Invaders of the Rokujyōma!?

Episode 10

If there's one thing that Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? excels at, it's finding a way to make an old premise feel fresh and entertaining. This episode may cover plenty of familiar comedic ground, but it manages to have much more fun in the process than anyone could reasonably expect.

At one point or another, we've all seen an anime comedy take a children's stage show and let the characters' outlandish personalities run it completely off the rails. While not at the same level of ubiquity as the obligatory beach episode, it's a commonly used scene that should be more or less played out. Even some of the jokes that Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? uses (the kids like the villain, all the heroes show up in the same costume) are borrowed from other shows, but it still manages to deliver a steady stream of laughter.

Part of the reason this scene is successful is that most of the characters have had a chance to evolve and endear themselves to the audience by this point in the season. Our familiarity with the characters lets us join the crowd of wisecracking kids in poking fun at everyone's attempts to keep the play going. The scene unfolds with just the right level of chaos to entertain without being obnoxious.

With the hero show wrapped up, the rest of the episode focuses on developing Kiriha, the only invader who hasn't yet had her own story arc. As with most of the other girls, she becomes much more likable once we get a chance to see beyond her initial role as the Improbably Busty Character. Her plan to “invade” the surface world turns out to be both clever and unexpected. It's a pleasant moment of sanity in a series that's seen some pretty over the top schemes. Assuming the story behind Kiriha's treasured trading card doesn't turn out to be too contrived, this could end up being one of the series' better story arcs.

The best part of Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? continues to be its attention to the small details that other shows might gloss over. There's a great little throwaway scene where Sanae and YURiKA rush home at the end of the school day to watch a magical girl show on TV. There's something undeniably amusing about a real magical girl being excited to follow the adventures of a fictional one, but the scene does more than just elicit a chuckle or two. It shows that even as we focus on one character's troubles, the rest of the cast are going on with their lives and forming attachments with one another. In doing so, it makes the world of the series feel alive, rather than simply being a place for the plot to unfold in.

It's not a particularly ground-breaking series, but Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? has gradually become a fine example of how to make old ideas feel new again. It consistently refuses to simply go through the motions, and that effort continues to pay off in subtle yet significant ways.

Rating: B+

Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Paul Jensen also covers anime and manga at SharkPuppet.com.