Well, hello there! Hope you’ve watched Episode 1 of ‘Sparks of Tomorrow’, because while this is a spoiler-free review of Episode 2, it will contain spoilers from the first one.
For starters, how hilarious was that cliffhanger at the end of Episode 1?! It ends with Yosuke Mizoe reaching Kihachi’s work place in pursuit of the 20th Century Electrical Catalog.
“Found you, my wife!” Yosuke seductively whispers as he embraces the utterly clueless Kihachi from behind, having mistaken him for Inako Momokawa. The timing makes it funnier, because this happens mere minutes after Yosuke asks Inako’s father for her hand in marriage, before she’s even aware of the arrangement. Poor Kihachi, meanwhile, can only scream in horror after being unexpectedly swept into another man’s embrace.
Episode 2 of ‘Sparks of Tomorrow’ of course revisits the funny scene, once again opening with Kihachi’s scream of horror. Mizoe quickly recoils in anger when he realizes his mistake. Once the confusion is cleared, the episode’s primary focus shifts to Yosuke trying to get his hands on the 20th Century Electrical Catalog before Inako can hand it over to Kihachi. The rest of the episode follows the trio battling over the book.
For Kihachi, the Catalog, which belonged to his older brother Seiroku, symbolizes his childhood dream of electrifying Japan, while Yosuke’s motives remain unclear. Some of the tension also stems from Inako’s father trying to marry her off, with her elder sister Noriko strongly opposing the arrangement and attempting to change his mind. Will Inako give in to her father’s demands and marry the wealthy, privileged brat, or fight for her freedom?
The animation in ‘Sparks of Tomorrow’ continues to be engaging, and even though I’ve seen only two episodes, I think Inako might already be my favorite character. She is optimistic to a fault, and her unwavering faith in others is incredibly endearing. Especially since her enthusiasm encourages Kihachi to keep innovating and believing in his own ideas.
Brief blink-and-you’ll-miss-them flashbacks establish that Yosuke knew Seiroku. In fact, Noriko’s fiancé, Kengo Kuga, is also visibly shaken when he hears Kihachi mention his brother’s name. The episode therefore builds plenty of intrigue around how these men knew Seiroku and the true nature of their connection to him.
Episode 1 of ‘Sparks of Tomorrow’ barely gave us any insight into Kengo, but this chapter fleshes him out a bit more. Gifted with incredible strength and speed, he’s portrayed as bullish, straightforward, and maybe a little too easy to manipulate. Inako sums him up perfectly with one hilarious line: “My sister says he’s more steam engine than human.”
And on a completely random note, it was hilarious how Kihachi kept referring to Yosuke as “pretty boy”, or at least that’s what the English subtitles called him. Not that he is wrong.
From the pacing and storytelling to the gorgeous animation, everything about this episode of ‘Sparks of Tomorrow’ is entertaining. So, if you’re reading this review without having watched the series yet, I’d definitely recommend giving it a shot, especially if the idea of a steampunk-inspired story about a boy chasing his dream of bringing electricity to Japan sounds like your kind of anime.
Watch ‘Sparks of Tomorrow’ on Netflix.
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