Izumiko and Miyuki accompany Mayura and Manatsu to their home in Nagano. Their family throws a big barbecue party where Izumiko gets drunk and passes out on fruit punch. She wakes up and meets a ghostly Masumi again. The next day the group heads to a shrine at Togakushi for a meeting of the student council’s executive committee. Mayura’s fanclub, the “Japanese History Club” in tow, but President Katsuragi and VP Akinokawa warn her the council will remain neutral in the fight between Mayura and Takayanagi, a fight which will decide who becomes a canidate for the World Heritage Collection. Mayura confronts Miyuki, insisting he choose a side, and then she decides to test the extent of his powers.
The more we learn about Souda Mayura, the more relieved we are that Izumiko is on her good side. As for Miyuki, well, Mayura thinks he’s hiding something, and isn’t as weak and useless as he says he is, and is determined to find that out, even if she has to use force. Meanwhile, Izumiko finds that school is not just a figurative battlefield, but a real one in which hearts and minds are won and lost and political maneuvering comes as naturally to her classmates as clapping erasers. It’s also great to see someone first established as a kind friend in Mayura suddenly put Miyuki’s back to the wall and even challenge him to a fight. It shakes up the status quo nicely.
Like Izumiko, we found ourselves a little overwhelmed by all these new concepts cropping up, but at least she and we know a bit more about what this series is going to be about: Houjou academy is little more than a crucible in which gifted students fight other gifted students for precedence It’s apparent the neutral student council is composed of those who’ll judge the eventual victor, who will receive candidacy in the World Heritage Collection, the full benefits of which remain nebulous but are obviously very important. So we’ll see what roles Izumiko and Miyuki play in Houjou’s little war.
Rating: 7 (Very Good)
Stray Observations:
- Izumiko’s blissful, carefree drunken scenes are lovely. Miyuki should have caught her, the ass!
- Does Mayura truly consider Izumiko a friend…or just another high-level strategic asset?
- The council’s leaders jealously protect both their positions and their neutral status, and even the mere hint of maneuvering on Mayura’s part compels them to air out all the laundry.
- Welcome to the New-Look RABUJOI! We’re still tweaking things, and it will be a while before new Org Charts are set up, but a start’s a start.
RABUJOI - An Anime Blog 