Rin sets off on her trusty 50cc at 3:30 in the morning when it’s still dark. She notes that her parents are less wary of her going out on her own, probably because she’s more experienced now. But she also heeds her gramps’ words: “you have to be most careful when you’re used to it.” Rin’s solo leg of the trip ends in Senzu, where she meets up with Ayano, who has twice the displacement but is still wrecked by the rough roads. After a rest and a drink, the two mount their steeds and begin their trip to meet up with Nadeshiko at the campsite, but they’re in no particular hurry. As should be exp ..read more

A commenter in the ANN forum on this show made a very good point that made me want to reassess the show so far: this show is clearly aware that Hananoi’s more obsessive behaviors are problematic. Fortunately, while he does loom over her at the end of last week’s episode, he ends up collapsing due to his fever from waiting in the cold for Hotaru all morning. Hotaru calls his grandma and goes home, and feels awful for asking Hananoi to do something that means so much to him, just to see if she’d feel anything. I think she’s being a little harsh on herself, but like Hananoi, that’s something she ..read more

After a successful sale of pocket lighters at Wiz’s shop, Kazuma & Co. prepare for a formal dinner with Princess Iris. As the only noble among the party, Darkness takes point in this venture, and impresses upon everyone how their usual repartee isn’t going to fly in front of royalty: one wrong word or look and they could literally lose their heads. As you can imagine, things don’t go that well. Aqua tries to whip out a card trick and drinks too much, Magumin does her Crimson Demon schtick, and Kazuma’s look and tone insult the princess. It’s only thanks to Iris happening to like the sand ..read more

Kraft and Holo arrive in the bustling merchant town of Pazzio, which is so big Holo is amazed it’s not ruled by a king. She’s also immediately smitten by the excellent apples on display in the market, and purchases an entire silver coin’s worth of them. While this initially seems like freeloading as Kraft was the one who paid, Holo soon earns her keep by delivering a clever sales pitch to increase the money the Milone Trading Company pays from 140 to 210 silver coins. Kraft and Holo celebrate their windfall with some wine and edamame, and then meet with Zheren about his currency speculation ..read more

Half of this episode is given over to the academy tournament, and while I thought Makoto’s students would face stiffer competition, the fact is no other students are a match for any of them, except each other. Jin and Sif blast through their categories without the slightest bit of resistance and end up in the final together. This, despite having to use wooden weapons. Sif defeating Jin is a foregone conclusion, but that doesn’t take away how impressive Jin and the other members of Makoto’s class were. Not only that, despite having gone up against each other, there’s no hard feelings, and the ..read more

There’s a third … fourth? … season of The Irregular of Magic High School airing this spring, but I stopped watching after its first cour ten years ago, and like other big IPs like My Hero Academia and most recently Demon Slayer, my interest fizzled out. But I still love Miyuki (thanks in large part to Hayami Saori), and from time to time still listen to Iwasaki Taku’s chilly futuristic track named for her.  ..read more

A triumphant new OP is leans into the show’s new normal: Rudeus and Sylphiette are no longer alone, but an adorable matched pair who will never ever be separated again. Having proposed and bought a house, the next step is to hold a feast for their friends to share in their happiness and offer their blessings. The happy couple stroll into town to buy provisions, but first Sylphie buys Rudeus a new mage’s robe to replace his tattered one. After a day of errands they slip into the hot bath together, and when Sylphie cuddles up next to Rudy and gets him in the mood, he scoops her up and takes her ..read more

President Kumiko suddenly finds herself with a new euphonium ace (or at least her equal) in Kuroe Mayu, formerly of Seira High. Unlike Kanade, she doesn’t seem the conniving type and genuinely doesn’t want to rock the boat. But she also transferred to Kitauji because they have a shot at winning. Kumiko now understands just how much stuff previous presidents had to keep track of. Gig requests, school events, competition practice, camp planning. She, Reina, and Shuu are also summoned to Taki-sensei, who gives them a choice of three pieces to play for their selection piece. Kumiko is weary of b ..read more

First-year high schooler Kino Himari joins her longtime friend and classmate Miki to watch her older sister play in a band composed of third-years to welcome the new students. The moment Himari sees the cool beauty of the band’s frontwoman was love at first sight. When Himari catches the older, taller girl by the shoe lockers, she uses those precise words: “I fell in love at first sight.” Those words, combined with the enthusiasm and intensity with which Himari says them, make it possible to interpret it as a confession of love. The fact the singer, one Asanagi Yori, finds Himari incredibly c ..read more

This week we get a sumptuously well-produced OP that spoils the fact that Mahiru and Kano are only half of the eventual JELEE artistic group. The third member is introduced first as a rabid fangirl of Kano’s Sunflower Dolls persona, Tachibana Nonoka, AKA Nono-tan. Just when Mahiru and Kano are wondering how the heck they’ll fund this project, this girl throws down over $1,600 to help their cause. But this girl isn’t a fan of Kano, but Nono-tan, and wants her to go back to being the SunDolls idol she loved. Kano, establishing her resolve to move beyond her idol past, curtly refuses the money a ..read more