天下制覇

When all else fails, stick something up your butt.

Impressions:

A great episode marred only a little bit by somewhat anticlimatic ending, along with one of the more bizarre developments, even for this series. The various treatments for Tomoharu’s cold were entertaining enough, but I think Shuri wins the award for forcing Tomo to grop Takatsuki in order to toast an orange… and then strangling him with an onion just for good measure. She also got bonus points for hiding the stabilizer in her unmentionables. With forcing a suppository up Tomo’s bum, I’m also considering the streak alive for director Kusakawa Keizou. I like the guy and all, but he’s got about a 5 year streak going now where every show he’s done will contain either Nanoha, or homosexual jokes emasculating the protagonist. Sure, Kurosaki’s not a guy, but she did pop Tomo’s behymen.

I did tune out a little bit as she was explaining the deal with the stabilizer, but come on… they’re being chased by a giant white interdimensional CG robot that tears open holes in space. I don’t care how interesting your two minutes of exposition is. I’ll go with the explosions. Misao was also pretty cute with her innocent little "I ate it" after Kurogane swallowed the stabilizer. Still though, I’m not really sure what they’re doing by making Misao visible… and a "ghost transfer student" at that. I guess maybe there’s a reason that nobody really notices the gunfire, mechs, or priests running around all the time in this setting.

As last episode indicated, Shuri is in fact her twin sister, Yukari, while Shuri appears to be Susigihara’s projection and the core of her Asura Machine, Shirogane. Now that we’ve hit three of them, it’s looking like each one does have a specific ability. Shirogane tears open holes in space, Hisui’s got her ice, and if I was a betting man, I’d place cash on Kurogane having control over or some ability to deal with shadows. They made it abundantly clear that Tomoharu uses his shadow to summon Kurogane this episode.

You checks in with her cronies.

Tomoharu wakes up to Takatsuki and Kurosaki rubbing him down. After covering himself in shame, he confirms that Shuri is back to Shuri. When asked about Yukari, she clams up. She’s saved by her phone ringing. It’s You, who offers to trade a letter for the stabilizer. Kurosaki gets pissed, crushes the phone, and opens the closet. She digs into a basket of her panties and pulls out the stabilizer.

That issue down, she starts rooting around for a way to cure Tomo’s cold. She finds an orange and an onion. The orange goes to Takatsuki, and then she takes Tomo’s hand and gropes her with it. Takatsuki freaks out and torches the orange, which Shuri then grabs and stuffs in Tomo’s mouth, and then chokes him with the onion. As he freaks out, she smacks him in the forehead with more Japanese voodoo cures while they try to brainstorm ways to heal him.

Tomo suddenly senses something and Kurosaki sees a shadow outside the window. They try to run, but You is waiting for them. Shuri unleashes a barrage at You. She summons Shirogane, and its sword tears open a hole in the air that sucks away the explosion. Shuri fires again and they escape under the cover of the explosion.

In a cab, Shuri explains to them about the stabilizer, that it’s something meant to support the being inside of an Asura Machine. The cab stops as You steps out of a portal onto its hood. Shuri slashes at her with elongated fingernails and then shoots her from point blank from her forearm to force her back. They run off again as You steps through a portal to follow.

They reach Kurosaki’s house where she picks up a backpack. Tomoharu is almost collapsing from the effort.

He finally faints, but You steps out of the portal to catch him. He throws Tomo at Shuri where he collapses in her cleavage. Shuri and Takatsuki both attack You at once and then Shuri opens the backpack to reveal a jetpack and flies them all to safety.

She drops Takatsuki and Tomo off at the landlady’s and goes out to confront You.

Shuri launches a flashbang and uses the cover to run to a cache of weapons. She fully arms herself and goes all out, but Shirogane keeps protecting You.

Inside, Miss Landylady removes Tomo’s pants and Takatsuki dons rubber gloves to administer a suppository.

No, really.

Outside, it’s apparently night now. Anyway, things are going poorly for Shuri. She whips out her final resort, something that looks like a magical crossbow that according to You, taps into the same power as the Asura Machines. As she charges it, she hears her sister’s voice from Shirogane and responds, calling it Shuri. She fires and Shirogane attacks. Shirogane’s blast wins and the landscape to Shuri’s side is decimated.

You moves in for the kill, but Misao appears to protect her. Takatsuki creates a huge fireball to create Tomo’s shadow and let him summon Kurogane. She tries to punch Shirogane, but is blasted backwards. She charges again, and this time breaks the barrier and connects. As it does, all sorts of visions flash through Tomoharu’s mind.

As the Asura Machines separate, they send they attacks to the sides, destroying the house and sending the stabilizer flying into the air. Shirogane rushes for it, but Kurogane kicks her legs out from under her. She still manages to rip open a portal which sucks the stabilizer in. Kurogane grabs the hole and forces it open, sending the stabilizer flying out. Shuri yells not to let an Asura Machine touch it, but Kurogane catches it and then sucks it in.

You applauds the win as Misao unabashedly reappears. Tomo finds the note on the ground, and it’s just an embarassing thing from Shuri’s teenage heart throb years which she reduces to confetti in a hail of gunfire. You teases her a bit too.

Landlady pulls herself out of the wreckage and is suprised that she can see Misao.

The next day, geek boy’s dug up some info on Shuri. She had a twin named Yukari. The teacher calls the class to attention, looking a bit worn out, and tells them that they’ve got a new ghost transfer student. Misao happily floats in and introduces herself. Tomo sighs, as Takatsuki looks ready to vomit.

Preview:

Shuri’s past.