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「颶風」 (Gufuu)
“Hurricane”
I can hardly wait to see the response on this one. An almost purely anime-original episode – and based on the preview another one next week, and a slice-of-lifer about Shima to boot – will surely set the masses to grumbling. Yet this was a really good effort, I thought, and did a nice job tightening up some of the loose ends surrounding the issue of acceptance between Rin and his little playmates.
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「わたしの木」 (Watashi no Ki)
“My Tree”
Planting a tree that grows along with you is a very cool idea.
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「すれ違いの（課外）授業」 (Surechigai no (Kagai) Jyugyou)
“(Extracurricular) Activities While Passing Each Other By”
Even with almost no references to anything in the past five episodes, I think that this has been the best episode thus far. I’m sure that my bias for slice-of-life elements and high school romcoms is butting its head in here, but I think this show flows a lot better when it’s not trying too hard to be serious.
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「魔術師の娘」 (Majutsu-shi no Musume)
“The Magician’s Daughter”
We’ve had six separate mysteries unraveled so far, but in terms of the main characters this one felt by far the most personal.
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「戦争を始めましょう」 (Sensou wo Hajimemashou)
“Let’s Start a War”
I know Subaru’s secret is hidden under the guise of a cross-dressing cafe, but who the heck is she fooling wearing a cheongsam that shows that much cleavage and with a side slit that high? There isn’t any room to hide anything… not that I’m complaining of course.
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「先に進むという選択」 (Saki ni Susumu to Iu Sentaku)
“The Decision to Continue Forward”
It’s kind of hard to believe that I was going to let this series go unwatched let alone uncovered a month and a half ago. Good thing I took the plunge after A-1 Pictures’ visuals caught my eye, because IM@S is already busting out fully hand-drawn idol performances only six episodes in. Compare that to the second season of K-ON, where Kyoto Animation held out until the twentieth episode.
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「隠し危険」 (Kakushi Kiken)
“Hidden Danger”
I confess the notion of Safu and Nezumi’s paths crossing – and an ensuing battle royale over Shion – is a fascinating notion I’d quite like to see…
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「音楽会 Récital」 (Ongakkai)
“Recital”
Wow, if this bonus episode was any indication of what the producers were saving for the BD/DVD releases, I sure hope they have another one in store. This particular episode is slated to be released on November 25th with the third volume, but was streamed online for a limited time, saving me from a long four and half month wait.
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「あいつは俺を知ってる」 (Aitsu wa Ore wo Shitteru)
“He Knows Me”
Yondaime’s group is planning a concert for their girls’ indie rock band, and they ask Narumi for help promoting the event.
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「空守村」 (Karakami Mura)
“Karakami Village”
Compared to the action-packed previous episode, the trip to Karakami Village was a lot more easygoing. Be that as it may, the formal introduction of Kyouhei and Utao’s hometown and the explanations about the Kakashi made this episode just as good.