Invaders of the Rokujyōma!?

Episode 9

With another story arc wrapped up, Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? continues to carry on quite nicely. This week's episode resolves the showdown between YURiKA and Maki and finally offers a hint at what makes Koutarou's tiny apartment so special. As we've come to expect over the course of the season, there's a nice mix of competent dramatic writing and quietly amusing humor.

YURiKA's battle with Maki plays out in a fairly predictable fashion, with one major exception. Following a surprising revelation, Koutarou finds himself in possession of enough power to be a legitimate participant in the fight. There have been hints dropped here and there that he isn't the perfectly normal guy he appears to be, and he's certainly been in the middle of previous supernatural showdowns before. What's different about this episode is that Koutarou appears to be able to fight without outside assistance. Instead of ghost-busting good luck charms or alien body armor, this newfound magical firepower seems to be his own. Some special property of the apartment is clearly involved, but Maki's assessment of Koutarou implies that he himself is a formidable opponent. If that's the case, it has the potential to shake things up as the story develops.

YURiKA gets a chance to grow as a character in this episode, and she feels like less of a walking cosplay punchline by the end. This plotline is less emotionally powerful than the one focused on Sanae, but I'm beginning to suspect that those episodes gained an unfair advantage by airing first. Now that we know Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? can deliver effective personal drama, we expect it to do so on a regular basis. As a result, subsequent storylines have had to work harder in order to achieve the same level of viewer engagement.

One potential issue that's been looming over the past few weeks is the sheer level of sci-fi and fantasy firepower held by the main characters. Each girl's enemy has been a match for her one-on-one, but it's becoming clear that annoying all the apartment hunters at once is a very dangerous decision. Having the whole cast roll in to save the day at the end of every other episode works for a while, but it's been slowly lowering the stakes in the show's action sequences. At some point, the whole affair becomes a matter of waiting for the cavalry to ride in and beat up the villain of the week.

On the whole, Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? still has plenty of momentum. With only one major character left to send into the spotlight, the series will soon be forced to buckle down and move the story along. Departing from its tried-and-true formula will be a risk, but the show's been strong enough in its storytelling to support a healthy amount of optimism.

Rating: B

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

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