Anime News Network·Japan·Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 11:30 AM

Sparks of Tomorrow ‒ Episode 11

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It is ridiculous how much Sparks of Tomorrow relies on the ensemble story format while never making the relationship between these characters feel consequential. Apparently, Saki, the booze-hound supporting character introduced a few episodes back, is Yosuke Mizoe's older sister. You would think this would have manifested earlier in the story, considering she was aware of Yosuke's attempts to force Inako to marry him and the distress it was causing the young woman and her friends, but no. That information only becomes relevant when Inako wants to get a copy of the electric catalogue so Kihachi can try to make the electric nishki, which he apparently has an interest in now despite saying the opposite at the end of the last episode.

This episode also features Inako discovering her deceased mother's magnum opus sake recipe and expressing to her father that she wants to become a master brewer like her mother. Calling it now, this is sure to resolve in the finale with Saki liking the beverage so much that she decides to subsidize the business and thereby put a bow on the money issues that motivated Inako's engagement to Yosuke in the first place. This episode also features Kihachi getting trapped in a mine while trying to obtain crystallized quartz that's needed to create the electric nishiki, and ends up being saved by Yosuke and seemingly allies with the antagonist in the process.

That this episode would have the GALL to do an allegiance fake-out after the entire previous episode was explicitly about how these kinds of misunderstandings can be resolved with clear and honest communication is nothing short of insulting to me and the rest of the audience. It's also revealed in this episode that the electric nishiki that's been teased for the past couple of episodes is an electric calculator, with the implication that it will advance into today's modern computers. This promise was probably meant to feel revelatory when it was originally written, but in the back half of 2026, when AI barons are willing to use up every drop of water in the world to generate infinite wealth and computer technology feels like more of a detriment to daily life than an enhancement of it, this feels like more of a threat than a promise today.

Also, this episode is maybe the worst the show has ever looked. The editing in the closing moments is distractingly clunky, with so many quick cuts that convey information that sets up the next episode that it almost feels like the animation team mistimed the pacing of this episode. It's more than clear to me at this point that Sparks of Tomorrow is limping to its predictable conclusion, and I very much look forward to not watching what's likely to go down as Kyoto Animation's worst work.

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Lucas DeRuyter finds sparks of inspiration in all parts of his life, which would explain why his portfolio features such a broad array of interests and writing formats! To read what he's ruminating on more regularly, you can keep up with his regular contributions to ANN's This Week in Anime column.

Sparks of Tomorrow is currently streaming on Netflix.

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