Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai: Megami-hen – 05

Keima thinks the goddess within Goidou Yui is intermittently controlling her, making her vulnerable to discovery by Vintage, so he makes Yui his next target. Because she acts like a player character, he dresses in drag and plays the role of heroine, as letting her conquer him will have the same result. As Yui grows closer to Keima, the goddess Mars appears in her reflections, vowing to support her.

Yui and Keima go on a date to an amusement park, and Keima has Haqua help him set up a scenario whereby he is kidnapped and must be rescued. Mars emerges and defeats Haqua, and Yui and Keima kiss, fully awakening Mars. Keima fills Mars/Yui in on the situation, telling them to lay low until the other goddesses are awake.

As we’ve said, we skipped the arc in which Keima initially switches bodies with Goidou Yui and conquers her, but we still like the Yui character because of how much she differs from the others, and not just in her choice of wardrobe. Her tendency to act as conqueror rather than conquered forces Keima to reverse his strategy in order to awaken her goddess, and it’s a lot of fun to see the girl being the one with the initiative.

Of course, because Keima is aware of what Yui wants – his heart – his strategy is specifically tailored to get him what he wants as well – an awakened goddess. Mars and Yui are also of similar minds once they get to know each other: strong women who are ready and willing to stand up and fight for the sake of weaker men. But that same aggressiveness makes her a very visible target for Vintage, necessitating restraint.

Rating:7 (Very Good)

Stray Observations:

• We’re somewhat surprised Keima is able (and allowed) to walk around school dressed as a girl, not to mention Yui being allowed to dress as a boy. You’d think a student disciplinary officer or teacher would have an issue with such behavior.
• We’re also surprised more of Keima’s friends and acquaintances don’t notice him; only Shiori catches sight of him, and only when he’s laughing really loud like an idiot.
• When Mars calls her exploits on the battlefield “ancient history”, she’s not being euphemistic!
• Keima even tricked us; we thought the person who captured him was a real member of Vintage, not Haqua, who is once again relieved of her clothing.
• Elcie, whose five-day absence we greatly appreciated, returns, preparing another hellishly disgusting feast for her exalted brother.

Love Lab – 05

With Riko guarding the broadcasting room and Sayo and Suzu distracting the faculty, Maki and Eno hold their radio broadcast, answering the request of their anonymous client. After the broadcast Riko gets in trouble, and when Maki finds out she’s furious. After promising not to sacrifice herself again, Riko is tutored in English by Maki, who cross-dresses as a bishounen, “Maki Makio” and Riko’s English exam score improves. The Council gets a reply from the client that she was met with honorable defeat, but doesn’t plan to give up, and will use what she’s learned in future strategies.

The first Love Lab broadcast is a success, if not a resounding one, with everyone executing nicely in their assigned roles. Bottom line, the girl doesn’t get the guy this time, but that’s almost to be expected considering none of the council members have ever snagged a guy by the means they espouse. Sayo technically has a boyfriend, but that was the result of caving to his persistence, not pursuing him in any way. The broadcast and its mixed result not only provided useful experience to the client, but the members as well, as now they know that things won’t always go smoothly even if you are brave and speak up to the one you like.

Riko also experiences a taste of the hellfire that will rain upon her if Maki ever finds out she’s not the master of romance she’s led her to believe. This time, Maki only finds out Riko is lying about having gone to the bathroom when she actually got reamed by a teacher, who considered her the ringleader in the broadcast stunt. Maki sets the record straight with the teacher (who’s a little disappointed) but one thing’s clear: Maki doesn’t like it when Riko lies (though we do much prefer her “Maki Makio” bit to “Huggy”). Hiding secrets may also get tougher if Nana and Momo lift up the rock that is the Love Lab in a newspaper scoop, potentially ruining Maki and Riko’s reps.

Rating: 6 (Good)

Kimi no Iru Machi – 04

Both Asuka and Kyousuke are concerned when they see a visibly forlorn Haruto. Kyousuke takes him on an exhilarating ride on his motorcycle as a distraction, telling him whether he decides to find someone new or snatch back Eba from her new boyfriend, he’ll support him no matter what. When Kyousuke is about to start his bike back up, he passes out. Haruto gets him to the hospital, where he learns Kyousuke has anemia.

Asuka rushes to the room and Kyousuke tells her about Haruto’s plans regarding his ex. Kyousuke mentions he had to persevere to get his current girlfriend, and when she arrives in the room, it turns out to be Eba Yuzuki. She and Haruto pretend not to know each other for Kyousuke’s sake, and Haruto leaves. While walking home with Asuka, Haruto says he’ll give up on his ex, which pleases her. Still, re-reading the break-up text Eba sent him and recalling what Kyousuke said in the hospital, Haruto suspects something fishy is going on.

This week’s heart-sinking twist further cements this series’ status as a bonafide anime soap opera, deriving much of its appeal from creating moments of intense emotional drama between characters. As a result, it’s not for everyone, but we’re on board. The knife is twisted for Haruto when he suddenly learns that his best mate’s girlfriend is the same girl he came to Hiroshima to win back, something his mate is gung ho about helping him with. Things would have been cleared up pretty fast had Haruto and Eba come clean about their past relationship, but neither felt it the time or the place, which brings us to Kyousuke himself, who’s been dealt just as bad if not a worse hand than Haruto.

Sure, he has the girl he always wanted after much “desperate perseverance”, but if he knew that Eba was Haruto’s true love, he’d probably feel pretty bad, and conflicted to boot. If/when he does learn the truth, he’ll feel betrayed by both of them for keeping him from the truth. Add to that the illness he suffers from that may keep him from pursuing his dream to race motorcycles, and Kyousuke’s is hardly an enviable position. Except Haruto can’t help but envy him; he has her girl. And even though Haruto told Asuka he was giving up (which in her mind means she may now have a chance with him), Haruto still manages to find something fishy that compels him to run out of his sister’s apartment in search of more answers to why everything is so messed up.

Rating:7 (Very Good)