Shōnen Maid

Episode 11

Even though Chihiro and Madoka's encounter with Kazusa at the tail end of last week's installment appeared to signal the start of a cour-ending conflict, it looks like the fight with the elder Takatoris is being put on the backburner for the time being. Instead, Shōnen Maid's penultimate outing is a fairly laidback experience—even by this show's standards. As it turns out, Kazusa's big reveal hasn't done much to upset the series' comfortable status quo.

Noticeably shaken by their grave site meeting with Granny Takatori, Chihiro and Madoka become quiet, introspective, and socially withdrawn. When the hyper-capable Chihiro exhibits strange behavior at school, Yuuji and Miyako are quick to act, organizing a sakura viewing party at Madoka's estate and inviting nearly every supporting character we've been introduced to thus far. Predictably, this brings the boys out of their respective funks, though Madoka still seems upset by episode's end. I initially thought his disdain for his mother was tied directly to her treatment of Chiyo, but as we're shown in a brief flashback, she may not have been the most nurturing figure during her children's adolescence. It's entirely possible that the bad blood between these two began long before Chiyo was disowned by the main family, and it's interesting to learn that this strained mother/son relationship may be even more complex than we first thought.

I'm not sure this story needed to cover the entire runtime. I understand that Kazusa revealing her identity to Chihiro represented a big development for this series, but if what we were shown is the entirety of the immediate aftermath, I think it would have worked better as a half-episode segment. Had the writing fleshed things out with more well-placed flashbacks or offered a little more insight into the circumstances surrounding Chiyo's estrangement, giving this story the full-episode treatment would be more justified. As it stands, episode 11 is needlessly slow in certain spots, and its first half has a meandering feel.

Additionally, gathering all the characters in one place doesn't produce as many laughs as you might expect. Given the wildly contrasting personalities at play, it's natural to assume we'd be in for some top-tier comedy, but the few interactions we get are pretty subdued. Grandpa Hino telling Ryuji his singing sucks and encouraging the normally straight-laced Keiichiro to get plastered are probably the funniest moments to come out of the viewing party. Aside from that, none of the jokes quite land or offer up anything unexpected. It feels like with a little more polish, this gathering could have served as the backdrop for one of the show's funniest episodes. Despite its oft-noted lack of originality, Shōnen Maid is pretty good at situational humor, and it feels like a prime opportunity to showcase this was largely squandered this week.

This week's Shōnen Maid is more of a pleasant outing than an eventful storyline. While that generally isn't a problem for me, I thought the show would shake things up a bit heading into the finale. I wouldn't even mind the lack of plot development had the overall execution been better. Still, this is Shōnen Maid we're talking about—even with the humor toned down and a premise that's even less ambitious than the sitcom boilerplate we've grown accustomed to, episode 11 is a pleasant enough diversion.

Rating: C+

Shōnen Maid is currently streaming on Funimation.

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