Gorilla God's Go-To Girl

Episode 9

It's a good thing that the gorilla god is such a fun character because, by this point, it feels clear that The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl is less about Sophia becoming a knight and more about how everyone loves her. While I'm mildly disappointed, it's not more than that because I think the series is still a lot of fun, even as it eschews what I thought was going to be the plot in favor of throwing more guys at the already-taken Sophia. If nothing else, it's interesting to see some of the little world-building details, like the fact that all of Adler's shirts are open in the back to accommodate his wings. That's the sort of thing that a lot of series with animal-trait people don't bother to consider – or at least don't bother to show; the Hyper Police and A Centaur's Life manga were both striking in the fact that they showed that piece of their characters' lives. (Does anyone else remember Hyper Police? No? Just me?) But this series has consistently done so without any fanfare, from Louis losing his clothes when he goes squirrelly to Adler's shirts, and the quiet way that's slipped in is very nice.

Speaking of shirts, what a surprise that most of this beach episode involved them. Only a few of the strapping young men (like Gilbert) took their shirts off entirely; most of them, like Isaac, just wore them open over their swim trunks. Was it a way to avoid having to draw male nipples? Was it meant to be a statement about the clothing of the story's world? The Carissa Squad may have been wearing bathing suits, but they were remarkably covered by anime standards. Given that this was presumably the fanservice episode, it definitely felt a little odd that so much fanservice potential was ignored. But I really appreciate that Sophia wasn't stuck in a swimsuit because that would have felt out of character for her. She is a girl who wore her old, out-of-style gown to the ball because her new one felt too flashy with its strapless top. There's no way she'd be comfortable putting on a bathing suit in front of scads of guys. Allowing her to wear her regular knight clothes is a kindness and one that I feel someone was considering when they made a choice to have her on the medic team rather than competing. Sure, her gorilla powers would likely blow everyone else out of the water, but not making her parade around in a bathing costume as the only woman among men is still thoughtful and takes her shyness and comfort into account.

The plot itself this week is just okay. There are fun moments like Eddy cross-dressing to trap Adler during the paintball competition. The moment when he whisks off his wig and says his name is probably the best in the episode. (And kudos to Eddy's voice actor, Takuma Nagatsuka; he really sold the bit.) There were some disconnects, of course, such as Isaac not liking the water when his dog god is specifically shown as either a labrador or a golden retriever, which are both water dogs in the extreme. There are absolutely dogs who don't like water – my Max won't even go outside if it's raining – but those two breeds aren't it. I'm also not sure why Araignée couldn't use her webs to help get at least herself if not the other girls, out of the water or prevent them from falling in in the first place. Carissa could still have been left behind in need of rescue while allowing Araignée to shine for a moment.

But none of that is really important as far as the script is concerned. What we need to see is all of the knights fighting over Sophia while Eddy figures out that there's something going on between her and Louis. His comment to Isaac about reading the room when the two of them barge onto the balcony at the end of the episode may be the most significant development of the week. Even if he doesn't know that they're dating, he's figured out that Louis likes Sophia and that she's not averse to his affections. I think he's going to have to take Isaac aside and let him know before too long – that poor puppy is going to get his heart broken one way or another. Here's hoping his god can console him like a good pup.

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The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Sundays.