天下制覇

Well, sibling complexes at any rate.

Impressions:

Weaker than the previous two episodes. It’s probably because Mahiro was sidelined for much of it and the Cthuko/Nyarlko dynamic isn’t great. Four times out of five, she’s just making the same jokes that Nyarlko’s already making with Mahiro only without the energy and threats of a fork to the forehead. The episode also introduced her hapless and useless brother, but all of his gags were very cliched and dull with the punchlines generally telegraphed a good five seconds before the show actually got to them, not to mention that the episode would have been just fine if he hadn’t existed at all.

They could be doing a much better job with Cthuko in general, especially when it comes to subverting gender roles and/or weird alien/elder god interbreeding for the sake of humor. Yes, yes, wife of a girl. It was even more hilarious when Ranma 1/2 had multiple characters based around nothing but that joke back in the 80s and I’m sure it wasn’t even the first. Overplay that stuff. Be surreal. Don’t just talk about belly rubs and then offer one, go all out in the full-blown submissive position. Commit to your jokes. Although I suspect that one was just to show some skin anyway. In any case, it’s the same general issue as the dull Kamen Rider suit thing last week. So many of this show’s jokes would work so much better if they had the same visual and slapstick energy as the characters. Alas.

Preview:

Hastur Hastur Hastur.