No. 6 2

First of all, yowza, this episode contained (courtesy of Safu) probably the most forward proposal for sex I’ve heard in an anime since Mezzo Forte, which was at least part-porn. Second of all, good grief, four frikkin’ years have gone by! We never see the consequences of Shion harboring Nezumi in realtime, only his recollection of it. Basically, his life is ruined; he and his mom are kicked out of No.6 and he’s reduced to working as a park supervisor in “lost town”, far from glittering Chronos.

It was definitely gutsy to let so much time pass. Safu’s role still seems unclear to me, as Shion only sees her as a friend, and she’s leaving for No.5 to study abroad for still another two years. Meanwhile, Lost Town is just as authoritarian as No.6, and when Shion speaks out of turn regarding a mysterious and gruesome death, the government locks him up for malcontentedness.

Fortunately, Nezumi has been watching him from afar, and rescues him in the nick of time. They run into the woods and eventually make it outside the walls of the city to “the real world”, a bleak, sickly, dystopian urban growth sticking to the outside of the wall. It would seem Shion’s journey has just begun. Oh yeah, and what the heck was up with those neck bees? Rating: 3.5

Usagi Drop 2

Oh, it’s a great show, this. Rin may be a little quiet and reflective, but she’s no problem child. Even so, a single salaryman like Daikichi finds his first days of guardianship bordering on the toughest of his life. Not bad, mind you, just tough. He has to think of everything, remember everything. He still has to go to work. And lil’ Rin has to go to school.

The closest emergency temporary nursery school he can find is not close at all. His commuting time is doubled, and since he has no car, he has to make every train and run on foot just to make it barely in time. And since he isn’t done work until after dark, Rin is the last one at her school when he picks her up. I remember waiting when I was a kid…it wasn’t fun.

Still, both members of this new family do what they have to do. Rin puts on a brave face, and Daikichi gives up drinking with friends, smoking, and just about all of his non-asleep free time. But despite the hardships, the two seem happy. Rin is enriching him by the day, and he’s giving her something no one else would: a home and love. Rating: 4

Morita-san wa Mukuchi 2

Ridiculously short…ridiculously inconsequential. Seriously, I’ve had yawns longer than this episode. The jist: Miki is talkative, Morita is still taciturn – and apparently okay with groping Miki. Rating: 2