Good job, team.
Impressions:
I guess that wraps up the second tour through the characters, and despite Shinobu having top billing the first time around (not to the best effect), she got to be recap-girl this time. Which is already an anchor on things given that there’s still a few episodes to go, and it’s bloody recap, but I’m also not sure that her whole schtick of being jealous that she’s mired in her status quo while the others are moving forward but then ending with her happily accepting it is much of a character arc. It really needed a little more emotion to it, probably even time to breath instead of doing recap.
And then there’s the first half of the episode, which was something else entirely, though had many of the same issues. They were proxy-coaching someone, assuming they were some crushing teenage classmate, but it was the creepy dude instead who their advice ended with an attempted sexual assault. So they just shrug it off and go, oh well. Feel like there should’ve been a whole lot more soul searching there, and it would’ve been an opportunity to expand on the gag they did with Rikka about how they all see Yamabuki a little bit differently as they squabble over him like horny idiots. But, like the later part, there was no introspection to be found, just more recap and making a melodramatic mountain out of honorific usage.
