Hello everyone, thanks again for stopping by.
Recently I decided to look into the current seasonal slate of anime, and one show in particular seemed to have jumped out to me as soon as I read the synopsis on Crunchyroll.
That show being of course “Eren The Southpaw” a project that while only having two episodes released so far already shows that it bleeds pure passion and understands the viewpoint it highlights.
I for the record have never been a huge drama anime fan for the most part, and yeah maybe it’s becuase old habits die hard and I love battle anime to a fault that I haven’t taken the time to expand on what I tune in to.
Yet somehow “Eren The Southpaw” felt like it was screaming my name from the recent updates page, and I am fo one so thankful I gave it the chance I did, let me explain.
Eren The Southpaw, has two main characters, Koichi, and the titular Eren, highschool students who go to the same school, have similar interests and a mutual friend, Sayuri.
Sayuri comes across as interested in Koichi not only from a talent perspective but a romantic one as well and was childhood friends with Eren.
I would talk more in depth about her but given that she hasn’t had any stand out developments as of yet, we’ll come back to that another day.
Koichi has an artistic flair and a dream to become a Graphic Designer, and believes that with enough work, heart, and determination nothing will stand in his way.
Eren possesses many of the same properties, but acts well as a rival and foil to Koichi.
She’s quiet, believes that passion and work will only get you so far, and tends to be not only self destructive but destructive in general as well, which is highlighted by her medium of choice, spray paint, which she uses to tag the streets of Yokohama and show her disapproval of art she deems undeserving.
Spoilers ahead, just in case you haven’t seen the show yet, please do, and come back later.
The reason Eren has such an angry, arguably damaged point of view towards art and artists is because of how she remembers seeing her dad, an artist himself, struggle and sacrifice while trying to make it not only for himself but also for his family.
Eren saw her dad pour out everything he had, practicing, hustling day in and day out, all while still being a positive and supportive father to her and her own talents, even going as far as to tear himself and his own talent down in front of her as a way to show how special she is.
Eren’s dad is revealed to have passed away after walking into the street one morning, which is deemed a suicide, after he is struck by a passing vehicle.
This event of course sent Eren and her mother into a spiral, with Eren blaming the world around her for not seemingly appreciating her dad and driving him to do what he did.
Koichi grew up on the opposite side of the coin with a parent who was very negative towards his passion for art, trying to get him to persue a more standard potential career from a young age and give up on his dream of being an artist, which although seeming to come from a place of care made Koichi defensive in his own way.
throughout the first two episodes we see the plot switch between these two artists, the overly positive Koichi and the rightfully negative Eren, showing how Artists cope and grow through their experiences.
Eren has a resentment towards Koichi and his pursuits, although it’s shown in dialogue that it comes from not wanting to see anyone get beaten down and swallowed by their dreams like her father.
Koichi tries to change Eren and help her grow, but as of yet he doesn’t fully understand Eren or her reason for being so negative.
Episode two ends on a realization, after Eren saves Koichi from getting hit by a car in the same spot and time as her dad was, Koichi explains his actions.
“I was captivated by the sunrise.”
Please be sure to support “Eren the Southpaw” and give it the love it and it’s author need, I know I’ll be watching.
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