Eromanga Sensei

Episode 5

Well if the other shoe didn't drop yet, it at least started teetering this go-around. This episode of Eromanga Sensei cranks up the familial romance fetish bait right at the start, bearing a strong warning for those in the audience not here for that. Simply put, if you're not watching to ogle the main character's middle school-age sister while also connecting to his pseudo-brotherly feelings for her, this opening segment will make you supremely uncomfortable. I could write pages on different kinds of fanservice and how they do or don't gel with different types of storytelling or audiences, but maybe a single episode review isn't the place for that, so just be aware that this show continues to not be for everyone. It's too bad, since it does at least build up to a good gag. Sagiri's lead up to a speaker-enhanced shouting at her brother is a solidly entertaining payoff, regardless of which side of the incest-shipping fence you sit on.

After that cold open passes and the episode moves on to Masamune working on the light-novel with his sister, the show settles back into its better elements. This is another one of Eromanga Sensei's 'people sitting in a room talking' scenes, but it's tempered as an actual brainstorming session this time; we're actually seeing these people work on their creation, which is an under-utilized type of scene in shows like this. It also reinforces their characterization, for better or for worse, as we see that Masamune's art direction isn't terribly useful to Sagiri at best and makes her uncomfortable due to their unresolved feelings for each other at worst. It doesn't help that the show's halfway approach to the sister-complex-fanservice can't make up its mind either. There's just something disingenuous about Masamune emphatically insisting that he'd never have lewd thoughts about his little sister right when the camera starts panning across her cleavage.

Thankfully, the amusement quotient of this episode is driven up by the appearance of the now-likable Elf, as her unconventional work ethic leads to her hiding from her publishers at Masamune's for a while. The scene leading up to this is well-composed, making use of repeated cuts to Masamune's cell phone to communicate that something is wrong, before her ridiculous suction-cup-arrow flurry on the back window finally gets his attention. It's a good way to deflate the increasingly uncomfortable tension in Masamune and Sagiri's sexy brainstorming session, transitioning effectively to the segment of elfin' the house, interacting with the siblings.

It's a good thing we've been shown that Elf's eccentric approach to her job actually works, since it would make her outbursts here more annoying if we actually thought she was such a self-indulgent slacker. Instead, the contrast between the crunch-time author we glimpsed last week and the whiny child rolling around this week makes the situation that much funnier, as does Masamune's complete lack of sympathy for her silly, self-inflicted situation.

Since Sagiri and Elf end up getting along, Masamune gives them time to bond over video games while he steps out, which was a nice touch. Even if Megumi's attempts to coax Sagiri out and become friends with her fell flat, we can tell that interacting with people is something Sagiri definitely needs going forward, and having Elf provide that in ways only she can only increases the likability for both of them. As it turns out, Elf and Sagiri's interactions provide the best fanservice joke the show has attempted thus far, as Masamune walks in on Elf giving Sagiri the real-world reference materials she asked for. Because the scene is played for ridiculous embarrassment, rather than uncomfortably trying to titillate the audience, it works. It's a character-driven gag, rather than just trying to feed us embarrassment as a sexy punchline.

Sadly, the couple of strong segments this episode are bookended with another one that really doesn't work, though at least it's less awkward than the opening scene. Megumi returns to the plot, and now that Elf has evolved into an enjoyable foil, it falls to Megumi to take her place as the character who just plain isn't pleasant to watch. There's fanservice in this scene too, of the bathtime variety with amusing scenery 'censorship'. While that stuff is fine, the actual issues stem from Megumi's motivations; her desire to forge a friendship with Sagiri for her own self-satisfaction and the predatory jealousy she exudes when she learns about her getting along with Elf don't make for a good look. That her issues spark similar self-centered feelings in Masamune is also unwelcome. Their characterization and development can continue without needing to go down that unpleasant road. Unfortunately, Masamune just can't brush off her bad behavior, and his meeting with her at the end solidifies that she'll be a narrative obstacle for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, the characters make the right choices to keep them likable to the audience.

This episode of Eromanga Sensei was a definite mixed-bag. On the one hand, the content-creation segments and the newly-introduced bonding between Elf and Sagiri were endearing, showing off how solid the writing and production of the show can be. It's a well-made series, which makes it hard to dislike even when it makes missteps. But there are a lot of missteps in this episode, and it's not necessarily the fault of the fanservice. It's still coming down to the show's waffling on the central relationship between the siblings. It's one thing to tease a brother-sister romantic situation purely as fuel for fetishism. It's something else to call attention to the inherent issues in such a relationship, referring to them in a real-world context, and halfheartedly attach it as a conflict for one of the characters. Masamune seems to know that wanting to date his little sister is messed up, but the narrative itself still favors him hooking up with Sagiri in spite of that, which makes his earnest attempts to sideline his feelings fall flat. Weirdly, I almost wish Eromanga Sensei was a more shallow and trashy show, since I would then be able to accept its pandering more readily. As is, there's an otherwise well-made, genuinely interesting story in here, which just turns the noncommittal fetishism into a distraction. It remains to be seen how much this will drag the show down going forward.

Rating: B-

Eromanga Sensei is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.