天下制覇

Let’s bring PANDRA back into action already.

Impressions:

This was probably the worst overall looking episode of the show to date, even including that crazy Gonzo-fest around episode 27. It’s like the animators completely forgot how to draw noses. Sakaki and Shiho’s noses both grew at least an extra inch in profile while they were wearing their surgical masks too. Add to this an extended crappy CG car driving video game sequence and a healthy amount of telepathic talking, which means that you don’t even have to pretend to animate the mouths, and they really phoned it in this week.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a particularly entertaining episode either, and I’m always a bit skeptical when they give Shiho development through her learning what other people think. She reads their minds for torture purposes. What more is she going to learn about them that she hasn’t already? This episode was basically just a string of nonsensical "do X to prove who is the better psychometer" between Shiho and Sakaki. How video games and fishing demonstrate this, I have no idea. Then one of Sakaki’s old enemies from Comerica shows up, Kaoru accidently poisons him with a blowfish, and he and Shiho telepathically bond while she assists him performing surgery. QED.

The end of the episode, with the girls fantasizing about what Sakaki would have been like if he had been happy/with them when growing up was probably the best part of the episode, but I’m perfectly happy that he’s just vaguely creepy and trying to use the girls as an in for Oboro’s pants instead of some kind of telepathic Detective Conan ripoff. Next week looks rather terrible too. I’m hopeful because there’s one shot of Mio, but less hopeful because of the copious amount of screentime their school friends seem to be getting. I don’t even remember those useless brats’ names anymore.

Preview:

Camping trip.