Weekly Roundup Winter 2019 Week 5

The Weekly Roundup rages on, and we have almost reached the halfway point. Three shows have fallen so far, and now only 10 remain. Will any more fall by the wayside, or have we finally reached the desired state of having only nice things to say? Let's find out!

The Price of Smiles

Uh...why is there a random square in the subtitles?

First up, we have Code Smiles: Stella of the Rebellion. In episode 5, Soleil and the Empire are caught in a stalemate. If the Empire can break this last line of defense, they will have a clear path to the capital. However, Soleil's forces manage to hold them back with their superior mechs. Frustrated with the current state of affairs, Imperial High Command orders Owens's squad to lead a surprise attack on the enemy base from the rear. Things go awry when they are spotted by the rear guard, and an intense firefight breaks out in the woods behind the base. The Empire takes heavy casualties, especially from one lone unit, and Stella only survives thanks to the intervention of Lily, repaying the favor from when Stella had saved her life on the battlefield 2 years ago. The lone unit escapes, and Lily's damaged mech is forced to withdraw as the battle rages on, with Soleil's base now surrounded.

I gotta say, so far the episodes being told from Stella's perspective are the best episodes of the series. Maybe it's the fact that we're looking at the war from the perspective of actual soldiers instead of a royal court and elite knights. The interactions just feel more human. Nobody is putting on any airs, you know? Or maybe I'm just not spending the whole episode screaming at the screen because Yuki's advisers suck at their job and Ensign Owens seems to know how to actually be a leader. Either way, I loved everything about this episode. It really speaks to the history nerd in me to see that no matter how advanced the technology may be, the entire strategy of these advanced militaries hinges on the geography and the terrain. Soleil has the high ground and has collapsed nearly every bridge over the ravine that separates the two armies, which, combined with their superior range, allows them to just pick off the Imperial mechs one by one as they are forced to climb down one side of the ravine and then climb back up the other side to even stand a chance. However, Soleil had to leave a bridge to the rear undamaged in order to receive supplies from the capital, so the Empire just decides to attack via that bridge and throw the enemy into disarray. Thus, everything hinges on the battle in the forest, where the few sentries Soleil could spare has to contend with the few soldiers that the Empire could deploy without arousing suspicion and giving the plan away. It makes the battle feel that much more gritty and real, where one slight mistake by one single soldier can determine the fate of both nations for years to come.

And speaking of lone soldiers, what was up with that solo mech making mincemeat out of every Imperial soldier it came across? While it probably is being piloted by Yuni Vanquish, a character we've seen before who swore to avenge Joshua, I actually had a sinking suspicion that it may be Joshua himself. I don't really have any solid evidence to go on to support this, but I did notice that this unit had a small sun symbol painted on its shield, while the other Royal mechs had blank shields. And while it may just be a reference to Soleil being the French word for sun, my immediate thought was that it looked similar to the stuffed lion that Joshua gave Yuki back in episode 1. It would totally be in character for a hot-blooded type like him to paint a symbol that reminded him of her on his shield if he survived that last battle somehow. Though, as I'm typing this section, I remember seeing Yuki scream upon seeing Joshua's dead body, so he's probably still dead. At least, I hope he is. Cheating death like that would really hurt the credibility of a war story like this. But still, I thought that I should just mention that that was my gut reaction upon seeing a lone mech tear up the Empire like he was Suzaku Kururugi or something. Here's hoping that Price of Smiles will avoid that potential pitfall.

Boogiepop and Others

I couldn't decide what the best screenshot would be, so here's a picture of Aya.

Next up, we have episode 6 of Oh My God, My Head Hurts! Masaki sees the stranger, named Spooky E, threatening Aya and charges in to save her. However, Spooky's non-human nature gives him the upper hand, and he erases Masaki's memories of the encounter. Meanwhile, Aya and Anou arrive at Shinyo Academy for their operation, and Aya has a moment where she shares her doubts with Suema. Suema has been investigating Asukai's movements, and tells Aya that even if she has to fight against Boogiepop (who Spooky has ordered her to investigate) that she has to keep fighting, because the struggle is what makes life worth living. When Suema explains that Boogiepop is someone who protects others, Aya asks Masaki to be her own personal Boogiepop.

I officially have no idea what is going on. Even after watching the episode twice, I'm still not sure if my summary was accurate, because this episode loves to play with the audience a little too much. So may things are presented out of order and the characters only talk in vague metaphorical statements instead of anything resembling expository or character building dialogue. Everything was confusing as hell and it stopped being interesting and started being frustrating. We have a scene of Asukai doing...something... to his students and I'm sure that there's a hint of what the Imaginator is up to in Suema's speech, but I can't for the life of me figure it out. My best guess now is that Asukai and the Imaginator are removing people's personal inhibitions in exchange for creating an army of devoted followers, but for what purpose I cannot begin to guess, and I'm probably way off base. This is the first episode I actually disliked, since it seems like the show just wants to confuse people instead of actually telling a story, but maybe that's just the nature of being a tv adaptation where you have to watch it in chunks every week instead of a book series that you can read through all at once. Hopefully things will start making sense soon.

Dororo

I just met her and I already love her more than life itself.

Next up is The Oldest Profession. In episode 5, Hyakkimaru is struggling to get used to all the noise in a world that used to be silent. The distraction of sound leaves him vulnerable in a fight against a monster, and he is gravely wounded. However, he and Dororo are taken in by a girl named Mio, who looks after children who are orphaned due to the petty wars of the samurai. Mio works every night for the men who serve under Lord Sakai, who is preparing to go to war against Daigo. When the blind priest finds a potential safe haven for the children that is guarded by a demon, he and Hyakkimaru go to drive it off while Dororo follows Mio as she plans to work for both armies at once to double her money. Dororo is horrified to learn that Mio has been selling her body to the soldiers, and Hyakkimaru regains his voice from the demon, just in time for him to scream in pain after losing his leg in the battle.

This is our first multi-episode story for Dororo, and it's off to an excellent start. Things moved at a bit of a slower pace this week, what with the majority of the episode dedicated to our main characters getting to know the orphan and waiting for Hyakkimaru to recover, but I would argue that that's a good thing. If Hyakkimaru just steamrolled his way through every demon without any consequences, the story would lose all impact. Having him struggle to adjust to his new body parts humanizes him, and stories need downtime between big moments so that audiences can have a chance to breathe. And Mio is an absolute treasure and I hate myself for immediately guessing that she is a prostitute. Do the children know, or do they think she's just serving drinks or something? I'm not sure which answer I want to be true. Also, hey, Hyakkimaru has his voice back! I don't know who his actor is, but damn, can he scream. If it seems like I'm all over the place with this one, it's because I am, and that's a good sign that I really like this episode. Usually, I try to compose myself and write something coherent, but this episode has me too excited to do anything other than gush randomly. God, I can't wait for next week!

Run With the Wind

Oh my God, this show is so pretty!

Next is episode 16 of Dash With the Gale. Haiji narrowly manages to avoid the upturned table and continues running, though it seems that doing so has aggravated his old injury. As the race continues, though, he and Kakeru pull ahead, with Kakeru finishing 3rd overall and Haiji finishing 6th. As the rest of the team finishes the race in their own time, things look increasingly dicey for the Kansei University team, as their total combined time needs to be among the top ten schools in order to move on. But when all is said and done, they qualify with less than a minute's difference between them and the next team beneath them. As the team celebrates and Haiji prepares to train them for the Hakone Ekiden proper, the twins start to panic upon seeing the 7 minute gap between them and the top team's qualifying time, and ask Kakeru if winning the Ekiden is even possible for them.

You know, if this were any other show, I might be mad that last week's cliffhanger ended up being ultimately pointless and only existing to mess with the audience. However, given this show's track record (oh, Lord, I just realized that that was a pun), I'm inclined to believe that it's highly probable that we just haven't seen the long-term ramifications that that little incident will have on Haiji's leg. Besides, this isn't any other show. This is Run With the Wind, where every inch gained feels like a mile because you watched the characters bleed, sweat, cry, and puke on their way to where they are, and this lucky break feels earned because of it. The way their faces contort in pain and fatigue, the way some of them literally have to be carried off the racecourse after finishing, too tired to walk or breathe properly on their own...this episode really was something special. It wasn't quite the tearjerker we had two weeks ago, but it was damn close and I couldn't be prouder of our boys. The only negatives I have this week are the CG models for the background characters -- which is understandable when you need to animate so many characters running simultaneously  -- and the fact that these last few episodes have been so good I'm now questioning if I ranked this show too low on my best of 2018 list.

Rising of the Shield Hero

Next up is Chocobo Mystery Dungeon: The Animation. On episode 5, news of the royal conspiracy against the Shield Hero has reached a mysterious woman who also appears to be of royal descent, and she dispatches her masked servants to monitor the situation. Naofumi and Raphtalia purchase a monster egg from the slave trader, which hatches into the giant bird-creature Filo. As Filo grows and Naofumi and Raphtalia train for the next Wave, Myne and Motoyasu arrive at Lute Village to announce that Motoyasu has been named the village's lord, whose first order of business is to place an extremely high toll of fifty silvers for entering and exiting the village. When Naofumi speaks up against this, the masked servants from earlier deliver a message to Myne, who suddenly calls of her soldiers and puts the fate of the village up to a race. As Naofumi rides Filo and Motoyasu rides a dragon around the border of the village, Myne's royal knights attempt to sabotage the competition. When Naofumi wins anyway, it's thanks to the pressure of the masked strangers that Myne has no other choice but to accept the results, and Naofumi accepts an old, broken-down carriage as his reward from the insistent villagers. After the carriage is repaired and our heroes leave the village, Naofumi and Raphtalia wake up the next morning to the shocking surprise that Filo has transformed into a tiny naked anime girl.

I'm going to try to be reasonable for a second. This episode, on its own, wasn't that bad. It told a competent story that was self-contained, included many elements to advance the overall narrative, and introduced a new faction who may prove to be interesting moving forward. We even got a little bit of development for the other Heroes, as Itsuki and Ren prove to be reasonable people who adjust their positions on issues when presented with new evidence while Motoyasu turns out to be so self-absorbed that he is incapable of accepting that the royal family is playing him for a sucker. And the music this week was fantastic as always. I can see why many people would enjoy this episode.

Personally, I hate it. 

This is such a reversal in tone and structure that I feel like I have whiplash. Shield Hero is billing itself as a semi-dark fantasy about an encroaching dark force that threatens the world while political infighting and corruption distracts the common populace from the true threat. Like, the Mass Effect of isekai, you know? With that in mind, what's this cutesy Chocobo doing here? She sticks out like a sore thumb even before she turns into a naked underage girl (and don't even get me started on that idiocy), and I found the race on magical creatures while enemies set up pitfalls along the race course more entertaining when it was on my Pokemon VHS. I have never been so bored by Shield Hero up until this point, and I'm worried about where this story is going.

The Promised Neverland

Exodia?

Halfway there, everybody! Next up we have Prison Break: The Animation. In episode 5, Norman reveals to Ray that the information about the ropes was actually a trap meant to expose him as Mama's informant. Ray admits to the truth: he had actually known about the demons for the past six years, and has been using that knowledge to act as a spy for Mama in exchange for his freedom. However, he had also purposely manipulated events to reveal the existence of the demons to Emma and Norman, and had been planning to control both sides in order to guarantee the trio's escape. Things went awry when Emma and Norman expanded their plans to include everyone else, though, and he has been considering ditching the others and saving himself. Norman asks Ray to become his spy and Ray agrees on one condition: Norman has to trick Emma and leave the others, sans Don and Gilda, since they're in too deep now, behind. Either only the five of them escape, or he sells them all out to Mama. Emma reports to the others that she and Gilda have discovered the existence of a secret radio room in the office that Mama uses for daily check-ins with Headquarters, but Ray and Norman decide that investigating it is too risky. However, Don and Gilda decide to investigate the room anyway, and just as they discover that the door is locked, the office door starts to open and they are about to be discovered.

GOD, Ray and Norman are both so cool! The way they talk circles around each other, each trying to find leverage over the other, each mixing truth and lies so naturally, each clearly thinking 20 moves ahead in their conversation...it's just the best. And the best part is, we finally get to see Norman, who up to this point has been presented as the most intelligent and savvy thinker in the cast, be defeated by Ray, right after the last episode ended with him backing Ray into a corner. Ray has him trapped now, and he has no choice but to agree with leaving the others behind for now, lest they are all sold out to Mama or Krone. That's how you build on a cliffhanger right there! It's hard to believe that that scene took up almost half of the episode, it felt like it went by so quickly.

In fact, that scene, in a nutshell, is why Promised Neverland is so captivating to me. The escape is progressing so slowly, with each second wasted effectively meaning a noose tightening around the necks of the children, and yet there is so much happening in terms of strategizing and manipulation that it never feels drawn out, and it always leaves you surprised when the episode is over and the credits are rolling, because it doesn't feel like 22 minutes have passed at all. When people talk about pacing in a story, this is a perfect example of how to do it well. The story is walking on a tightrope here; if it went any slower then the audience's attention would start to wander, but if it went any quicker then the suspenseful atmosphere that is this show's main selling point is gone. It may seem weird that I'm focusing so much on just one scene, but that scene is so good that it makes the rest of the episode -- which WAS good, don't get me wrong -- feel inconsequential in comparison. Plus, I'm afraid that if I keep talking about the new dynamic of Norman and Ray lying to Emma and the trio lying to Don and Gilda while everyone lies to the adults and the other children, I'll end up spoiling something big from the manga. 

Domestic Girlfriend

Not satisfied with the war against the magical girls, the Disas Beasts have begun their invasion of another anime world.

Up next is Better Citrus. In episode 5, life inside the Tachibana/Fujii household is getting more comfortable, though Natsuo and his sisters are still awkward around each other. Rui makes a new friend at school named Momo, who has an infamous reputation as a slut and even admits to having had over 30 sexual partners in the past. When Momo sets her sights on Natsuo, Rui starts to feel uncomfortable and comes down with a fever. Natsuo ignores Momo's first invitation to go out as he takes care of the sick Rui, but decides to go to her house the next day in order to try to move on from his attraction to Hina. But when he hears about Momo's distant parents and sees scars on her wrists from a previous dark period in her life, he realizes that she doesn't need a new sexual partner and instead just cooks her dinner and offers to be her friend.

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This has been my favorite episode yet, and it all comes back to Momo. My heart just aches the more I learn about her and I just want to give her a hug and tell her that everything is going to be okay. And props to my man Natsuo, putting aside his own feelings and doing what's best for the person in front of him, someone who is clearly depressed and lonely and tries to use sex to find someone who can meet her emotional needs. All jokes aside, it really does remind me of the best parts of Citrus, whenever Yuzu put aside her own attraction to Mei and just tries to be a good sister because she refuses to take advantage of her and wants Mei to actually want to be with her. In fact, Domestic Girlfriend is shaping up to be a better version of Citrus. It draws you in with its trashy and taboo premise of an incestuous ecchi harem show and then keeps you invested with its sympathetic characters and gripping drama. Never before would I have expected an episode that includes a boy who has to insert a suppository into his sick sister (who he had previously had sex with, lest we forget) to end up being so wholesome.

I get the feeling that when Kei Sasuga started working on the original manga, she wanted to grab the attention of the more degenerate nerds out there and remind them that the objects of their lust are still people who have their own lives and struggles and hopes and dreams, and that they deserve your respect even as you admire just how attractive they are as they keep finding new reasons to be naked for your viewing pleasure. Rui, Hina, and now Momo aren't just disposable waifus to her. They are characters first and vehicles for fanservice second. And that attitude is really reflected in Natsuo, who is very much an atypical harem protagonist. He may keep falling into contrived situations and sees the girls in varied states of undress, but he also has a clearly defined personality, he isn't afraid to admit that he is sexually attracted to these girls (trust me, a lot of harem protagonists seem to be either unaware of or pathologically afraid of sex for some reason), and still fights against his more base urges in a desire to find the right solution for everybody involved. It's not the best harem show this season -- that would be The Quintessential Quintuplets -- but it's a very close second, it has potential to overtake its competition as it goes on, and I'm so glad I chose this for the roundup.

Hinomaru Sumo

Cool image, dumb attack name.

Next up we have Worse Captain Tsubasa. See what I did there? In episode 17, Hinomaru has rejoined the active roster of Dachi High, and they continue their momentous climb up the ranks on their way to the finals. But two major obstacles remain in their way: Tennoji and Kuze, along with their respective teams. As the two incredible wrestlers face off in the individual tournament -- one an undefeated champion and the other a prodigy from an illustrious lineage at his first official tournament -- Dachi High prepares to face both of them by sparring with the Ishi High sumo team. As Hinomaru stuns them all with a new technique that is kept hidden from the audience, Kuze surprises the world and barely manages to force Tennoji out of the ring, knocking him out of the individual tournament and giving him his first official loss.

You remember two weeks ago when I said I was a little uneasy about the idea of Hinomaru being matched up against Tennoji so early on? My worries seem to have been unnecessary. Hinomaru's latest bout of introspection and acceptance have matured him, and he seems to have a healthier attitude about losing now, treating it as an opportunity for growth. Seeing that payoff in the way he talks to the others now really is the episode's only saving grace, because they hype that should have been in the Kuze-Tennoji fight just wasn't there. Just like last week, the show keeps cutting away from the action to show us what Hinomaru is up to, and it's just not welcome here. This episode would have been so much better if had started with Hinomaru and Sada agreeing to spar with each other, then showed the fight between Kuze and Tennoji in its entirety, and then cut back to the aftermath of Hinomaru and Sada's sparring match. You don't need to show characters in another room talking about why Tennoji and Kuze are such great sumo wrestlers when you already have Kirihito, Reina, Chizuko, Shibakiyama, Yamatokuni, AND Shun in the stands all doing the exact same thing already! What little we actually got to see of the fight was great, but it just wasn't enough to make this a good episode. I can't see myself dropping this series since I like the characters so much, but these last few episodes have been very disappointing, and if it hadn't been for another show's awful performance, I might have pulled a Honda-san and dropped Hinomaru Sumo from the roundup and just watched it on my own time, since it's not fun to talk bad about a show that I still highly enjoy.

Magical Girl Asuka

Magical Nui Harime vs Anime Clara Barton. God, I love anime!

Two more to go, and since any shows being dropped are last, you know that Cardcaptor Bloodbath is safe. So, on episode 5, as Asuka battles and eventually kills the Russian mercenaries, Kurumi successfully regrows Nozomi's arm with magic and sends her to a hospital for treatment. And just in time, too, as Abigail attacks her with two Halloween-class Disas Beasts in tow. Kurumi manages to defeat one of the Beasts on her own, but is then overwhelmed by the other two opponents. Luckily, the soldiers of M Squad come to her rescue and successfully defeat the other Halloween Beast, and Asuka swoops in and drives Abigail away soon afterwards. Just as Asuka is about to capture Abigail for interrogation, a new magical girl arrives on the scene, easily repels both the soldiers and the magical girls, grabs Abigail, and escapes. Later, Asuka and Kurumi visit Nozomi in the hospital, only to see her terrified at the mere sight of any magical girl, thanks to her trauma. After Nozomi passes out, Kurumi removes her memories of the past week in order to heal her PTSD. Realizing that her inaction was partially responsible for Nozomi's capture, Asuka agrees to join M Squad full time. Iizuka asks for permission to relocate Nozomi for her own safety, but his superiors refuse, planning to use her as bait to draw the enemy out again. Thankfully, Asuka is keeping a closer eye on her friends at school, and Nozomi seems none the worse for wear so far.

I have lost count of how many times I shouted "Holy shit!" while watching today's episode. The combat is brutal and fast paced, the gore is applied in just the right amounts, and the mix of military tactics, martial arts, and traditional magical girl silliness really works here. And it means I got to see a magical girl point at a sniper bullet and cause it to freeze just inches away from her and then dissolve in the air! I don't care how silly it may be, that's just AWESOME! Not to mention how nice it is to see a unit of soldiers backing up the magical girls and actually being useful, since I expected them to just stand around since this is a show about magical girls and, well, they are not magical girls. The operation scene that followed the battle was also well done, in spite of the way it just goes back on what happened to Nozomi last week. I found myself tearing up as Nozomi screamed in horror, not even recognizing her two friends. I mean, I'm a big crybaby, so your mileage may vary, but I found that scene really effective, since of course she would be terrified of anything magical at this point. I'm surprised that Asuka and Makino agreed to erase Nozomi's memories though, since this show seemed to be about healing from trauma and, while I'm no expert, magically erasing all memories of the trauma doesn't seem to be a healthy way to handle that sort of thing. Maybe the show will show an unexpected side effect later on, though, and the way if affected Asuka was good enough that I'm willing to let it slide for now.

Before this week, I was kind of meh about Asuka overall. I liked the things that the show was doing, but it didn't really stand out as more than a novelty up to that point. But now, I'm all in. The characters are well-defined, the show has a clear identity, the story is going in interesting directions, and it's all just really really cool. The whole thing just reminds me of Killing Bites and Golden Kamuy in how it indulges in silliness like magical girls and giant monsters and over the top violence, and then gives it meaning, and that's just the sort of thing I love in fiction.

Girly Air Force

What did I say about giving the hentai writers such low hanging fruit?

Finally we have Me Trying Not to Bang My Head Against the Wall: The Animation. In episode 5, Gripen and Kei may have managed to stay airborne by working together, but their performance as a unit still leaves something to be desired. Kei's human body inherently limits Gripen's mobility, as the more elaborate movements would create too much pressure for him to withstand. Yashirodoori promises to research a potential solution, but there is a more pressing matter: the arrival of a third Anima named Phantom and the formation of a new independent unit consisting of Kei and the three Anima. Yashirodoori holds a mock battle between the three Anima (which I wrote as Anime in my notes because I can't bring myself to care anymore) in order to evaluate their combat ability, and Phantom easily wins thanks to her decision to falsify her position on the radar, which is a brilliant strategy that the rest of the cast naturally labels as cheating. The characters yell at each other and then the episode abruptly ends.

I really only have myself to blame at this point. I chose this show to be on the roundup thinking it would be good for a laugh. I chose to keep it alive for this long when only the second episode has been any good. I told myself  "No, it's fine, the production values aren't bad, just flat, only the story is bad. That's no reason to cut it when this or that other bad show exists." And maybe that still rings true. I don't know. All I know is that I've watched almost half the run of a show where I don't like any of the main characters and the actual story squanders what little potential it has when it comes to the Xi in service of a trio of girls being catty and rude to each other for no discernible reason. I mean, Gripen I understand, since the other two talk smack about her and she has some resentment that stems from being a defective unit and all, but why the hell are Eagle and Phantom so mean to her and each other? Literally just seconds after Phantom introduces herself, she and Eagle start trading insults. It's sad that the only reason I relate to Kei at all in this episode is that I'm just as confused and exasperated about the whole business as he is. But then he gets mad at Phantom later on because "in a real fight, allies don't share false information with each other"? You moron, you weren't allies at that point! You were enemies in a mock battle! Your argument couldn't be any more invalid!

And I'll admit, I was taken in by Gripen's antics earlier on, but this episode has officially lost me. I don't care if she's a machine with no sex drive or sense of modesty, if she understands the need to wear clothes outside of her room, then there is no reason that she wouldn't understand Kei feeling uncomfortable at the prospect of seeing her naked. She's sheltered, yes, but she isn't stupid! She knows humans wear clothes, so she can easily extrapolate the issue with removing them in front on one from there. 

But logically consistent storytelling and character actions aren't what this show is about. There was a chance to get Gripen naked, and, by gosh, the staff wasn't going to let it slip through their fingers! Because the priority here isn't telling a good story, writing meaningful characters, or even having fun action scenes. This is a harem show that is ashamed of being a harem show, and thus tries to hide its true nature behind a paper-thin war story disguise. Why else would the girls immediately start competing for social dominance? It's so the male audience can imagine them fighting over his affection. Why else would Gripen invite Kei into her room, start changing in front of him, and then play dumb when he freaks out? It's so the male audience can imagine having sex with her and the show can still have plausible deniability because it isn't trashy, it's a "character moment". I might not be the biggest fan of trashy harem stories, but at least commit to your gimmick! This wishy-washy pseudo-harem garbage is putting me to sleep, and I'm not taking it anymore. I'd rather watch another episode of W'Z than this! At least that show has some kind of vision and doesn't feel like a paint-by-numbers product designed to sucker in as many viewers as possible, hiding behind cute girls and fanservice but then also dangling promises of action and story because it's too ashamed to even be the best version of itself that it could be. It's one thing to be bad in an interesting way because you tried something new, but Girly Air Force, you are just forgettable, and that's unforgivable. Consider yourself dropped.

Supposedly, this Winter 2019 show about anime girls and planes is better. Maybe I'll check it out.

Phew, rant officially over. And that wraps up the latest Weekly Roundup! What will happen next week? Will the Empire's invasion gain momentum? Will Hyakkimaru regain his sight next? Will the twins want to back out of the Hakone Ekiden with victory seeming more unattainable than ever? Will Naofumi gain an even bigger harem and lose all anti-hero credibility? Will Don and Gilda be shipped out to the demons early? Will Asuka regret rejoining the military? Will Rui get a character arc of her own? Will Hinomaru Sumo have a good episode again? Will Boogiepop actually make sense!? Find out the answer to all of these questions, or none of them, next week!