There you go! More like this, please!

Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko
Studio: Studio Gokumi
Genre: Action, Supernatural

I’m noticing a trend, here. A lot of the anime I find myself particularly invested in are taking their sweet time getting started. Maerchen Maedchen has still yet to really get the ball rolling. Last season introduced us to the debacle that was Black Clover. But then there’s today’s subject. Strangely a case of a show that has been progressing, albeit at a meandering pace, Toji no Miko has managed to actually keep my attention based on its ability to have things constantly going on. It doesn’t have the luxury of time to waste, unlike the aforementioned shows, because there is actually quite a lot going on.

“So much. Too much. Naptime. I’m exhausted.”

This episode, however, seems like it might actually be the marker to indicate the acceleration of the pace that the show’s established. The show is fairly reserved and has a lot of information to convey. But this episode manages to get all of it across, as well as entertain with a few much-improved action sequences – one genuinely good, the other far more steeped in emotional connection than actually being visually impressive. Though it was still fun to watch.

I particularly liked actually getting a feature episode for Kaoru and her little pet, Nene. Actually, I like Kaoru in general. She’s just so grumpy and pouty, but also snarky and just generally my kind of character. The emphasis on the connection between the two was fairly sweet to see. If I had any complaints, it’s really just that Eren, my other favorite, isn’t in the episode more. I like the cheerful but crafty ones. Yet she disappears from the episode fairly early on. Also, Nene’s interest in bust size is… odd and really just feels out of place. Especially since the series has, up until his inclusion, been almost totally devoid of fan-service of any kind, just making it seem a bit tacked on. As if checking boxes on a list. But I suppose if they actually use it for anything later, I can overlook it.

“Nene…” Hey. At least you’re not pervy AND useless. I’m giving you that much.

There are a handful of other major aspects of intrigue we get to see here, as well. One of the three “Elite Four” members sent on this hunt has some… very useful abilities. Ones I won’t get into. But it makes me sort of question her role in everything and how important she’ll be later. As for the other three members, the cutesy murder-y one is still on the bench, for the time being. The girlish one and serious one were sent and boy did they get some use. The fight with the two of them was excellent for this series. It wasn’t especially visually impressive, but the fight, itself, was used very effectively as a storytelling tool, showcasing how far Kanami and Hiyori have come since the show began.

So yeah. Overall a highly enjoyable episode, for what it is. It’s well-paced, uses its two action sequences for both character establishment and character development, it even has a nice little moment between Sayaka and Mai, who I hope we’ll see getting into the action, again, soon. With all that in mind, this is definitely a really solid Junk Food episode. And, in the context of what we’ve gotten so far, I’d totally recommend anyone interested in the show check it out. It took a while to get here, but the potential I saw from jump is really starting to peek through a bit. But if you want to see some other ways a fight scene can be used to the effect of great storytelling, check out my recent article on What Makes a Good Fight Scene. I think you’ll dig it.

“Is he saying what I think he’s saying?” “We actually did good this time?”

If you’re interested in checking out Toji no Miko, it’s Simulcast on Crunchyroll, Fridays at 10:00am EST.  That’s all for me, here, folks. As always, thanks for reading. Keep up the awesome.

Take care,
C. Voyage