Smile + blush = cute.
Bye bye, Akari; hello, plot. Yes, you heard right. As I’m sure pretty much all of you guessed correctly, this epi was all about the laying to rest of at least one ghost, before, mercifully, resurrecting another. Yes, it looks like that elusive main plot ain’t quite dead after all and this show might just be getting its mojo back…
Episode Summary:
Continuing on from last week’s epi, this one begins with a flashback of Akari playing happy families. Then, we get Uchida trying to get the lowdown on what’s up with the Scoobies, first from Ami, then from Maya. Sort of. For, just as he’s offering to help them, again, they are interrupted by an annoying shriek from the annoying one and his moment of distraction is rewarded with a knuckle sandwich. As the annoying one swiftly takes him away via her speeding car on a sort of date to cheer Uchida up, Maya and co. return to Akari’s daddy’s place, where they are eventually let in and hear the rest of Akari’s story. In short, we find out that she died due to a mixture of maternal physical abandonment, paternal emotional abandonment and, ultimately, due to exposure from waiting up all night for Santa, because her daddy had promised the previous, happier, winter that if she was a good girl Santa would come and visit her that year, despite having confusingly just told her that he doesn’t exist after all(!)…
After leaving the guilty father’s place, Maya and co. decide to throw an early Christmas party for Akari, complete with a visit from Santa. Meanwhile, Uchida is dropped off by the annoying one, where she is about to arrange a dinner date at her place, before they are interrupted by the Vice Principal, who makes a similar googly-eyed offer to Uchida. However, the cowardly time agent wriggles out of the brewing cat fight and rushes off to find Maya instead, realising from the V.P.’s words that she’s probably at her old house, which (we learned in the last epi) is due to be demolished the next day. There, Uchida does a better job of consoling Maya and pledges to lend a hand with their ghosthelping plans.
The next afternoon, the preparations are ready and Akari is persuaded to attend the party, where she is soon enjoying herself watching a magic show from Ami and Maya and juggling from Smile, playing twister with Kozue, and then being serenaded by JK and his keytar. And then Santa arrives, after a brief last minute substitution of Uchida by Akari’s daddy. After some touching words and hugs, Akari is soon happily sent on her way to a sparklier place. Later, the gang are sad but satisfied as they go home, and we realise that Uchida and Maya have slipped away to visit the, now demolished, house in which Maya grew up. There, Maya comes to the realisation that her own daddy, despite appearing to grow apart from her, actually really loved her after all, even building the Occult Academy all because she sort of once asked him to. After shedding a few tears while Uchida holds her hand, Maya then reaffirms her desire to find both her father’s killer and the Key and to save the world and blah blah blah as the new day dawns and the epi ends.
Thoughts:
Firstly, what happened to little (or, rather, littler) Akari-chan from the last epi? I swear, she was younger and cuter looking. This time around, she seems to have undergone a growth spurt or had the size of her head reduced or both. Hmm. Amazing what the ditching of a red hooded duffle coat and the donning of an orange turtleneck can do to one’s figure, eh.
However, random adjustments to character designs aside, this epi ended pretty much how I think we all thought it would and, not including the major daww-factor at the end with Father Christmas (*boomboom!*), it was a rather pedestrian second part on the whole, I thought. Still, I guess the daww-factor was truly daww-worthy, and there were some nice moments with the Scoobies and some much needed character development for Maya. Not much character development, I grant you, but at least it was a kick up the backside of coasting-Maya in order to activate the firing-on-all-cylinders-Maya that promises to do something about that whole finding daddy’s murderer and stopping the imminent alien invasion thing.
*Sheds a tear*
Meanwhile, say what you like about him, but at least Uchida seems to be trying to reconnect with partner-Maya, but, being the naïve and yet lecherous man that he is, seems to be distracted at every turn. Purposefully, methinks. (That recurring, ill-timed ‘ABE-SENSEEEIII!!!’ is surely no coincidence anymore.) However, it was enjoyable seeing these two finally confront each other before the object of their dodgy affections decided to leg it:
Now, if this isn’t an evil look, I don’t know what is. Eeevil. *Shudders*
As mentioned, most of the epi seems to be about mending the hearts of little girls estranged from the daddies. In this case, it makes sense to use Akari’s narrative as a way of highlighting Maya’s framing narrative and Maya’s hitherto unresolved, festering issues with her daddy and the occult. Except for the fact that they probably didn’t need to spend so much time, and so late in the series’ run of epis, to do so. Hopefully the final three epis won’t be too rushed in order to successfully tie up all the loose ends that are still flapping about all over the place.
Is there anything this man can’t do?!
I did enjoy the little party tricks during the whole let’s-all-cheer-up-the-little-ghosty-and-her-daddy montage. Especially JK’s keytar performance and Smile’s impressive juggling skills (I knew there’d be spanners involved again somewhere). I just hope that the last screencap isn’t symbolic of the ending of the show: i.e.: trying to juggle too many things in the air.
Whether or not the show can hold on to/ successfully execute all of its ideas, of course, remains to be seen.
18 Comments
Yes, the reconnection between Bunmei and Maya was actually a good move imo, despite him not really “manning-up” but at least it seems his thoughts were going in the right direction.
Yes. Though it’s a shame another part of him was swinging in the opposite direction.
Maybe we’re supposed to acknowledge that he never “matured” because the aliens came, etc… but doesn’t he seem like a big kid still in puberty… ww idk
Yes, maybe, he certainly seems way too emotionally naive(?) otherwise…
You gotta hurry and do ep 11!, seriously, my mind is still blown about it.
Lol, I hear ya!
I’ll try and get the post for it up in the next day or two, work/ general knackeredness permitting…
Hurry up and get to the next episode already!
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!
Um, I write slower than I watch
I’m so tired of this shows wannabe Scooby Doo feel now! All I want is for them to do is develop this Nostradamus Key story!! Perhaps in this episode !! everyone is talking about!
I don’t mind the Scooby Doo-ness as opposed to the slooowness of some of these middle-y episodes. Though, yes, hopefully we’ll see the actual Key soon.
Whoa, I beat you to the punch!
Well, you know how I feel about this episode, so I’ll leave it at that. But man, I keep seeing these glimpses of comments about the next episode. I need to get around to watching it tonight.
LOL! Yes, I’ve been a wee bit slow of late, haven’t I.. Was actually thinking of combining this with epi 11′s post, but that’ll probably need a post and a half alone!
eh dont listen to these people as one also heavily beseiged with work i understand. Good review by the way.
Thanks mate, but it’s all good; I’ll just pretend it’s ’cause they adore and wish to hang on to my every word, rather than wanting to vent over such a uninamiously awesome (at least I assume it was deemed so) epi! Haha! But thanks, again, for the regular feedback.
The resolution of the little ghost girl was melodramatic, but emotionally effective. I also really liked the confrontation between Mikaze and Chihiro, as well as Fumiaki’s support of Maya at the end, and Maya’s resolve to find the key and punish her father’s murderers.
Yes, the emotional, and the contrastingly humorous, moments have been satisfying. And in spite of the (no doubt) unintentional hilarity of Uchida taking Maya aside and saying that he thinks they ought to get to know each other better and Maya’s ‘Huh?!’ face in response, I too thought such moments, esp the last scenes, were strong, and rather sweet.
Well for a moment there I thought somebody kidnapped Fumiyaki.
It turns out Maya is a Haruhi who went tsundere for the occult because of parental issues. Time-travelers and Espers weren’t said but he showed up. Aliens well they are coming.
On the father, yes its all your fault. You forgot the value of your family till it was too late.
That’s one very unhappy Mikaze there.
Anime parents, or at least fathers, seem to be either total losers or complete idiots/ freaks. Thank goodness for Ami’s daddy, at least.