Haruchika Episode 11 (Valley of Eden) Review

I believe this episode of Haruchika will hit close to home with some people. Episode 11 of Haruchika goes into disabilities and how characters struggle with it. Being a step up from the previous episode, episode 11 was good, but let’s dive in and look into why that is.

Spoilers ahead! If you haven’t seen this episode, I suggest you stop here. If you haven’t watched the series, please have a look at my first impression of the show (Spoiler Free). 

From the get-go we see that our brass club has passed the competition they practiced so hard for. At this point, I feel it would be a waste of time to berate the music portion of this series, since it is frustrating to note on how it could have been handled better, but the episode moves on to what Haruchika is best at, which is mystery! We start off with the introduction of Makoto Yamanobe and find out that her grandfather, Fujihiko, was Kusakabe’s teacher, which is how Makoto knows the sensei. The mystery surrounds Makoto and the Bosendorfer Imperial Model piano that her grandfather left behind. You see, the key is missing to unlock the piano, but not only that, the piano is extremely valuable since it is made out of ivory, so we’re talking about it being worth 2 million here. The problem lies within the key itself, as Makoto’s relatives cannot find it, but with the grandfather’s passing also came the clue of the key’s location, which he left for Makoto. We can see that Haruchika is doing what it does best, which is connecting characters to their own mystery and current problems.

Later on, we find out more about Makoto and how she relates to the mystery and Kusakabe. Her grandfather was an honest man, perhaps too honest for his own good, which caused Makoto to take backlash from her grandfather’s actions and Kusakabe’s sudden disappearance from the music world sure didn’t help her struggle either. With all of that, Makoto offers Serizawa advice about music due to her finding Haruta and Chika snooping in. It’s a very interesting moment for both Makoto and Serizawa since it gives some development for Serizawa and hints at what is to come in the next few scenes. Since Haruta and Chika eagerly snooped in on the conversation Makoto had with Kusakabe, their punishment is to solve the lost key mystery, and in usual fashion, Haruta gets the job done. First off, he figures out that Makoto has a lazy eye, and because of that, she is no longer able to read music, which is bad news for any musician. With this, we now know the reason for her persistence with Serizawa; why she gave her the advice she needed because, like Mokoto, she is disabled, so they have a level of mutual understanding. Also, we get a better understanding of her struggles and what she has been through in the world of music due to this. Second, Haruta points out that some of the bumps on Makoto’s Clavietta are of different color, which turns out to be a dying message from her grandfather, thus solving the mystery.

The mystery this week resolved in a way I found satisfying and comedic at the same time. In the end, the keys on that valuable piano were replaced with ceramic, while the ivory went to Makoto’s Clavietta and while I do get how touching it is, as Serizawa says, I believe it was “a waste”. As for the episode, it was a good one, even with the frustrating music skip. I feel Haruchika went back to being its usual self in this episode, since the mystery was character-based and understandable; heck, we even got some development for Serizawa. With only one episode left, I believe I know what is last, which is Kusakabe. I mean, what else is left other than to focus on the character that has been a mystery this whole time? I look forward to seeing how Haruchika will focus on that and its end next week!