Kamisama Kiss 2

Episode 7

Kamisama Kiss has always shone when it showcases "slice of (supernatural) life" with a healthy mix of comedy and drama. This week's installment does just that, making it one of the best episodes of the season so far. It also helps that the episode is focused on a single story that has the potential to expand into something more.

Kurama travels with Nanami and Tomoe to take Botanmaru home to Mount Kurama, as the non-spiritual world's air is poisoning the little tengu. The first half of the episode dwells on Kurama's memories of his own experiences growing up on the mountain, including the abuse he faced by others, and his encounter with the one kindhearted tengu to become his salvation, SUIRO. Although the time the show dedicates to Kurama's painful past and the depth of his relationship with SUIRO is limited, this episode is a testament to the series' ability to move viewers, as the pain Kurama feels at his own mistakes and the sacrifices SUIRO made for him become evident.

Still, just when the show is becoming too dramatic, and you're starting to notice Nanami's absence, the second half of the episode shifts to the group's arrival at Mount Kurama. SUIRO is clearly enamored with Kurama upon his return, and glowers at Nanami every time she dares to address him. Even the ever-optimistic Nanami notices his as-yet-unexplained disdain, which plays very humorously considering his otherwise sweet and docile nature. Nanami stumbles upon a trio of young tengu and does what she does best: endure some teasing at their hands before quickly winning them over with her burgeoning skills as a land god. Jiro, the tengu most responsible for Kurama's childhood trauma and a man who's clearly not evolved from his days of bullying young tengu in the name of eradicating weakness, appears just long enough to establish him as a new threat to Kurama's happiness and the Nanami/Tomoe relationship.

The overarching menace of Akura-oh is noticeably absent, but the show doesn't need to check in with him every week to remind us that he's probably going to be this season's biggest antagonist. In fact, the previous episode suffered when it showed him briefly in the middle of a scattershot series of stories. However, Akura-oh's devious (and gluttonous) new servant Yatori does make an appearance, so they're clearly planting the seeds for bad things to come this arc. The show hit the viewer a little too hard over the head last week with the idea that Yatori might not be truly loyal to Akura-oh, and I can't help but wonder what the former's true intentions really are.

Kamisama Kiss 2 needs more episodes like this one. Balancing humor with drama without wandering from its focus, episode 7 is only missing some Nanami and Tomoe romance. Still, Tomoe is along for the ride, and with the blush that colored Jiro's cheeks at the sight of Nanami standing before a freshly-blossomed tree, the episode effectively laid its groundwork for more romantic entanglements.

Rating: A-

Kamisama Kiss 2 is currently streaming on Funimation.

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