This is it. The first third of the season has come to its end. So. What did each of our competitors have to offer, this week?

Tourney Reviews

Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai

This episode was certainly a departure from the previous three. But far be it for me to consider that a bad thing. I definitely loved the starting point. The Groundhog Day Loop is a neat idea to play with. Though it definitely resolved far sooner than I expected. I especially liked the early dialogue between Mai and Sakuta, but that’s no surprise. They’re just great at ribbing on one another and as their relationship’s developed, they also kind of adorable. But that only makes up about a third of the episode.

Eventually, the story marches on and we’re reintroduced to Tomoe – the girl who kicked him in an earlier episode when he was trying to help a little girl. It’s here that things take a bit of a turn, revolving more around typical teen drama stuff. Again, not a bad thing. Just different from what we’ve come to expect. I mean, Mai’s problems weren’t exactly typical teen issues. Not entirely, anyway. I think after Tomoe’s introduced, things start to slow down. She doesn’t quite have the same chemistry with Sakuta that Mai does. So their interactions aren’t as amusing. But I’m still really interested.

I also appreciate that a certain misunderstanding from earlier in the episode isn’t just being left there. Mai turns up at the end of the episode to let Sakuta explain. As she should. She knows, full well, that things could just be weird. Whether she decides to stay mad at him, or not, we’ll see. But overall, I think this was definitely a Super Effective episode. Maybe not so much as the previous ones, but definitely still good.

Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken

So. Rimuru makes it to the dwarven city to get what he needs and I like what the show’s doing. Yes, it’s still in setup mode, but that’s because Rimuru is working on establishing a little monster community. That’s all fine and dandy. On top of that, the show does have great comedic timing. And yet, something’s very much been missing, until now. For one thing, yes, the show’s pacing is rather slow. But that’s not even the issue I think I’m having, here. I think it’s just the lack of a “hook.” The lead being a slime is a novelty, not really something to draw interest on its own (for me). Thankfully, this episode ends with the implication that something will happen, next week. So we’ll see. As things are, this episode was fun Junk Food.

Yagate Kimi ni Naru

…Well, that was fast. They went and got themselves found out already? Eh. It was bound to happen, I guess. Anyway, I really liked this episode. Mainly because, once again, it does a really good job of getting into the heads of the characters. It’s a slower show as well but, in this case, it feels less like plodding, and more like taking its time. And while I like any time Yuu and Touko interact, I think this time the highlight was when Yuu spoke to Maki.

He’s the one who saw their… encounter, earlier in the episode, and I liked his angle on this. He doesn’t seem to be the manipulative sort or anything. Not one to blackmail. He’s just playing the spectator role, as much as we are. I could be overthinking it, but I like how he kinda fits with the overall theme. He likes watching real-world love stories and dramas unfold around him. Yuu is someone who’s absorbed fictional love stories and is stuck chasing the vague yet sensationalized experience they depict. So Maki can see what’s going on in Yuu’s head, to a point. I like that. And I like how their conversation further’s Yuu’s own arc.

If this were a different series, he could easily decide to use what he knows to try and “make the story more entertaining.” Though I don’t think his character would indulge in that blatantly villain-y behavior. Though all signs point toward Sayaka possibly becoming a problem, if only out of the regular teenage pettiness. And I’d hate for that to be the case. In any event, this was a Super Effective episode, for certain. I especially like seeing Yuu showing more of her spunky side. Conflicted though she is, she’s certainly no pushover.

Radiant

Oh. So that’s what happened to Launch, after Dragon Ball. All joking aside, though, this was a fun episode! We’ve got more characters, now, in the form of Doc and Melie. We don’t know a large amount about Doc yet, aside from his being something of a coward. Melie can probably best be described as an airhead. Oh. And she has a split personality. Haven’t really dealt with one of those in a while, so that should be fun. I liked how they were setting up the Inquisition. This sort of “We know what’s best for you” sort of entity that uses the fear of the people to enforce their will – especially over sorcerers. I’m looking forward to more. The characters haven’t really had much time to establish the relationships I look for in a series, so whether or not they have good chemistry remains to be seen. But this was a good Junk Food episode, for sure.

Release the Spyce

This episode felt… oddly placed. Don’t get me wrong. I liked it. It was fun and cute and everything I expect from Namori, really. I just can’t really get a bead on why this felt so off. Either way, the episode brought two of the other girls to the fore – Fuu and Mei – focusing on their mentor-pupil relationship. This time it’s Fuu’s turn to be a bit overzealous. We learn a little more about her through this process, and it informs her attitude quite a bit. She, like Momo did with Yuki, wants to impress Mei and earn her praise. So she got in a bit over her head. The episode dealt with a good amount of cool spy stuff and featured some cutesy sentimental moments… and just for the record, I still don’t trust it. At all. If this doesn’t get dark by episode 6, then fine. I will be perfectly content with Yuru Yuri: Spy Edition. But we’ll see. In the meantime, this episode was a fun bit of Junk Food.

Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara

This episode was basically an introduction to Hitomi’s grandmother, Kohaku… well… the young version of her, of course. I’m liking the character relationships that are starting to really crop up. Kohaku’s interactions with Hitomi are sweet. And I think she’s a good motivating force for Hitomi to grow without being overly pushy, like many characters of her type tend to be. She’s not throwing Hitomi, headlong, into things she doesn’t want to do, which is refreshing.

She’s more encouraging than annoyingly insistent. Her revealing Hitomi’s magical potential, for example, was nice. We know Hitomi’s problems are pretty much entirely psychological. Her not seeing colors is clearly based on that, given that Aoi doesn’t appear to be a mage and she can see his drawings in full color. But I like how Kohaku treats her attitude towards magic. She doesn’t treat her like there’s anything wrong with her. Just tells her “That’s fine. But maybe someday you will.” It’s more of a comfort, that way.

It’s nice how the faculty doesn’t even seem to begrudge Kohaku at all. Nor does she appear to have a problem with them. I also like how they handled the reveal of Hitomi being from the future. Obviously, not everyone was thrilled with that news (Aoi). But I like how the club members reacted to it, overall. I’d say this episode is pretty much peak Easy Viewing.

Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet

Well. This is probably the strongest episode, so far. That’s for certain. If nothing else, it really lets Inuzuka’s kindhearted inner nature shine. I liked seeing it eat away at him that he was essentially lying to his best friend. And I especially liked how the issue resolved. Hasuki was a character I very much had doubts about. I thought she was going to turn out to just be a glorified Inuzuka cheerleader. Turns out there’s just a little more to her. And I liked getting to see it. Char was amusing in the episode, as well. I like it when a series lets someone who’s objectively an antagonist get in on the comedy. And the action was exceptionally fun. Overall, another solid round of Junk Food.

Non-Competitor Reviews

Black Clover

Oof. Oookay, this episode was a bit of a mess. The pacing was all over the place, for one. The animation was back to mediocre. The new character they introduced was actually fairly interesting. But the show’s inability to sit still definitely hurt it. That being said, it was a flashback episode. And I’m not sure I’d have been for sitting through two flashback episodes in a row, just to give this the time it needed. I don’t see much of a reason why this couldn’t have been earlier in the show, frankly. But yeah. This episode was just Harmless, at best.

Rewatching Noragami

Episode 4 of Noragami is honestly a delight. From the introduction to Kofuku to learning a little more about Yato. I just love everything about this episode. It’s lighter on the action, but the action was never really the thing that made this show great. Although it’s definitely awesome when it wants to be. The thing that sells this show is the characters. For all their quirkiness and the like, they all play off of one another extremely well. The show also has excellent comedic timing, for certain. And a zany style of humor that makes full use of it. The entirety of the suicide jumper rescue scene, dark as it may sound, is hilarious. And one of my favorite sequences.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Overall Episode Medalists

Ooh, an upset. The Bunny Girl isn’t walking away with the Gold this time? Then who? Well, none other than Yagate Kimi ni Naru.

I just really liked this episode, and what it did with its characters – particularly Yuu and Maki. Ironically, Touko actually takes something of a back seat, here, and the episode still works really well. As for the other winners, this time Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai goes home with the Silver, as the episode was definitely solid, but didn’t advance any of the characters quite enough to take home the first place spot. That leaves the Bronze for Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara as I think it was actually a rather solid episode and just barely edged out this week’s episode of Release the Spyce. But Radiant also had a pretty strong offering, for its part.

MVP: Kohaku

Well, she certainly knows how to make a first impression. A part of me was kind of dreading Kohaku’s arrival. Not that I thought she’d be a bad character. I just got the feeling she was going to be kind of exhausting. But I’m happy to report that this isn’t the case. Kohaku is a really nice addition to the cast. Though I’ve already basically explained the reasons for my thinking so. She’s fun without being overwhelming. She’s also very understanding and supportive in a very genuine way. I’m sure she’ll catalyze some interesting events for the series, going forward.

Unique Achievement: Longest Fall In Recorded History

Seriously. If you watch no other part of Noragami, watch this scene. It’s gold.

Unique Achievement: Cutest Reaction

D’awwww!

CONCLUSION

And that’s it for this one. The first third of the season thus comes to its end. Stay tuned, though, folks. The culling will be upon us soon. What’d you think of this week? Let us know, down below. That’s all for me. Thanks for reading, as always. Keep up the Awesome. Take Care.

-Voyager