A Binding… Cross (Hard Study) (Episode 5):
Rikka has failed yet another math test and her teacher is growing concerned fearing that in her obligation to the FEMS club she is neglecting to study, it is suggested that if Rikka cannot improve then the club should be disbanded.
Rikka suggests that if the club were to clean the school’s pool perhaps there would be reason enough to not disband the group, however, in typical fashion the club members spend the whole time playing around rather than cleaning. For some reason, I just can’t shake the feeling that this scene may have been for the purposes of fan service rather than plot, but hey who am I to say.
Left with nowhere to run, Rikka is forced to study if she ever wishes to reach the mandated class average score. Yutta decides that he will help Rikka study, but as you might expect this just leads to the two getting distracted, leading to Yuuta discovering how Rikka has been feeling lonely since moving to her new home. As motivation for the test Yuuta says that he will create a cool email handle for her if she can pass the math test.
After the test, Rikka ends up scoring quite poorly, fortunately for her, however, so does the entire class, lowering the needed average and therefore allowing the FEMS club to stay together.
Rather than existing only to pander to the fans, this episode does – to some degree- highlight the growing closeness of Rikka and Yuuta, especially showcased through the Rikka getting her new email handle in a very touching scene.
The Atoned… Messiah (Innocent) (Episode 6):
This episode takes time away from Rikka and her shenanigans to focus more on Yutta and his other friend, Makoto Isshiki, the wannabe lady killer. Makoto receives what he assumes is a love note and thinking that is might be from Shinka, decides that it would be best if he talked to Yuuta.
However, while searching for Yuuta in the FEMS clubroom Makoto pay witness to Shinka’s true nature as a grade A jerk. Shinka then begins to threaten Makoto into forgetting what he saw and in the process causing him to lose his notebook containing the secret ranking of the girls in the class.
It is not long before the notebook is discovered and the entire class goes into interrogation mode, grilling all the boys in an attempt to find the culprit. In an effort to save the other boys from punishment Makoto claims ownership of the notebook, naming himself as the sole culprit. Mistakenly offering to shave his head as penance for his crime, but it’s too little too late as Makoto is reluctantly forced to shave all his hair off.
With begrudging misery and his new hairstyle, Makoto makes his way to the meeting spot designated in the love note, but to no avail as the mysterious author makes no appearance. Later that night Yuuta is approached by Rikka’s older sister, Tooka, who asks him to join her and Rikka over summer vacation.
This episode is a nice break from the usual business, fleshing out some of the minor characters and setting up the situation for the upcoming summer vacation “arc”. I found the humour in this episode to be charming and lighthearted, Although I have to say that with only 12 episodes, it’s a bit of a shame to lose one of those episodes to something that doesn’t add a great deal to the plot.
Thanks for reading!
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