It’s a trap!
What They Say:
When Ichiko opens a treasure box that turns her back into a child, she is powerless against Momiji, and runs away. She meets up with Mika Tsuwabuki, and talks her way into hiding out with Mika’s family until she can find a way to return herself to normal.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The introduction of Tsuwabuki certainly can change the dynamic a bit here, especially with the things we learned about him in the previous episode that makes him a good guy dealing with some difficult stuff. He provides for a good counterbalance to the kind of luck that Ichiko has had and gives her something to think about and to slowly change with as well. Of course, with someone like Ichiko, you almost have to hit them hard over the head to get through to them about things that people have to face, especially with the way her luck has made things so easy and good for her. Her Jekyll and Hyde personality really is quite strong.
And her curiosity gets her into a lot of trouble as well, such as when she swipes a package that came in for Momiji and opens it herself. It’s a simple trap on Momiji’s part, but the whole thing goes horribly wrong when it turns Ichiko into a little girl instead. While this isn’t what Momiji planned, it doe set things up well for her since a kid should be east to deal with when it comes to securing the good luck. Unfortunately, we get further proof that Ichiko is a wily little girl and gets away quickly and easily, spending her time out in the world trying to figure out what to do while making a friend or two along the way while avoiding all potential encounters with Momiji.
What helps her the most is that she runs into Tsuwabuki’s younger sister Mika and uses that as a way to start figuring out what to do, when not enjoying being a kid just a little bit. While there’s plenty of silliness, the main thrust of the episode is that once she’s at home with Mika and Tsuwabuki’s siblings, she gets an idea of a normal life for awhile and ends up reveling in it a fair bit. She’s rather cute since there’s an awkwardness to it all Even cuter is how Ichiko has to deal with being close to Tsuwabuki in this manner while being a friend of the family and having some real interest in him. She gets to see him in a new light and overall the whole thing does a good job of softening Ichiko up a lot and making Tsuwabuki even more likable. But at the same time,
In Summary:
it’s hard to imagine that Ichiko will really change from this experience in a real way since that’s just now how this kind of stuff works. And that’s one reason I tend to dislike certain character growth bits that are done in comedy shows since these shows thrive on the status quo while just changing the dressing of things. Events here are largely light and funny with some very good bits throughout that keep you smiling and enjoying the predicament that Ichiko has gotten herself into. It’s not all resolved here though as it ends on a near literal cliffhanger with Tsuwabuki getting into some trouble that will likely force the pair together even more in the next episode. Predictability, they name is Binbogam ga at the moment.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
