Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs

Episode 5

Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs is not going to be remembered as a great show, but it's at its best when it achieves what it did in its first episode: a good balance of sexy antics and genuine sentiment. Episode 5 mostly recaptures that form, especially in its first half.

I'd even say that a couple of scenes in the first half of this episode mark the high points of the series since Yuuna and Kogarashi's nighttime talk in episode 1. The overall scenario addresses a potential major issue for the series, that Chisaki can't see Yuuna. I had honestly expected that the series would drag out that situation for all kinds of running jokes, but I am happy to see that it has opted instead to not keep an absolute wall of contact between them. When Chisaki gets interested in communicating with Yuuna, I had at first expected Yuuna to possess Kogarashi or for her to act as an intermediary, but then they realize that they can communicate through writing, since Yuuna apparently has fine enough control over her poltergeist ability (when not freaking out!) that she can write. While this otherwise-creepy situation is partly played for laughs as Chisaki reacts to Yuuna's description of living with Kogarashi, there's also a certain sweetness to the two girls being able to communicate like friends. Chisaki's willingness to let Yuuna touch her to learn about her school uniform is a convenient fanservice excuse, but it also leads to one of the two non-sexy standout moments of the episode when Yuuna allows Chisaki to touch her back so she can imagine what she looks like. The finishing stroke was one of the final scenes of the segment, when Yuuna eschewed using the notepad and directly traced words onto Chisaki's hand. Moments like that boost the series up to being a little more than just an old-school harem series.

Some of that sincerity also shows in the second half, albeit to a lesser degree. With Sagiri and Yaya getting their time in the spotlight last episode, now it's the busty and drunken Nonko's turn. We find out that Nonko actually makes her living as a shojo manga artist who takes her work seriously enough that she will actually cease drinking when on a deadline. That doesn't stop her from dragging Kogarashi into some sexy antics under the guise of “reference pictures,” and this also brings Nonko's female editor into the picture for the first time and reveals that Nonko is a retired yokai hunter, who only fell into being a manga-ka after trying many other things first. The feeling of connection to her is nowhere near as strong as the scenes between Chisaki and Yuuna earlier, but it still fleshes Nonko out more and places her character in a more favorable perspective.

Of course, the episode doesn't miss its opportunities for more fanservice throughout this. Being touched by someone you can't see is an age-old fetish that lies at the heart of blindfold play among other things, but Chisaki may have discovered a new supernatural variant when Yuuna strips her down; Nonko also does some flashing of her own in addition to the standard accidental compromising positions. Overall, this episode readily meets its fanservice quota while retaining emotional sincerity. For a largely plotless harem romcom, could you ask for much more?

Rating: B

Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.