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Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
Episode 6

by Paul Jensen,

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches was written with an excellent understanding of the teenage brain. I humbly submit the following scene as evidence: Yamada and company get their hands on the power of telepathy and need to figure out how it works. Rather than the obvious “can you hear me now,” Miyamura tests the new ability by bombarding Yamada's mind with the word “boobs” over and over. If that's not an accurate depiction of two teenage guys messing around with psychic powers, I don't know what is.

The supernatural studies club heads to the school's summer clubhouse this week. I'm not sure what kind of high school has such a lavish beach resort, but there are certainly worse places to go looking for the second part of the witch notebook. The only problem is that they won't be able to get into the storeroom that holds the book until Yamada can pass his remedial exams. As he struggles to escape summer school, Yamada runs into the next witch on the list. The terminally shy Otsuka has the power of telepathy, and that ability to send and receive messages could be the key to passing the test. It's hardly the most ethical way to approach exams, but poor Yamada needs all the help he can get.

Telepathy doesn't seem like it should be as compelling an ability as switching bodies, but Otsuka's power is used to tremendous comedic effect. While she can barely string a sentence together in person, her personality changes drastically once she's inside someone's head. Otsuka barks out orders like a drill sergeant, all while continuing to blush and fumble around awkwardly. The contrast is very funny, and the comedy only gets better once Yamada spreads the telepathic link to the rest of the supernatural studies club. Yamada's attempts to picture people's faces in order to send them messages are hilariously pathetic, and Miyamura and Ito rub salt in the would by chatting incessantly while he's trying to take the test. For such a simple premise, the show manages to get a lot of mileage out of Otsuka's power.

Even as it looks to entertain, this episode manages to sneak in a healthy dose of character development. As funny as Otsuka's drill sergeant persona may be, it also offers an interesting look at who she is. However terrified she is of Yamada in person, that telepathic link is her space. Being the best at communicating through that medium gives Otsuka a foundation of confidence to stand on and allows her to take the lead in helping everyone else cheat their way out of summer school. As Yamada observes toward the end of the episode, these powers aren't being handed out arbitrarily. Each one seems uniquely tailored to help a witch achieve a goal or overcome some kind of difficulty. Rather than just allowing the show to do cool things, the powers become a way of adding depth to new characters.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches does a lot of things right in this episode, but there are still a handful of moments where the show doesn't seem comfortable in its own skin. I get the impression that the series would prefer to do without its occasional moments of fanservice. This episode contains the obligatory “frolic on the beach” and “girls cavorting in the bath” scenes, and both of them are rushed through at maximum speed. It's as if they were only included to satisfy a producer, and neither scene leaves any impression beyond wasted time. If you're going to include these scenes, at least take the time to give them some entertainment value. As it stands, the show seems to shout, “Look! Boobs, bikinis, and shirtless guys! There, can we move on now?” It'd be better to just cut those scenes entirely than to phone them in for the sake of checking them off the list.

Despite the occasional pet peeve, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches continues to impress me with its overall quality. There's no singular point of appeal here, just a lot of simple things working together to deliver good, rowdy fun. Bring on the next witch.

Rating: B+

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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


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