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Sweetness & Lightning
Episode 9

by Amy McNulty,

How would you rate episode 9 of
Sweetness & Lightning ?
Community score: 4.3

In keeping with the standard set by last week's installment, Sweetness & Lightning delivers another solidly entertaining but incredibly formulaic episode. While I enjoyed episode 9 immensely, there's no denying that it's about as by-the-books as this series gets. As usual, the first half offers us a small glimpse into the Inuzukas' personal lives, while the latter portion of the episode is built around food prep. In other words, if more of the same is what you're after, this week's Sweetness & Lightning should be right up your alley.

While attending a class-wide sleepover at her kindergarten, Tsumugi reveals herself to be something of a curry snob, describing the standard-grade curry she and her classmates cook up as “regular.” In Tsumugi's mind, nothing can top the dry curry her late mother used to make, so predictably, Kohei and Kotori decide to turn recreating Tae's recipe into their next project. When the episode began, I actually thought the entirety of this week's misadventure would be set at the kindergarten, with “regular” curry serving as the featured dish. Kohei and Tsumugi putting their newly-acquired culinary prowess to good use and making the class a tasty meal would have been a nice change of pace, but if there's one thing you can count on with this show, it's a two-act structure.

There's not a whole lot to say about this week's food prep segment. Aside from Tsumugi having a mini-meltdown in response to not being able to use an “adult” knife without her father's supervision, the gang didn't experience any real hitches this time around. (It was also hilarious that she was so tuckered out after chopping just one vegetable despite her father doing the most of the legwork.) In fact, this may have been the most incident-free meal they've put together thus far. Tsumugi even loves the stuff so much that she's willing to overlook her previously-established hatred of green peppers. The only thing that really sets episode 9 apart from the pack is the raw emotion Tsumugi displays when she reflects on the fact that Tae isn't coming back. Ultimately, recreating the curry was a double-edged sword. While it served to remind Tsumugi of happier times, it also drove home the fact that Tae is truly gone. Whereas previous episodes have avoided addressing the true toll Tae's passing took on her daughter, this one tackled the issue head-on, albeit briefly.

Although she doesn't say a word, a lot about Tae's character can be gleaned through the brief flashback in which she appears. In the span of several seconds, she makes a handful of goofy missteps while prepping her family's now-idealized curry. Granted, she calls to mind the saintly-but-slightly-goofy deceased parents that appear in a lot of anime, but since she functions more as a lot device than anything else, I suppose she doesn't need to be a fully fleshed-out character. The happy memory associated with the dish underscores the loss Tsumugi feels and the flurry of emotions that follow this kind of tragedy.

If you're still on board with Sweetness & Lightning's established formula, you'll find a lot to like this week. As things stand, I wouldn't mind seeing more attempts to change things up, but I still find the show's usual routine entertaining enough that the lack of ingenuity has yet to become an issue.

Rating: B+

Sweetness & Lightning is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for over two decades.


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