REVIEW: ‘Let’s Make a Mug Too,’ Episode 5 – “The Teacher’s Secret”

Last time in the Pottery Club, the girls of the Pottery Quartet came to Himeno’s rescue when she utterly shattered her dad’s favorite ochazuke bowl. Through a lot of practice, Himeno was able to craft a new bowl for her father. Even better, it’s his brand new favorite! Now, we’ll learn a teacher’s secret in Let’s Make a Mug Episode 5. Aptly titled, “The Teacher’s Secret”, this episode follows Miss Koizumi, one of the teacher’s at the girl’s school. Mika, Naoko , and Himeno overhead her talking on the phone and assume that Miss Koizumi is chatting with her boyfriend. Really, disagreeing with her boyfriend, which is enough ammunition to get the girls into action on a balmy Saturday, after their term exams.

Of course, their teacher nearly catches the girls, in large part because the girls can’t help but get excited to dive a bit deeper into the life of one of their favorite teachers. In many ways, it’s an endearing episode with the club’s younger members, especially since senior student Touko is absent for the entirety of Let’s Make a Mug Episode 5. It allows the Himeno and her peers to have an absolutely silly adventure that, while not focused on pottery, still makes for a pretty solid mid-season episode.

The girls hike all over Kotaru, a rural little town that awes the girls with just how rustic it is. Eventually, they wind their way to a shrine, and exhausted, plop down on the steps. It’s there that Himeno reflects on her time in the Pottery Club thus far, including her worries about her skills and even dreading meetings at times. Of course, she eventually realizes that it’s okay to feel a bit blue, thanks to the kindness of her new friends, who remind her that she doesn’t have to be so serious all the time. It’s a sweet reminder that sometimes, taking it nice and easy is just as important as being dedicated.

In the live-action portion of Let’s Make a Mug Episode 5, the voice actors are back in Tajimi to explore the wide, wide world of mosaic tiles, which are another specialty. Their location this time is the Tajimi Tile Museum, which is designed after a clay mound. Naturally, the actors get hands-on in their experience as they learn about another great part of pottery. These 9-minute parts of the episode are honestly so much fun, even though they’re not animated. It really is nice to get to deep dive in Tajimi. Plus, this live-action segment adds context to the pottery in the animated show.

So much of the fun of Let’s Make a Mug Episode 5 is just seeing the Pottery Quartet—in this case, the Pottery Trio, since we’re only with Mika, Himeno—outside of their club room. At their core, they’re goofy girls who are rather genuine representations of teenagers. Really, Let’s Make a Mug Episode 5 is a delight from start to finish.

Honestly, this is the strength of both Let’s Make a Mug Episode 5 and Let’s Make a Mug Too, overall. It’s those charming friendship moments between the girls that really make this episode good. It’s also those good slice-of-life nuggets that fans of this genre crave so much. So much of episode 5 echoes the very beginning of this series, and truth be told, that’s where the magic is. It’s in these little nuggets of friendship, in those nice, sweet moments where Himeno and her friends are just a bunch of pottery-loving girls having fun.

The animation for this series remains incredibly cute. In fact, I’d say that Let’s Make a Mug Episode 5 features one of the most beautiful sequences to date, right near the end. It’s a perfect way to guide viewers through Japan’s countryside, as well as the plot for this episode. It’s kind of amazing how beautiful Let’s Make a Mug Too and Let’s Make a Mug Episode 5 are at times, especially for a short series. Still, I think that’s a credit to Nippon Animation and how much effort is behind this project.

Ultimately, Let’s Make a Mug Too might not be the standout, breakout series this season, but it is one of the most delightful shows you can add to your watchlist. If you’re a fan of iyashikei anime or even just slice of life, give Let’s Make a Mug Episode 5, and the entire series to date, a try. I think you’ll find it quite relaxing!

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