Eromanga Sensei

Episode 9

For as many issues contaminate Sagiri's relationship with Masamune, perhaps she does more good than harm after all. Eromanga Sensei largely goes without its title character this week, and the result is an even more rote harem fanservice fest than normal. Then again, this is the beach episode.

Masamune and his gang of groupies take a vacation to Elf's private island, ostensibly to gather data for their stories, secretly because of Elf's ulterior agenda, but mostly just for the sake of some swimsuit scenes. I was happy to see that Shidou came along, indicating that he might stick around to a greater degree than I was expecting. His presence is appreciated, even if he really only had one joke this episode (mistaking Masamune's sexuality in a surprisingly less tasteless bit than usual for this series' sense of humor). This episode also properly introduces us to Elf's brother Chris (who we glimpsed momentarily way back in episode 3) to act as an agent of development between Elf and Masamune and broaden the show's world a bit.

The episode quickly gets on with the fanservice, putting characters in swimsuits to act out standard light-novel and anime situations in the name of ‘gathering data’ on the tropes they're writing. There are a few funny twists on formula (Masamune not being able to swim was worth a chuckle), but for the most part, these bits fall into the same trap seen in shows like Saekano. Even if you're calling attention to the tropes you're acting out, the fact remains that you're still recreating them faithfully. Yeah, there's some goofy meta dialogue over the scene of Elf trying to coax Masamune into applying sunscreen to her back, but all the meta in the world can't paper over the fact that it's mostly there for people to see Elf taking her bikini top off.

So as usual with this series, if you aren't actually here for the fanservice, the bikini beach party won't do anything for you. Thankfully, the show at least tries for a shot at nuance afterwards, as Masamune and Chris have a heart-to-heart in the bath regarding Elf. The show's never been shy about advancing its story and characters through direct conversation, but this is one of its stronger presentations of that device. Chris's desire to lobby and hash out Elf's strong and weak points feels genuine. This part also features one of the show's more subdued gags, as we subtly hear Elf climbing around a previously-mentioned creaky wall in the bath. It's an appreciably low-key joke for a show that's usually happy to take the zaniest anime comedy route available. (I really did keep expecting Elf to actually fall over into their side.)

Sagiri does get one brief appearance after this strong central portion, as her and Masamune share a call to reflect on the trip. It's mostly there to maintain the connection of Sagiri in Masamune's life and set up her concerns that he might not ‘come back’ from this trip. This clearly isn't so literal a concern as it is the usual romcom worry about time spent away from the main love interest giving way to a split in the main character's affections. And so it comes to pass when Elf calls Masamune out at the end of the episode to propose to him.

One of the few kudos I can always grant Eromanga Sensei is its willingness for characters to let each other know when they have crushes. Masamune's thing for his sister wasn't teased out for more than a few opening episodes, and Sagiri responded in kind almost as quickly. Muramasa gave up the ghost almost immediately after her debut, and it's since become the foundation for her entire character. And of course, it's been made abundantly clear throughout her interactions with him that Elf has developed a crush on Masamune as well. Perhaps the sheer obviousness of it all overtakes Masamune's needlessly shocked reaction to finding out about her affections. He's been so good at handling all the other romantic options thrown his way that his reaction of disbelief to Elf's appeals almost seems unbelievable. But I guess you just can't have a light novel protagonist who's not a little dense.

For her part at least, Elf's profession of a tragic backstory leading up to her confession to Masamune is well-framed and delivered successfully, but she's always been one of the stronger characters in this harem trope field guide of a show. What really pushes the end of this episode just one notch further is the depth of her commitment and the gusto with which she's willing to pursue it. I presumed a simple turn-down from Masamune would lead to a resolution for this hopeless other-girl romance, but Elf's sheer conviction, followed by Masamune's ambiguous reaction right before the end, leaves the result much more up in the air. Eromanga Sensei has always happily traded on the otaku fantasy of cute girls having crushes on the protagonist, but it's also maintained that Masamune has singular affection for Sagiri while the attractions of other girls remained window dressing. But if his feelings are starting to become more complex, the series could acquire the one harem trope it hasn't approached yet: a love triangle.

After that genuinely surprising twist, this episode treats us to another unique closing sequence and an Elf-ified title card. If the general absence of Sagiri was supposed to lend an air of Elf ‘taking over’ the show for now, that aspect was undersold by virtue of it otherwise playing out like a standard anime beach episode. I'm not sure where the characters are going next week, whether they'll return to sort out this new conundrum with Sagiri present or stay on the island for another episode of The Elf Show. That last love-triangle twist has promise though, so wherever it goes, I hope Eromanga Sensei embraces these wilder options for storytelling, rather than being happy to maintain its mediocrity.

Rating: C+

Eromanga Sensei is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.