Turkey!-Time to Strike-

Episode 8

If I wasn't already sure I loved Mai (and I was), then I was super sure by the end of this week's episode. Not just because finally learning more about her backstory has made her more endearing, but also because she's just so word-that-rhymes-with-trucking funny. The whole break-in scene might honestly be the funniest moment of the entire series thus far, and we've had some pretty hilarious moments. Its biggest rival, as far as I'm concerned, was back in the second episode, when the girls broke every known law of physics to hurt the thugs with a bowling ball. Let me paint you a picture:

Mai has woken up in the middle of the night, in the Sengoku era, thinking that she hears the distinct sounds of bowling. She and her now thoroughly terrified peers—two of whom, in particular, are keenly aware of just how dangerous the Sengoku era can be—need to examine what's going on, at the risk of it being a thief. Nanase, trying as always to be sensible, grabs a candle so they can actually see what's going on. Nozomi, terrified, grabs Nanase. Leaving Sayuri with little more than a broom. Mai and Rina, meanwhile, grab bowling balls. We've seen bowling balls used as weapons before in this series, so one naturally presumes that's the goal here as well. Until, that is, Nanase asks why. And as though it's the most obvious and natural thing in the world, Mai says it's because if someone's bowling, she wants in. She's not joking, she's being completely earnest, and everyone around her knows it. Perfection. I love her. Wouldn't change a thing about this.

On one hand, I want to see Mai finally break down and come to realize the terror of the situation she and her friends find themselves in. But on the other hand, we couldn't have moments like these if she did, and moments like these are a good and refreshing break between all the tension. To say nothing, again, of the sheer comedy of it. I guess in that sense, I'm conflicted about how I hope her fate turns out.

In any case, this whole exchange eventually leads to the girls discovering, well, “it.” We're not entirely sure yet what “it” is—the hidden room, the fifth sister, a secret bowling alley, or maybe even something else altogether. There are so many possible contenders that I'm honestly not entirely sure which one I think is more likely. As it currently stands, all we know is that whatever “it” is, the others aren't too happy that the girls have found “it,” Suguri has drawn a sword in response, and the episode ends on a 90s-esque dramatic still (foot note: why did anime stop ending episodes like this? It's so cool. We should bring this back).

And until those last five or so minutes, where all of that happens, most of the episode is spent between Mai and Sumomo. In particular, we finally hear the details of what happened to Mai's parents. It's been teased a few times up until now—including, incidentally, another possible contender for funniest moment in the series (the casual, “wait, no, that's your dead parents' bowling ball” bit from a few episodes ago). Still, it's a pretty standard affair, anime parent death: died in a traffic accident on the way to the bowling alley. Sad all the same, but nothing you haven't already seen before if you've seen your fair share of anime.

This episode was weird in that it simultaneously feels like so little and yet so much happened. On one hand, we got the details of Mai's parents, we got another moment of Sumomo saying she's looking for activities she can enjoy alone, and then, of course, the girls discovering “it.” Which is a lot, obviously, but they're all pretty spaced out in the episode itself—which was enjoyable enough. It sets the stage for next week to be big, whatever it's going to be. And given how brutal we've seen this series get, to say nothing of how its whole premise was unexpected in the first place, it really and truly could be anything, and that's so exciting.

Rating:

Turkey!-Time to Strike- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.