Love Tyrant

Episode 9

After all the action and plot development of that last arc, it's time for a more reflective, character-based interlude for Love Tyrant. Yuzu once again takes center stage in a more subdued story for the series, hearkening back to her turn at drama back in Episode 4. However, by actually involving all the now-developed characters this time around now that the show has gotten its sea legs, this attempt works out a lot better than that previous one.

As with the last episode, the two portions of this one make up one full-length story, as Shikimi transfers into Akane and Seiji's class in a motherly-motivated attempt to disrupt the main foursome's relationship. That rapidly complicating love square is the key to this whole story that makes it all end up working, as the characters get to play off each other from all sorts of angles. Shikimi manipulates Yuzu's growing feelings for Seiji to try to wreak discord in the group, while Seiji promises to deepen his relationship with Akane if she will learn to get along with Guri. This is easily the most involved the whole cast has been with each other in the space of a single episode so far in the series.

These interactions and their value in developing the characters speaks to how far they've come at this point. Love Tyrant is still a dumb spoof version of classic harem anime at its heart, but these characters have had the opportunity to grow into their roles now, and their interpersonal drama feels as natural as their comedic chemistry. Akane and Guri's antagonism has been the baseline of their relationship for a while now, so it feels like there's something at stake when Seiji advocates for them to overcome it. More than that, Yuzu's complicated splitting of affections between Seiji and Akane has been brewing in the background for so long that when it comes out in a full dramatic confession this week, it actually lands because of the build-up.

Indeed, Love Tyrant never takes itself too seriously, but drama and characteristic reflection is the focus in this episode, meaning the actual comedy gets left on the back-burner once again. Thankfully, this isn't so much of a problem this time. The show makes excellent use of ongoing background gags (mainly Guri's antics) to make sure the drama never gets too heavy, and because we know how amusing these characters are now, the general absurdity of the whole love polygon lands in a way that doesn't feel like it's wasting our time. Shikimi in her usual villain role definitely assists in pushing things along. I can't overstate how happy I am that she hasn't just been added to the harem as was originally alluded; she's much more effective as a catalyst for the main characters' relationship development.

While definitely more low-key in its humor than usual, the episode does get a boost from the places it's willing to go as absurd as the subject matter will allow. The school play at the end is the most obvious example, with the acting disparities between Shikimi, Akane, and Guri speaking for themselves as comedy (and what is up with Guri's costume?), as well as just running with Seiji in the tree costume the entire time (even after the play is over!). The second half of the episode has so much more to do with both jokes and drama, but it only gets there because the first half's setup was executed with such confidence.

This all leads to a decently unconventional resolution to the myriad red strings of fate our harem of heroes has found tied around their fingers. Akane's acceptance of Yuzu's complicating feelings for both her and Seiji is a unique reveal that feels true to the spirit of both the character and the show, and having Shikimi's plotting defeated by the sheer honesty of the affection between these sisters is definitely satisfying. More satisfying and surprising is Akane's absurd spur-of-the-moment attempt to patch things up with Guri to earn her reward from Seiji. That's got to be one of the funniest harem kiss scenes I've seen in all my travails with the genre. (Love Tyrant actually seems to have a knack for funny kisses, now that I think about it.) Her impulsive choice and the resulting comical fallout also shines a light on the deepening intricacies of the relationship between the main characters and where they might end up going.

As a parody of the harem genre, Love Tyrant has allowed itself to get unconventional with its takes on those tropey trappings, and this episode in particular dances around the expected idea of someone only having feelings for one person. Yuzu's entire conflict this episode is built on her being unsure if she's in love with Akane or Seiji, but Akane's reassurance (and subsequent absurd smooch with Guri) at the end indicates that at least she understands it's not so black and white. Yuzu's declaration of the complexity of her her feelings for Seiji at the very end of the episode also plays into this concept of multi-faceted romantic connections. Guri and her uncertainty over what romance really means remains the one wild card to be dealt with in this foursome. However, with Sagiri still scheming to use their potential devotion to each other against them for her purposes, it wouldn't surprise me if Love Tyrant takes an alternative path to the convention of choosing just one relationship for its main characters. This episode showed that the main moresome's strengths actually come from their myriad connections of various types of affection, and they certainly embraced it to a degree here, thanks to the surprising softening of Akane's previously single-target romance. Maybe the best ending for this harem square will be for them all to realize they just love each other.

Rating: B+

Love Tyrant is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.