Mikagura School Suite

Episode 8

Recovering from a weak episode can be tough, but the most reliable way to get an anime series back on track is to lean on whatever made the show worthwhile in the first place. In the case of Mikagura School Suite, that means giving the story a fresh shot of energy and letting the characters run amok. Minor concerns like logic and common sense can be put on the back burner, as long as the series recaptures its quirky charm in the process.

With the rookie battle tournament finally wrapped up, the first year students are grouped into pairs and sent off on a treasure hunt around the school grounds. (Do these kids ever actually go to class?) Eruna finds herself conveniently paired up with Otone, and a trek across the campus gives her a chance to pester the mysterious new girl until she finally opens up a bit. Otone decides to drop out of the hunt after a few encounters with Eruna's odd circle of friends, but the two girls manage to reach an understanding just in time to fight a giant Mecha-Bimii. They may be the last pair to complete the treasure hunt, but at least Eruna and Otone agree to start a new club together. Sometimes all it takes to cement a friendship is a good cup of tea and a rampaging cat robot.

The treasure hunt provides the jolt of energy that Mikagura School Suite so desperately needed after last week's episode. From a narrative perspective, it gives the characters something to do instead of just farting around aimlessly. The pageantry of the event also lets the show play around with some of its established character dynamics. Former rivals are teamed up with amusing results, a few of the older students get to break out of their usual roles, and Eruna is able to spend the episode driving Otone up the wall. It's silly and disjointed, but this series is at its best when it doesn't care about making sense.

Otone is more tolerable in this episode, but she's still not quite as likable as the show wants her to be. We already know that her odd personality is a shield for the lonely person behind it, and the show's insistence on driving that point home repeatedly starts to wear on the nerves. The good news is that the rest of the cast is more than able to pick up the slack. Eruna remains lovably delusional, and the robot version of Bimii is delightfully ridiculous. Between Seisa reluctantly warming up to Eruna and the club presidents completely failing to run a refreshment stand, the upperclassmen pull their weight as well. The show has reached the point where the audience has some idea of what to expect from each character, and there's a good amount of humor to be found by playing with those expectations.

This episode offers several hints that Seisa and Otone will end up fighting over Eruna at some point, and part of me dreads having to watch that feud play out. The writing in Mikagura School Suite just isn't up to the task of supporting a triangle of quasi-romantic angst, and taking this storyline seriously could prove disastrous. On the other hand, it could make a decent source of comedy if it's used sparingly. After all of Eruna's grand speeches about wanting to surround herself with cute girls, it might be fun to see how poorly she handles having two people actually fight for her attention.

The actual plot of this episode is full of holes, and the animation remains inconsistent at best, but this is still a remarkable recovery for Mikagura School Suite. The show is back on track for the moment, and a decent action scene is all it would take to get this thing firing on all cylinders. I still wouldn't call it a must-watch series, but this episode should come as a welcome relief for anyone who's already in it for the long haul.

Rating: B

Mikagura School Suite is currently streaming on Funimation.

Paul Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow more of his anime-related ramblings on Twitter.