated by Togo. Judging by some of her lines, she’s recalling the events of Season 1 after regaining her memories of her life as Washio (more on that later). Mind you, the recap isn’t entirely a personalized account by Togo. Season 1 encompassed the whole Hero Club so our narrator still brings up events even if she technically wasn’t present for them. I suppose we can justify this as her friends filling in the gaps beforehand though that does make me wonder how those conversations went. How do you think the others explained Fuu’s breakdown to her?

Things start off more chronologically with Togo waking up in the hospital right after her last fight as Washio and meeting Yuna for the first time. WaSuYu with this exact scene (redrawn no less) though I do like the play on continuity. The recap skims through much of the first half of Season 1, summing up Karin joining the group and Itsuki’s singing subplot in just a few lines. Episode 7 of Season 1 is skipped over entirely; it was the most filler though I would’ve loved to hear a throwaway line about the beach. Things slow down once Togo recounts the last third of the season, going through all the big twists and giving ample time to some of the best scenes such as Fuu’s breakdown and Karin’s solo fight. To my amusement, the episode goes overs the ending while the credits roll. It sufficiently gets the info across though the quickness of it all does feel indicative that the ending is about to become less permanent. All things considered, this episode summarizes the events of Season 1 pretty well.

In a way, this recap also serves to bring Togo’s arc full circle. Walking down through memory lane with the context provided by WaSuYu really makes me realize that despite everything Togo went through as Washio, she ultimately was saved from her suffering. Yuna succeeded in preventing her from giving completely into despair and as much as it pains me to say it (because I still call bullshit), she does regain what she lost from her powers. Togo’s narration even makes direct light of that at the end, the character stating that she’s cherishing the present and is no longer scared of the future ahead of her.

I do find it a bit noteworthy how explicitly the episodes informs you that Togo has recovered her memories. Looking back at the Season 1 finale, the possibility was certainly implied but it wasn’t directly confirmed and it got bizarrely brushed over. Even as you see Sonoko recover along with everyone else, you don’t get a line from Togo about it nor do you see those two reunite. It’s almost like the episode brought it up in case some fans had doubts about Togo’s memories. I suppose the oversight in the Season 1 finale can be forgiven as the main focus was the Hero Club but now that we know how important Sonoko is to Togo, the lack of a reunion retroactively feels weird. Maybe this will finally be remedied in The Hero Chapter. It’d be amazingly dumb if it doesn’t happen (and if Sonoko doesn’t join the Hero Club).

I’m actually glad that I didn’t skip this episode. It’s not the most integral episode but as an intermediary to the prequel and sequel aspects of Season 2, this episode gets the job done. It also is a nice tool for the viewer to see how Togo’s arc chronologically carries over from WaSuYu without needing to go through the entirety of Season 1 again. On top of all that, the episode is a reminder of how good Season 1 is. I’m still frustrated with the ending, maybe I’ll finally get over it next episode, but the overall experience remains strong.

---

Thanks for reading!

Watch Yuki Yuna is a Hero on Amazon

Read my Yuki Yuna is a Hero reviews

Support the blog via:

Find me at: