Mayonaka Punch

Episodes 9-10

Greetings from my sickbed everyone. You're joining me during probably the worst I've felt physically in years, so apologies if these reviews aren't quite as punctual as I'd like them to be. I'm still recovering and hacking up things you don't want to hear about, so I'd ask that we all approach this situation with kindness, patience, and enough probiotics to make an elephant regular.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) episode 09 doesn't offer a lot to chew on, which is good when I'm still not back up to solid foods. You'd think a visit to Masaki's house would offer some insight into who she is or how she sees the world, but the excursion is more of a diversion than anything, as each of the Vampires tries out playing the older sister and learning that Masaki was always a selfish jerk. We learn intriguing things about her family life – her parents divorced at some point and they spent some time living in a single-parent household – and the ultimate resolution is “Masaki's sister has her back.” That's cute, but not a lot to dig into.

What is worth digging into is Yuki's secret gaming signal. It's funny, since she's fully subsumed by retro games, and that always makes for some good visual gags. It's what that retro-obsession retrosents (geddit) that intrigues me. Just about every title seems to be a leftover from her old days, when she had a real problem with them. All at once that tells us a lot about who Yuki was and who she is today. She's got the discipline to restrain herself, but is also doing so by limiting her options and not naturally branching out into her hobbies again like a certain other somebody….

Surprisingly, Masaki's run-in with her former partners goes... well? Like, shockingly well. So well it's almost suspicious and forces me to tune out that little motor in my brain that's constantly expecting things to go wrong. It's almost a little sad how well all three have moved on after they stopped working together, but sometimes that's the truth of things. A professional relationship can become toxic much faster than a personal one, and sometimes extracting everyone from that scenario is what everyone needs. Hyped-Up Sisters have found a working setup that works for them and are happy for Masaki and MayoPan's success!

It's perhaps oddly un-dramatic. It's a somewhat awkward reunion for folks who still want to be friends. Probably the most striking moment is when Masaki jerks out of frame from a camera, in a reaction I doubt she fully recognizes. First, it was a necessity – nobody was going to follow a channel with her in the thumbnails. Now, it's a compulsion; a psychological flinch to hide herself because she's internalized her very image as toxic. Yet it's not until she finally finds the courage to go on camera again that the reality of it all hits.

See, Masaki may be ready to get back on that horse again, but it has spent months eating fermented oats and poorly sealed energy drinks, and is raring to take her for a ride. The internet never forgets, especially not in a few months. While Masaki's personal and professional relations have made her peace with what she's done, there's a whole group of increasingly furious netizens who have taken her actions personally. That should prove an interesting final battle for MayoPan to conquer. Let's hope they don't get caught up under the horse's hooves.

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Mayonaka Punch is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.