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The best thing about this episode is how Sakuta and the others are quick to question Touko’s claims. The idea that she has given Puberty Syndrome to 10 million people is ludicrous—and even her being able to give it to others at all strains credibility. However, that doesn’t mean she is lying—and she might just be mistaken and trapped within her own Puberty Syndrome crisis.
Unfortunately, we don’t get any more of Touko in this episode. Instead, the show seems to be moving in the direction of our other unresolved plot thread from Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid: Ikumi Akagi. Ikumi was a part of Sakuta’s life in the “perfect timeline” that he visited in that film. But why or how she came to be at his high school there, while the two haven’t interacted since middle school in his normal timeline, was left a mystery.
The two are in college together, and it’s clear that she’s dealing with her own helping of the supernatural. It seems that Ikumi either has prophetic dreams or is simply trying to prevent the dangerous prophetic dreams she finds posted on social media. But while we see her save a young girl this episode, we’re given no further details whatsoever—leaving us with yet another mystery to be solved.
Beyond Touko and Ikumi, this episode also works hard to point out that the various heroines have noticed the pattern in Sakuta’s life—that he’s basically “the great detective who somehow always runs into a murder case no matter where he goes,” as Rio puts it. While he seems aloof much of the time, he has proven himself adept at solving Puberty Syndrome cases and is driven to do so. Those around him have accepted this, along with the fact that they need to support him if they want to continue their relationships with him (be that friendship or love).
As we saw last episode, the most Mai does about Sakuta going on a day-long date with a popular idol is give him a light ribbing about it. This episode, she not only allows him to go on a group date without her, but she also encourages it. She knows that such a date with Ikumi’s classmates is the best way to get info on the girl. She is so secure in her relationship with Sakuta that she doesn’t even hesitate. And to be fair, it’s easy to see why she feels this way. He is not shy about saying he is taken or proclaiming Mai to be the cutest girlfriend in the world—and that he has no interest in trading down. And besides, there are plenty of rumors floating around the college about who he is dating.
Other than that, this episode gives us a bit of catching up with Yuma and Saki—the two members of the supporting cast we hadn’t seen yet in their post-high school lives. It’s nice to see the one normal guy in the whole series remains stable and Puberty Syndrome-free. Also, he’s gotten good and jacked—so I’m sure his girlfriend is happy. And speaking of Saki, she remains as caustic as ever—though at least she reserves her loathing for Sakuta when they are alone together.
In the end, this is another solid episode. It lays the groundwork for the new arc well and keeps everything moving along with the series’ trademark witty conversations. I remain fully committed to seeing where exactly everything goes from here.
Rating:
Random Thoughts:
• The moment Young Mai appears is the first true “holy crap” moment of the season. The implications of her return for the story are mind-boggling.
• The idea that Touka has lived for over two years in a state where no one can see her is a terrifying one. We’ve seen how psychologically damaging even a short time in that state is through both Mai and Sakuta.
• I wonder if Touka’s been following Sakuta nearly non-stop for the whole story—and that Perfect World Sakuta (being the best possible version of the character) was simply able to see her right away when he got teleported to our world (hence the cryptic note he left).
• My favorite part of this episode: Sakuta having to tell people the story of how he confessed to Mai—only without all the supernatural elements.
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