Mikagura School Suite

Episode 11

Well, that escalated quickly. The first few episodes of Mikagura School Suite may have hinted at a darker and more serious side to the show, but it's still a shock to see those elements leap back into focus so suddenly. Who threw all these conflicts and consequences into my collection of sunshine and rainbows?

Last week's crisis is dealt with as Eruna breaks up the fight between Otone and Seisa, but that intervention only serves to open a fresh can of complications. With the midterm tournament starting up, Eruna has to split her time between mending friendships and competing in club battles. Otone cools off after a bit of soul-searching, but Seisa just locks herself in her room and refuses to talk to anyone. Eruna learns what's really going on after a conversation with Bimii, but she might be a day late and a dollar short; Seisa's power spirals out of control with weird and dangerous consequences. There's also a club battle showdown between Shigure and Kuzuryu, but even the other characters acknowledge that they've got more important things to worry about.

Mikagura School Suite usually takes its sweet time moving the story along, but this episode starts off on a compelling note. The short exchange between Eruna and Seisa packs a lot of intense emotions into a small amount of screen time, fitting all of Seisa's concerns into a few lines of dialogue. It's one of the few times in this series where Eruna's overwhelming optimism hasn't been an instant cure for someone's problems, and her helplessness hits the viewer just as hard as Seisa's anguish. The whole scene is a strong example of how decent writing and competent direction can accomplish a lot in a short amount of time.

Sadly, not everything in this episode measures up to that standard. Otone bounces back unbelievably fast from her messy bundle of emotions after the fight, and she owns up to her motivations far too easily. It feels like the writers decided that they only had time to deal with one unhappy character and had Otone sort herself out offscreen. While it's true that Otone isn't carrying as much emotional baggage as Seisa, her reconciliation with Eruna reeks of narrative convenience. It might have worked with a different character, but I don't buy the idea that someone whose personality revolves around hiding her feelings would be so forthcoming and articulate in describing her own mistakes.

Otone's quick about-face is hardly this episode's biggest misstep, however. In the middle of a serious and compelling story, the show decides to take a detour in order to show us an uninspired club battle between two minor characters. Even if we hadn't already learned the story behind Shigure and Kuzuryu's friendship, who on Earth cares which one of them wins the match? Judging by the dialogue, even the characters realize that the battle is a total waste of time. If not a single one of the people in your show cares about the outcome of a competition, it's safe to assume that no one in the audience will give a rip either.

As idiotic as some of these mistakes may be, they're easily canceled out by the main storyline. I never expected this series to survive a shift toward more serious material, but it handles the change in tone surprisingly well. Eruna's visit to the abandoned photography club goes from innocuous to ominous without missing a beat, and things only get better from there. As simple as Seisa's backstory turns out to be, it goes a long way toward explaining her actions up to this point. It also makes for a strong argument against the club battle system by showing what happens when students can't handle the pressure to succeed. It's not every day that you see a series this lighthearted examine the unintended consequences of its own goofy premise.

This episode opens up a variety of new paths for the remainder of the show to follow. Instead of Eruna saving the day and making peace between Seisa and Otone, she's now the one most at risk from Seisa's unstable powers. Mikagura School Suite has been The Eruna Show for most of the season, but the last few episodes could require a team effort. The series is quickly moving into uncharted territory, and I'm curious to see where it ends up.

Rating: B

Mikagura School Suite is currently streaming on Funimation.

Paul Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow more of his anime-related ramblings on Twitter.