Okay okay, so there's far more to this episode than that - indeed, this entire instalment of the series has a pretty consistent focus upon the harsh realities of farm life, whether it's the runt of a pig's litter being condemned to a life of only having access to the weakest teat on the show or a racing horse being considered as good for nothing more than a place in next week's Findus lasagne if it doesn't get results on the track.
It's an uncomfortable and inconvenient truth that Hachiken really doesn't like one bit - for all of his excitement at the prospect of Mikage's horse winning its race, he certainly isn't keen on the losers suffering for their lack of results. This ultimately leads to Hachiken revealing at least a little more about his life and his desperation to leave home and move far away as soon as possible, and even pulls him into an argument with Komaba due to his belief that nobody has it worse than him. Little does he know that Komaba has his own difficult circumstances to deal with, giving him some perspective on his own troubles and the strains put upon those around him.
This week's episode of Silver Spoon is a perfect example of why the series has been so enjoyable so far on two counts. Firstly, its honest take on agricultural life is both educational and thought-provoking, and it's really nice to see a series based around a specific field provide such a warts and all view of the discipline; it would have been so easy for the show to descend into leaning on cute animals and not pointing out the hardships for both those creatures and those that care for them. Secondly, the show's cast is simply superb, both as well fleshed out and naturalistic individuals and in their interactions with one another. If finishing an episode and being able to look back on moments laughter and some twangs of emotion, all while having learned something, isn't a sign of a great series then I don't know what is.
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