Anime Episode Review: Toji no Miko 12

The big, bad boss makes its appearance and the long awaited fight ensues! Of course, the hatchlings have trouble touching the god of evil in their duel, even though it is 2 vs 1. Hiyoyon, do you really have time to talk to the evil entity? Attack! Activate tsundere; use vengeance!

As the battle continues and they see how little effort their opponent is actually putting into the fight, the hatchlings realize how futile their attacks have been. After dodging and reflecting all the their attacks, the god of evil decides to boast a bit:

But too much boasting is not good, Tagi-himesama! You’re just challenging Kanamin to find your weak points — which she will do, because she is our Kanamin. Just look at that calm, calculating face:

See? You’ve been had, hime-sama. You have limitations that you have to work with, now that you walk around in a human’s body. But — I guess there’s always a way around that:

Ultimate mode! If the vessel is the problem, then we’ll just have to leave the vessel! Am I right? Not only does this boost the god of evil’s calculative powers, but it also gets four more arms to attack with! What’s up with that cheat code?!

Fortunately, they are joined by friends who help tame the extra limbs:

Unfortunately, they still lose:

Until lastly, they are joined by a very powerful ally, Kanamin’s mom:

And BAM! Just like that, Minato-sama defeats the great aradama!

To be honest with you, it was a bit anti-climatic. I really thought the series would drag on because the episode list is supposed to be 24. But instead, we get this feel-good instant ending. There are a few points that just doesn’t really make sense to me:

[1] If Minato-sama was able to just defeat the great aradama so easily after it has rested and healed for 20 years, why wasn’t she able to do it 20 years ago? Presumably, the god of evil is much more powerful and intelligent now. Going by that theory, shouldn’t it be many times more difficult to exterminate?

[2] At the end of the this episode, Hiyoyon does the same thing that her mother does, which was try to force this evil entity into the netherworld together with her — sealing it by using herself as a sacrifice. By that same token, Kanamin does the same thing her mother did, and pulls her out. I get that this is anime-world and that happily ever afters do exist, but the theory remains that by doing so, they will not actually be able to seal tagi-himesama into the netherworld. Which means that this same exact incident may occur again in 20 years.

Obviously, in the anime, they visibly show that she was defeated, and it looks like all’s well ends well. However, by logic, I feel like it was a bit of a cop-out ending. Where was Kanamin’s “become super awesome” toji training? And for that matter, Hiyoyon’s and Kanamin’s increasing friendship points that will allow their bond to aid them both in being super powerful tojis?

Overall, the episode was alright. We got our actions scenes and an appearance from Minato-sama, but as a whole so far, I am a bit disappointed in the ending. Or, well, since there are still about 12 more episodes left, this “ending”.

Now I can’t help but wonder what the rest of the series is going to be about. The great aradama has been exterminated. Are we going to get more backstories?

My episodes rating: 

My midpoint overall rating: 

Next up: Toji no Miko 13 Review!

Anime Episode Review: Citrus 12 END

Last episode was super frustrating because Yuzu’s and Mei’s feelings just wouldn’t connect. The clumsy way in which Yuzu was conveying her feelings and Mei’s internal maelstrom of emotions just wasn’t working for the two of them. Fortunately, a catalyst was introduced in the form of Tachibana Sara-san to help them along.

Of course, a bit of drama is the perfect way to shake things up, so Sara-san was introduced as someone who “get’s in their way”, so to speak. But in the end, she was Yuzu’s biggest supporter, even going as far as offering her advice to get along with Mei — the person she herself has feelings for:

 

Sara-san has realized something important about Mei that Yuzu hasn’t caught on to yet, or is pretending she doesn’t see. Having a second person tell her she needs to be more mindful of Mei’s feelings (along with basically losing her to Sara for a day or so) actually made Yuzu think about it. Which is kind of revolutionary, considering her personality. I mean, even our little devil Tsuri-chan was worried about how things were progressing:

 

But well, she’s not wrong. After coming to terms with her own thoughts and sorting out her true feelings, Yuzu goes chasing after Mei. And I mean, literally chasing. There was running and dodging, and more running involved. To the point where Yuzu literally had to pin down the other girl in order to properly deliver her confession:

 

And Mei’s answer?

 

THEIR FEELINGS CONNECT! FINALLY! Took them long enough. They ran way too many circles around one another before they got to this point. Young love is so frustrating sometimes, but at least they made it. Many thanks for Tsuri-chan and Sara-san for worrying about these two. And for giving them advice.

Speaking of, Mei has some words for Sara:

 

Sara is not only mature beyond her years, but she’s also such a kindhearted individual that there is no way anyone could ever hate her. I mean, she was introduced as a character who was supposed to present trouble for Yuzu’s and Mei’s relationship – yet, here she is teaching Mei to indulge life a little. She pushed aside her own wants to help fulfill that of the person she desires. Not very many adults would do this, let alone a young high schooler.

And in case you were wondering what favor Sara asked of Mei:

 

To push these two lovebirds along, and knowing how awkward Mei is with this sort of thing, her “favor” was for Mei to hold Yuzu’s hand back to their hotel. Playing cupid is nice and all for other people, Sara, but you need to take your own advice and be a little selfish too!

My episode rating: 

Some ending remarks about the series as a whole:

I thoroughly enjoyed the animated journey of Yuzu’s and Mei’s relationship. They were both clumsy in their own ways — not knowing exactly how to express what they felt. Yuzu was more in touch with her feelings, which lead Mei to depend on her too often when it came to that sort of thing. Contrary to most of her characteristics, Mei wanted to be led when it came to love, and Yuzu was raring to do so, except she gets cold feet when the time really matters.

The back and forth between these two are reminiscent of actual high school love, except for how easily kisses are being given. Either that, or I was doing the whole high school love thing wrong. In any case, there were super frustrating moments and rewarding moments. In the end, my overall assessment is that it was definitely worth it!

My overall series rating: 

Next up: Toji no Miko 12 Review! 

Anime Episode Review: Toji no Miko 10 & 11

The momentum of the story is picking up fast now that we’re at the midway point. Last episode, we were left off with Origami Yukari making her move to suppress Mokusa as she follows Akane’s trail. This forces our lovely ladies, along with Mr. Fineman, to escape into their temporary base inside of a submarine.

While the heroines deliberate about their situation and what their next steps would be, a strange phenomenon runs through all the tojis:

Everyone is super confused about what’s going on, so they ask someone who might have the answer. Thankfully, while he doesn’t have a very detailed explanation, he had some experience to draw from:

Which, unfortunately, means that time is not on their side. The great aradama is being revived as they speak. So what do they do? They strategize a way for the remaining toji to reach it so that they can exterminate it. Of course, easier said than done since they have to get through many layers of nuisances. So their strategy is as follows:

Tactic #1: distract and divide resources. How, you ask? By calling on the media and announcing to the world something grave is about to happen:

Tactic#2, also shown in the screenshots above, is to launch a mini jet straight to your destination.

Of course, things can never go smoothly for our heroines. After they emerge from their pods and start traversing to exact location of their intended destination, they run into a few hiccups. The first one:

Kanami being Kanami gets into the fight so much that she forgets time is not on their side. Fortunately, Mai is — and she sends reinforcement:

Then, of course, they would run into other members of the elite guard:

And again:

Episode 11 is a very action packed episode, so it mostly features each toji’s respective fights. But they made it! After their gruesome battle with the elite guards, Hiyoyon and Kanamin finally reached their destination:

The final boss appears in all her evil glory!

Not much to say here except that I am looking forward to seeing how the next episode progresses. Judging by the fact that there are still 13 more episodes left, I’m going to anticipate that our brave heroines fail on an epic scale to exterminate the great aradama. From there, the anime can go one of two ways: [1] our heroines continue to be hunted as traitors and Mokusa goes into hiding again as they try to outmaneuver the already super resourceful aradama or [2] public panic and confusion ensues. Chaos is everywhere and everyone tries to figure out allegiances and whatnot. I’m thinking option [1], because I can’t see Great Aradama-sama being dumb enough to lose her resources over this. Especially after all this careful planning of 20 years to get the influence she has today.

My episodes rating: 

Next up: Citrus Episode 12 END Review! 

Anime Episode Review: Citrus 10 & 11

Last episode, we left off when Mei finally opening herself up to Yuzu and offering herself. At long last, it was Yuzu’s dream come true. But what does our Yuzucchi do:

What do you mean you can’t?! Unfortunately for her, that was her one chance and she totally blew it. After being rejected by her blonde sister, the beloved little sister reverts back to her shell, deeper than usual. To the point where she barely even acknowledges the blonde.

These two particular episodes mostly takes place during their school trip. And early in episode 10, we are introduced to two new characters:

The shorty on the right is Sara, and the tall one on the left is Nina – Sara’s little (twin) sister.

When Yuzu first met Sara, it was because she was running late to meet up at the station with the rest of her school, so she ends up going to Kyoto herself. Except, on the way there, she meets another girl who has the same destination. It is through this coincidence that they meet one another — and as with two very honest people, when you put them together, they spill their hearts out to each another.

Sara was first. She happily spills the beans about a girl she’s met, whom she believes is her one. She shamelessly admits that when it comes to attractions, she does not see gender. Instead, she just sees the person. As she so eloquently puts it:

 

After a bit more time spent with her, some sightseeing and whatnot in Kyoto, Yuzu admits to Sara that she also has a crush on a girl, her little step-sister nonetheless. She reveals to Sara how she messed up and she knows she messed up, that she regrets it greatly, but doesn’t know how to handle the situation. Yuzu cheers up a bit after receiving encouragement from her new friend.

When Yuzu finally catches up with the rest of her schoolmates at the hotel, she tries to have a conversation with Mei, since she didn’t want to let things continue the way it has any longer. When she does finally get the conversation, she is presented with another chance — which is blown… again:

For someone who was supposed to be acting with her feelings instead of her brain, she is really not doing it well lately. Yuzu clearly want Mei, but she doesn’t go through with it. Even a kiss! A KISS would have be sufficient to answer Mei’s feelings. But she didn’t. And now, again, all she had to say was “I love you, I need you”. Just that — don’t add on that crap about cherishing her as a sister or family or any of that nonsense. Yuzu, you love her. That’s it. End of story. Just tell her the truth!

And then another issue presents itself in episode 11. Of course, as with the current pattern, Yuzu starts to brood about trying to figure out what to do. Then, after some encouragement, she regains her usual demeanor to try once more.

However, with ups comes the downs:

That is quite a shocking blow you delivered to your future wife, Mei! So shocking that Yuzu ends up chugging orange beverages in the lobby and hysterically rants to herself. After a third party person reminds Yuzu that her bath time is almost over, she darts towards the washrooms. In there, she receives some unexpected advice:

Sara is quite the firecracker sometimes. And so, with this encouragement in mind, Yuzu goes around again… to try to confess to Mei… again. Except, this time she meets a barrier that is more physical than emotional.

I have never been kabedon’ed — but I don’t imagine being trapped is generally a good feeling. Especially, when it is not only unwanted, but the other person is literally towering over you.

As an overall, I can’t say these two episodes were particularly enjoyable compared to the rest of the series so far. There are too many circles — too many tries that just resulted in absolutely nothing. I understand that Mei was rejected and so her wall is not only back up, but it is sturdier than ever. I can relate to those feelings, but she really didn’t need to be so cut-throat and jumping into a relationship at the first promise of someone needing her. She needs to realize Yuzu also needs her, but that Yuzu is not great at communicating that right now.

And Yuzu! Oh… Yuzu. What am I going to do with you?

It was just a very frustrating two episodes, but the season finale is coming up, so all should be well there! Looking forward to it!

My episodes rating: 

Next up: Toji no Miko 10 & 11 Review! 

Anime Episode Review: Toji no Miko 08 & 09

And so another creator of Mokusa have shown themselves at the end of the previous episode! If you don’t know who I am talking about, then maybe this will jog your memory:

Episode 8 starts off with all the kids getting a history lesson from Akane about “The Great Disaster of Sagami Bay”. The anime has already referenced it a couple times, citing that it took a large toll on Toji and citizens alike, and that the Great Origami Yukari was the one who suppressed the aradama which caused it. However, the truth is not so pretty, as the little kiddies learned.

However, first of all, I wanted to say one thing:

NAILED IT!

And it was during this little talk that they learned that Hiyoyon and Kanami’s mothers not only knew each, but that they fought together during the great disaster:

The vast majority of this episode was focused on dispersing information about what really happened during the great disaster and what that means for the present. A lot of suspicions have been confirmed such as what Origami Yukari’s real goals are and *what* she may be.

Some minor details within the episode include the kiddies training with some of their senpai on teamwork combat to prepare for the upcoming. And that the little orange vial of aradama that Ellen stole from the enemy camp from a previous episode is being taken to another facility for analysis. But at the end, we are treated to this ominous scene:

The next episode starts off with the kiddies being praised for doing better with their teamwork (but that they still have much to learn) before being invited to the local festival. Everyone is excited for it, especially Fineman, who specially prepared yukatas for all his lovelies:

The festival starts out fun, with all our heroines going off towards their respective interest for eats and plays. Then, when nightfall arrives, they are invited to watch a ceremony in which noro is worshiped. And it is during this time that the kiddies learn a disturbing truth. Actually, they learn several truths. The first one is this:

The second one is slightly more to take in for the kiddies, especially for Kanamin and Hiyoyon:

Fineman just told these two girls that their mother was killed because of human arrogance. That’s a hard pill to swallow, even for someone who tries to be optimistic like Kanamin.

And the third truth bomb rides along with the first one:

Man, humans are so selfish. Also, how disturbing is that for middle school and high school students to learn. All your life, you have been told one thing – and suddenly, you find the truth to be the opposite. Sure, aradama are annoying little critters that go around hurting and killing people – but it’s not like they asked to be placed in the human realm!

Unfortunately, after their history lesson from last episode, and then the truth bombs from this episode, our heroines are being chased away from their base and are on the run again. This time, though, they have allies with resources. Not that it makes being a refugee much easier.

But at least they avoided capture. Especially by that chick.

So far, everything is progressing according to expectations. I totally nailed it when I said I suspect another headmistress of the Toji schools were in on Mokusa as well. And also, after hearing about their history, I can’t help but lose what little respect I had for Renpu’s school headmistress. I mean, I wasn’t particularly fond of her before, but now, I just don’t think my opinion of her could be any lower.

That being said, I am still hoping for some surprises. If not in the defector way, then some other super awesome reveal of another variety. Overall, these two episodes were very informative, but not so much exciting or surprising. I suspect the next two will be different though, as the ending of episode 9 forces our heroines into action.

My episodes rating: 

Next up: Citrus Episode 10 & 11 Review! 

Anime Episode Review: Citrus 08 & 09

The promised ‘something unpleasant’ episodes starts off with Yuzu’s and Matsuri’s date being crashed by Mei:

Obviously, Tsuri-chan is none too pleased with this. Especially since she specifically wanted to be alone with Yuzu, but she bares with it and continues to try and have fun with her onee-chan. However, throughout their date, she notices that Yuzu’s attention kept straying to the other little sister, which angers her enough for her to run off. Which led to the concoction and execution of a non-too-savory plan:

Of course, not all plans are fool-proof, so it didn’t go 100% as she expected, but that doesn’t stop her and she decides she’ll make do with what she’s got:

Which does not bode well for our Mei-mei. After all, she pissed off Satan’s incarnate and then gave her ammo to use against her. As Matsuri is planning her demise, Yuzu has completely different plans for step-sister:

And so Mei does open up her schedule for the promised party. Even going as far as working super late. Too bad it looks like our little devil has a different plan for her:

Uh oh, Mei. Looks like you’re in trouble.

And the blackmail is here! Matsuri, you little devil! Why are you so devious?

It’s heartbreaking, but Mei decides to go with it — which means she’ll be missing the promised family Christmas party that Yuzu invited her to. Especially so, because look at all this hard work her step-sister went into trying to perfect a home-made Christmas cake just for her:

That’s one ballin’ bear; getting ALL the (failed) cakes.

Since Mei is now taken elsewhere, Matsuri uses this opportunity to try the date scenario with Yuzu one more time. However, even though she was able to get Yuzu’s body to go with her, she is soon slapped in the face with the realization that Mei is held closer to Yuzu’s heart. This causes her true side to leak out:

Unfortunately for her, Yuzu’s fierce loyalty and trust in Mei makes zero dents in Mei’s reputation. Besides, it’s not like Yuzu didn’t already know that Mei goes around kissing people randomly! She, herself, was one of the first casualties. So, the discussions veers off in not her favor:

You tell her, Yuzucchi! Don’t mess with people’s feelings so much! And don’t ruin people’s dreams and hopes and ambitions just because you couldn’t get what you want, Tsuri-chan! Besides, someone will come around eventually. Hopefully, someone who can parry your wickedness. Probably someone like…

That aside, after the scolding by Yuzu and an actual heart to heart with Mei, it looks like the devil softened up a bit. Now, she recognizes that she has two sisters. Maybe things are looking up now that she can have twice the fun.

 

Mei does not seem amused though. But, you never know — because she has a world-class poker face. I bet she’s actually really excited for their night together. Probably less so for the “3P” that Tsuri-chan offered. But this is some level 9000 flirting/come-on she achieved:

YES! The answer is YES, Yuzu!!! Just say “Yes! I will take all of you, good and bad!”. DO IT!!

Of course, the ever-classic asking a question but not showing us the answer kind of cliffhanger. The excitement is building. Mei is opening up. Finally. And Yuzu is completely caught off guard.

How will she answer? What will she do? I await eagerly for the next episode.

My episodes rating: 

Next up: Toji no Miko 08 & 09 Review! 

Anime Episode Review: Toji no Miko 06 & 07

Woo! This week’s viewing was quite an adventure. Last time, we were left off with the introduction of two new allies, Ellen and Kaoru. The welcoming party was cut short because of the real hunting party that came after them, causing the four of them to eventually split up.

We start episode 6 off with Ellen’s voluntary capture:

Ellen is technically being held captive, but she took the opportunity to do a tiny bit of peeping around while she was there. Her happy-go-lucky outward personality is not to be taken lightly, as she is excellent finding gaps and exploiting them. First, just check out her effortless escape:

And of course, while she’s in enemy camp, might as well do some snooping and take some samples, right?

Oh my, Ellen. No wonder Kaoru tolerates you. Or rather, maybe she just really values you. I mean — check out this sweet “just in time” rescue, followed by her inner dialogue of implied promised pain:

Two against one makes it a bit unfair for the bad guy, so she injects herself with more strange orange concoctions to power up… resulting in this:

And so episode 6 ends with the good guy’s mysterious victory over the aradama-infused human before escaping to safety. There are secondary focuses within the episode, but I won’t dwell on those, as this episode mostly deals with Ellen’s infiltration of the enemy’s camp to gather intel. What she found and stole should prove to be useful later. I may have mentioned this before, but intel is always a valuable weapon in war.

Episode 7 starts off with our four heroines in the safety of a submarine owned by the resistance’s organization called Mokusa, which coincidentally (or not) was co-founded by Ellen’s grandpa:

We get a little backstory of how it was formed, what they’re doing, what their goal is, and all that fun stuff. That’s very interesting and all, but not much action happens here. It’s mostly informational and I’m sure this information will come in handy later.

Then, it shifts focus on to some characters back in what I presume to be “capital city”. Remember how I mentioned in the last review that Sayaka will end up switching sides? Yep. Here we go:

Ooh! That was a mistake, Ms. President. You really shouldn’t have done that. That marked the point in which Sayaka became aware of her own self. That she had wants which did not align with becoming infused with aradama. So, what does she do now?

She seeks help and companionship from the only other person she could contact, Mai. It also helps that cookies come with the package. It is unfortunate that their peaceful conversation ends short, because they have been discovered.

Which then prompts an epic battle because Sayaka doesn’t really want to go back, so the opposing side plans to do so by force. Although Yume (pink haired sadistic chick) really had no such original intentions. She just wanted to fight.

A sound defeat for Mai and Sayaka, sadly. Luckily for them, they were saved by the President of Renpu, who came with the intention of retrieving her prized possession, but was hit in the face with a two-ton boulder called ‘reality’.

And that’s an official defector! This happened a little quicker than I thought it would. I anticipated a little more conflict… a better “push”, so to speak. But I guess this works too. And the ending is wrapped up nicely with a reunion:

I think all of the defectors have shown themselves at this point. Kanami’s school headmistress, Hiyoyon’s school headmistress, and Sayaka were all the ones I pinned. Not counting Rui, who was obviously part of that because she let the two stay in her apartment and connected them to Mokusa. I’m also speculating that one or both of the other two school’s headmistress’ are in Mokusa too. And I’m hoping for a surprise one, like a background character in the control room secretly playing double agent. Or maybe even Yomi, who was recently defeated and all wound up in bandages. Maybe being put in that position will make her think twice about what she’s become. But only time will tell now.

My episodes rating: 

Next up: Citrus Episode 08 & 09 Review! 

Anime Episode Review: Citrus 06 & 07

Mei’s dad finally makes his debut after that build up from the previous episode:

A before and after comparison; left being the one from Mei’s memory from when she was a child, and right is him as he is now.

Within a few minutes of his screen time, he crushes all of her hopes and dreams of him returning to his rightful position of inheriting the academy. Her entire childhood, she held onto the small sliver of hope that when her father returns, things can go back to the way they were. But with just a few choice words, her world comes crashing apart and everything that she has worked for suddenly became meaningless:

Yuzu continues on to try to understand her new father, now that he’s finally back in the picture. As she talks to him, she accepts his explanation for the choices he is making with his life, even if they don’t align with the expectations his daughter has for him. The problem is that Mei still has the warped ideology that the world operates in a certain way, and that things have to progress in a certain way. When everything that she believed in suddenly stopped being true, she turned into a sulky teen.

Episode 6 mostly details Mei’s growth through this. In this one episode, she is forced to face her father’s decision and to decide what it means to her. Her whole life was spent “protecting” the academy so that when he returns, taking over would be smooth sailing. Except now, he has confirmed that he has no plans to take over, which leaves her with the question: “what have I been doing all my life and what for?”

Luckily, we have Yuzu to guide her. Yuzu’s unending support and free way of thinking opens Mei’s world view just a tiny bit. Enough for her to see that it’s okay to live for yourself and to do things that you want to do… simply because you want to.

It is at this point that a small light-bulb seems to have gone off in Mei’s head, and she resolves that she would continue protecting the academy. This time, not because she is waiting for her father to take over, but because she plans to take over herself. The episode ends on the note that Mei reads all of the letters her father sent her through the years of his travel.

Mei’s character development level increased! She has expanded her horizon just a tiny bit and for once, thought outside of the box she confined herself in.

And of course, how can I not mention this little gem that happened at the end:

The genuine shock in both parties after their first mutual kiss is priceless! Mei is finally letting her emotions make some decisions for her, instead of always pushing her feels down to do what she thinks is expected of her.

Unfortunately for Yuzu, this is sending horribly mixed signals for her. You gave up on this love though, remember Yuzu?! What are you doing?

On top of that, a new complication has arisen by the name of:

Matsuri is a bit of a troublemaker and is unabashedly clingy towards Yuzu. She seems willing to do anything if it means getting rid of boredom or winning a game where she is the only player. Even though she claims to see Yuzu as an older sister, she appears completely unfazed by the older girl’s disapproval. Instead, she pushes her own agenda, which includes things like:

Which then invokes jealousy in a certain other little sister:

Tsk tsk, Mei. You can’t go back on your word! Stop confusing your poor older sister!

As you see from the screenshots, the majority of episode 7 is basically two little sisters vying for older sister Yuzu. It introduces Matsuri and we immediately see that she is a little devil. A clingy little devil who deliberately crosses in Mei’s direct path to cause conflict. It ends with this stare-down:

Ooh! Those eyes are promising something unpleasant, Mei. Be careful! Looking forward to the next episode to see what Matsuri has in store for these two!

My episodes rating: 

Next up: Toji no Miko 06 & 07 Review! 

Anime Episode Review: Toji no Miko 04 & 05

More exciting episodes have released! Episode 4 starts off with our duo running away after their sound victory over the enemy who has found them. Immediately after they have reached what they considered a “safe” zone, Hiyori drops this bomb on her partner:

This is an important discussion, not only because it gives insight to Hiyori’s current mindset, but also reinforces her resolve. And, it shows that she does (to some extent) care about Kanami. She doesn’t wish to drag her companion into her mess any longer, stating that she is not suited for murder, but what she fails to realize is that Kanami is already too deep into the mess to pull out. As exemplified by the manhunt that has been issued for the two of them:

It’s dangerous to leave your partner behind, Hiyoyon! You have to watch each other’s backs now that you are both on the government’s most wanted list! Fortunately, they were able to shake off their pursuers with a little bit of teamwork. After they have safely escaped, they found shelter in what appears to be an abandoned shed. And it is there that they seem to have their first real one on one conversation:

Kanami offers her insight of what sees in Hiyori. She admits that her initial alliance with her was not well thought through, but that she now understands the heaviness in her resolve. It is at this point, that we finally circle back to the conversation in the first sequence of screenshots and Kanami gets the closure she needs for it: she expresses her resolve that she will not abandon her partner. And that she will not be abandoned a second time, because she now understands the weight of what she is doing, and she *wants* to help. After this heartfelt proposal, Hiyori finally opens up to Kanami, revealing her backstory and why she is so intent on killing Origami Yukari.

Friendship levels increased!

Episode 5 starts off with them being found by their pursuers. Uh oh! But wait — what is this?

It looks like they’re actually on the same side! What a surprise! (Not really). I say that only because there were a few scenes that I omitted from these reviews that led me to believe that they actually answered to a different higher power. Now that we have established that they have some allies, they are pursued by some real threats, causing the four of them to split up before they were able to have any kind of a explanation:

And after being split up, a small discussion between the two finally allowed Hiyori to see that Kanami is not as dimwitted as she portrays herself to be. I mean, *we* knew this somewhere around episode two, but Hiyori only just finds out about it here:

Yes, Hiyoyon. You really shouldn’t underestimate your partner… but you should learn to trust her a little more. After all, she has sacrificed much more than any normal  school girl reasonably would in the name of friendship.

And lastly, to answer your question, Kanami. There are so many because they are mass produced:

I can’t say that there were many elements in these two episodes that were really a surprise for me. There were a lot of hints here and there that alludes to things which will happen. For instance, this interaction right here shows me that Sayaka (who was formerly ordered to kill the traitors Kanami and Hiyoyon), will end up being their ally:

Oh, Mai. You’re a master schemer, aren’t you? Using your friendly charm and baked goods to win people over. She didn’t get a whole lot of screen time, but what she did get, I am thinking will become crucial later on. After all, I’m currently under the impression that she is doing some espionage work. And as we all know, intelligence is the key to winning any war. Keep at it, Mai! I’m rooting for you!

We are finally getting to the thick of things and finding out where alliances for certain characters really lie. I feel like I already have a pretty good idea of who the “defectors” are, but I’m hoping to see one or two who will surprise me.

My episodes rating: 

Next up: Citrus Episode 06 & 07 Review! 

Anime Episode Review: Citrus 04 & 05

Apologies for the delay! I am changing up my reviewing schedule to once a week due to life stuff. And without further delay, let us continue on to talk about the latest two episodes featuring step-sister love!

The fourth episode starts with off Yuzu lamenting about what to do after she essentially forced herself on her younger sister. But as she laments, she doesn’t realize that there is still that trouble thing she has to deal with. And when she’s least expecting it, it strikes!

That’s one way to get out of trouble and score yourself a date with Momokino-san, but are you sure that was a good idea? I mean, this is what your future looks like:

She doesn’t look happy about this, Yuzu… maybe you should get her something sweet.

Damn rich people. Coffee and tea costs 1500-1600 yen there!

In any case, that’s enough goofing around. As you might be able to tell from the focus of the screenshots, episode 4 mostly details Momokino-san’s jealousy of Yuzu. From her perspective, here is this delinquent that suddenly barged into Mei’s life and took away the spot that was rightfully hers.

We also see a little bit of little!Mei from Momokino’s back story about their childhood in this episode as well. She was so cute back then, though still so very serious.

Before continuing on to episode 5, let’s circle back to focus on Yuzu and Mei for a second. After Yuzu’s kiss with Mei from the last episode, the blonde has been agonizing over what to do and how to act. So much so that she hides away at a friend’s house:

Yuzu, beg!

Good girl, Yuzu 🙂

…until she bumps into Mei one day and was essentially told to just get the hell home. Yuzu’s agony about returning and facing the consequences of her rash actions were easily brushed off by Mei, who made it seem completely inconsequential with her nonchalant attitude.

That being said, there seems to be a running theme here of people trying to get Mei’s attention by initiating physical intimacy. Unwanted physical intimacy, at that. Maybe she should take some self-defense lessons? Just a thought.

So now that we have established that Yuzu’s and Mei’s relationship has overcome yet another awkward hurdle, we can move on to the events in the 5th episode, which mostly details what a pain in the butt both Momokino and Yuzu are when trying to win her attention. I think this series of screenshots actually sums up the episode pretty well:

That’s a scary face you’re making there, Mei. But I can understand that irritation of having two squabbling birds by you when you are trying to get your work done.

In order to try to one-up Momokino, Yuzu pulls out all her stops, including inviting Mei to visit her father. But, what Mei didn’t expect to find out when she meets him is that… he is no longer around:

Here, on this trip, is when Mei realizes that she needs to stop being afraid of facing her father. She realizes that she took for granted that he was still alive and that there is still hope to repair their relationship. When she realizes that, and when she asks Yuzu about that hope, she provides a genuine smile for the first time.

And it was this exact smile right here that led to a revelation for Yuzucchi herself.

Giving up on love for the person you love is indeed a big sacrifice, Yuzucchi! Hang in there!

And as always, I cannot not comment on the ending for episode 5:

Mei’s dad makes an appearance! I look forward to the next episode to see how relationships and tensions unfold.

My episode rating: 

Next up: Toji no Miko 04 & 05 Review!