What They Say:
No episode information provided.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As the group works through their matches, we saw some interesting exploration of what they’er capable of in the previous episode. While some of them saw the way that they needed to change and grow, others were just trying to work through their own issues in order to push themselves harder. Taichi in particular really had to deal with his struggle in trying to keep up with and live up to what he believes Chihaya’s image of him is and that worked well as he started to shift his approach. It’s also been interesting in watching how the other teams view our group from Mizasawa with what they look like and how they perform. While unity is generally the order of the day with the other schools in terms of uniform, there’s a lot of variety to the lead group here.
With some time spent talking strategy before going up against Hokuo, we get to see how they’re getting in the right mindset to deal with what’s to come. There’s some cute nods in the midst of it all, especially as they’re close to getting to the next level, and now that we’re getting to the really good teams in the finals there’s even more pressure. What’s amusing though is that as they set up the order to pair off with against Hukuo team, the one on their side named Retro doesn’t go with the obvious tact of shifting things to their advantage but rather doing a straight up line of attack based on position. His desire for each ranked player to deal with their counterpart on the other team is definitely problematic for some, but the approach really is right in the end to go on a more skill based level.
With the next match underway, there’s a lot of focus on Chihaya with it as she gets herself psyched up for it and deals with the opponent at hand. With the arrival of a new reader, one that the Hokuo players know, it adds a little more tension to the match as well as getting some of the girls to be rather interested in him since he’s handsome enough. The match does shift over both teams in full, not focusing completely on one player, and seeing the struggles that they’re going through is definitely fun, especially since Chihaya’s team is really starting to come together and feel like they know what they’re doing. There’s a growing sense of confidence coming up at the same time that their opponents are feeling more and more off balance.
In Summary:
With the team finding their footing and going up against an opponent in a way that they didn’t expect, the latest match has a lot of fun to it if you get into the nuts and bolts of it. With a new reader to the game, comments on his ability and more about the way each side is struggling in different ways, there’s a lot to enjoy. You have to be into the pace of it to be sure and how each member is facing what they’re dealing with. The way the dynamic of it goes is pretty good and the challenges are getting to be really intense as it moves close to its completion, which could ruin their chances to getting to the nationals after doing so well the previous year. The intensity comes through well and there’s a lot to enjoy here for fans of the series.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
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.
