REVIEW: ‘Let’s Make a Mug Too,’ Episode 4 – “The Taste of Ochazuke”

Last time in Pottery Club, Touko and Mika butted heads when it came to their crafting styles and motivations. However, in the end, these childhood friends saw eye to eye. Now, the twosome are better than ever thanks to the power of pottery. As always, now it’s time to see what the Pottery Club is up to in Let’s Make a Mug Episode 4.

Let’s Make a Mug Episode 4, “the Taste of Ochazuke” starts off in the rainy season with the Pottery Club. It also starts on the wrong foot with poor Himeno absolutely shattering her dad’s beloved rice bowl. Like… loudly shatters it, enough that her father freezes up on the spot and nearly perishes.However, Himeno is determined to make a perfect bowl for her father in the Potter Club, which provides Let’s Make a Mug Episode 4’s plot.

Post-OP, the other club members eagerly encourage Himeno, though they warn her about the high level task ahead of her. Still, Himeno is determined to make her father a new bowl, especially since he’s so deeply attached to his now broken bowl, which is used for a tea broth on rice dish called ochazuke.

What follows is a really lovely montage where the girls of the Pottery Club try to figure out the best bowl to use as a model. Through a lot of observation, Himeno is able to figure out what kind of bowl to make, though she still has some hesitations. Thankful Touko encourages her  and reminds her that her father will like any bowl Himeno crafts, in part because Himeno’s the one who made it.

Himeno sets to designing her bowl, only for Touko and Mika to come and help her out a bit more. Touko even brings some pickled plums as a gift for Himeno’s father. But don’t worry, Mika has a gift too: it’s a spare bowl for Himeno’s father to use until she makes him a new one. It’s a really sweet moment, and honestly, a good reminder of why this show is so charming. It’s these little moments where Himeno is just enjoying life that really put the “charm” in charming.

Dozens of bowls later, Himeno’s reached her conclusion, and can finally paint her father’s new bowl. Only, she overhears him talking about the borrowed bowl, and starts to feel a bit dejected about her own craftsmanship. Worse, the bowl he’s borrowing is compared to her mother’s craftsmanship. Naturally, this only makes Himeno realize how far she is from her mother’s skilled pottery.

Truth be told, I’d really have liked to see this explored more. Himena remains a mystery, in large part because she passed before the plot of the show even started. Unfortunately, and realistically, these are 14-minute episodes. They can’t put it all in, though I did find the back half of Let’s Make a Mug Episode 4, as well as the conclusion, quite satisfying.

In the live-action part of Let’s Make a Mug Episode 4, we’re back with the Pottery Quartet’s voice actors. This time, they’re visiting a Taijimi Technical High School’s pottery club. Here, they’ll meet some students who, like Himeno, make pottery. And just like Himeno, there’s four students in the club. Together, they craft and create all manner of pottery while having the time of their life with the voice actors.

Let’s Make a Mug Episode 4 keeps the good times rolling, especially in the live-action portion. As a former high school teacher in Japan, I really loved seeing real-life students working the pottery wheels and crafting really beautiful pottery. Overall, this is yet another really enjoyable episode. Honestly, I have zero complaints. In fact, I don’t think it’s possible for Let’s Make a Mug Too to have any bad episodes.

Let’s Make a Mug Too is now streaming on Crunchyroll.