天下制覇

Thy name is not Chihaya.

Impressions:

An extremely boring episode except for the Ayame bits. The antagonists finally revealed themselves in order to… pretty much completely destroy any menace they already didn’t have. Nothing says great villain like hiding behind a corner and blushing. At least the sister still has the stacked ninja fetishism going in her favor, so as a pair, not all is lost, but taken singly… let’s just say that one of them is about as menacing as a jar of spoiled teriyaki sauce.

The Ayame bits were really really nicely done though, and while they didn’t really add much to her or Washizu, more and more they’re doing a great job of really building her inferiority complex nicely without making it her defining characteristic. It does really make me wonder what the endgame here is though. I think I’d be rather disappointed if all this is just building up to Ayame deciding that it’s okay to eternally play second fiddle to Ibuki, and doubly so if they go with her being Washizu’s rebound girl. That would undermine just about everything they’re doing with Washizu and Ayame’s development lately.

Of course, they’ll probably just not resolve anything anyway and have the thing end on Yoichi pulling down Ayame skirt so that Ibuki can belt him and then everybody smiles happily about their blah blah blah pie fight.

Sorry for the briefish summary. I’m not feeling particularly well right now.

Washizu gets lost in his daydreams during training, prompting more beating from Yoichi. After training, Washizu blurts out loud to his lackey that he likes Ikaruga. Ayame overhears it, and in the resulting confusion, assumes that he meant her and not Ibuki for once and is taken aback.

Of course, she doesn’t really like him for his relatively cowardly and unmanly ways, so she’s a bit pissed at him at the same time. The two get into a heated fight, impressing even the masters. After class ends, Washizu notices that there’s a festival coming.

He invites the Ikaruga household out and conspires with his lackey to split them into pairs with him getting to spend time with Ibuki. Lackey screws it up and he ends up with Ayame, and they go back into their arguing. Ibuki daydreams about a real date with Yoichi, and loses sight of the moron who has run off like a four year old at… er… a festival. Lame antagonist tosses a fan at Yoichi, who disappears, but then hands it back to the guy. They introduce themselves, and then the guy disappears when Ibuki comes trotting up.

Elsewhere, Chihaya, Kagome, and Lackey find antagonist’s sister, who gives them free food.

Tsubasa and Angie are also working at the festival, using Angie’s makeup skills to be awesome monsters. …As much of a monster as Angie as a catgirl can be at any rate. They see Yoichi and Ibuki go by the tent, which sets Tsubasa thinking about Washizu and she makes her escape.

Yoichi is called over by the sister to play a carnival game.

Washizu gets lost in another delusion about happier festival times with Ibuki until Ayame jerks him back to reality.

Yoichi is scared to shoot the cork gun.

He’s also terrible at it. Ibuki comes over and the sister tempts her into taking a shot at the grand prize. Ibuki hits it dead on, but it doesn’t move. A sudden gust of wind knocks it over. Yoichi looks around, but doesn’t see lame antagonist hiding.

Ayame and Washizu keep arguing. She tells him that she wouldn’t reciprocate the feelings of a guy like him, making him yell at her that he likes her sister, not her. Ayame is completely floored by it.

Her eyes go dead and she starts repeating that it’s obvious… nobody would ever want her over Ibuki. Washizu stammers over what to say, but is saved by Yoichi running behind him. Ayame perks up and Washizu manages to apologize and tells her that he was totally out of line. Ayame deflates again when Ibuki runs up to join Yoichi. Washizu tells her that she never needs to give up and to keep on fighting.

Saying that, he grabs Ibuki’s hand and runs off with her, leaving Ayame and Yoichi together. She offers to carry her little festival trinket with him, and as they walk, moves closer to him.

Washizu finally turns to Ibuki and is horrified.

Somewhere along the way, they picked up Tsubasa in full corpse makeup. He’s traumatized, but when Ayame and Yoichi join them, he immediately gets into another argument with her, making Yoichi and Ibuki happy at the two getting along so well. Ibuki reveals to the rest that she won a trip to a hot spring from that game. The antagonists lurk… waiting for a chance at… Ibuki.

Angie panicks over the missing Tsubasa.

Preview:

Hot springs and more fanservice.