Silver Spoon: A Pleasant Read

1) What is your reaction to the text you just read?

I’ve got to start with saying that I did not want to stop reading. As I have mentioned before in previous classes, I do not like slice-of-life type of read. However, Silver Spoon was a pleasant read that made me smile and made me want to read more. I believe the reason why I enjoyed this type of read is because it takes a look into a life I am not fully familiar with. For example, I did not go to a boarding school or a specialized high school, let alone have any knowledge on any type of farming (even though I would love to learn and farm myself.) It is quiet amusing to see how these high schoolers are so knowledgeable, but it is even more amusing to see how this one kid, Yuugo Hachiken, believed that getting into an agricultural school would make everything easier. This manga although lighthearted and easy to read, has an underlying existential question. What is your knowledge worth? Does not having a dream mean you are a failure? Silver Spoon is a manga that reflects the idea that you excel at what you are good at. Although several of these kids were unable to answer math questions and such, they had all the knowledge possible in what they loved.

2) What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the work which you were able to connect with.

Hachiken reflects exactly how I would feel if I would have gone study at a "normal" school. Although I know I am bright, and I am able to grasp the basics of math and sciences, I certainly do not find any joy in studying them. Hachiken went after a "goal" that thought would be the easiest, and although it gives a certain amount of comedy to the story, Hachiken’s lack of enthusiasm for agriculture reflects that what seems like the easiest way out isn’t always the best decision. I connect mostly with the rest of the kids in the story. Back in High School, I used to be highly knowledgeable of everything relating to history and the arts, and found myself feeling unintelligent amongst the chemistry and calculus geeks. But Silver Spoon demonstrates that to excel, you have to find a passion for what you are learning. Without passion, there is no absorption of knowledge. Hachiken has no passion for agriculture and therefore, he finds himself in deep unhappy waters.

3)What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?

I can see this movie being a lighthearted, live action comedy. The reason for this is because the theme is not fantastical and therefore it would be easy to adapt to real life. It also reflects a side of life that a lot of people don't really care for, so by creating a movie about it, the audience could be exposed to what goes behind agriculture in general. Unfortunately, this would mean a lot of information would be crammed, but it could be good enough to take the point across. I also would change the age of the characters. Instead of having the characters be high schoolers, I would make them college students. Not only would this still remain relatable to Japanese audiences, but it would also be relatable to international audiences who attend specialized schools during college rather than high school. I believe, from what I have read so far, that this manga story has a compelling enough story to be able to carry itself in a movie form.