Raise your hand if you thought something different was going to happen based on the episode title. Anyway, this was a really cute episode, finally resuming where we left off on episode seven. Or at least overall it turns out to be an episode about Chizuru and Mary's ongoing romance, but a good part of the episode was devoted to shenanigans as well. I'm not sure what it says about Chizuru that he carries a jar of hair product around with him... I honestly found the "fanservice" section more cute and amusing than hot. That's meant as a compliment though. This was never a wish-fulfillment show for me; I watch because I enjoy the characters. Therefore, I particularly enjoyed seeing Kaname be forced out of his element for the sake of a photoshoot. He will never pull off the "delinquent" look, but the attempt is appreciated nevertheless. At first I was confused about how this was all going to tie together, but it really worked quite well in the end. Specifically, I enjoyed how this episode pretty subtly referred to stuff that happened last season that caused Mary to fall for Shun. I particularly liked the final image, when they were looking out the window together. I was reminded pretty clearly of this episode from the previous season, when Chizuru broke my heart while watching Mary and Shun together. It was a great payoff moment. Chizuru is finally starting to change Mary's mind, if he hasn't completely won her over already. I mean, the signs are already there; Mary's typical obsession over Shun was absent this episode and replaced by Chizuru. When she turns the corner while the boys are still messing with the camera, we see for a brief moment that Shun has been talked into unbuttoning his shirt. When Mary turns away, embarrassed, I immediately assumed it was because of Shun. But then she says in her interior monologue that she can't walk by because Chizuru is over there. Good for you, Chizuru! You've made more progress than you even know. Let's just hope that Mary realizes her real feelings soon, but I get the feeling that they're saving that for the finale. This relationship has become the best part of this season. Current tally: Seven (7) Episode(s) without Shun in drag, two 92) consecutive (current record five [5]), one (1) where he does not appear at all. Images from Crunchyroll.com.
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