Occult Academy (Episode 7):
In the latest episode of Occult Academy, we see Maya running into Ami’s dad. Ami’s dad invites Maya and Kozue over to hang out for an afternoon. After seeing a mysterious report of a crop circle, everyone decides to check it out. Maya meets up with Uchida, and they all decide to come back later that night to see if anything may show up. As they lay in wait we see a UFO appear, and the group begins to chase it. They finally find it stopped at a nearby farm, but once an alien begins to descend, Maya takes a picture with one of the future cell phones and it shows JK. The UFO hoax falls apart as Smile loses control of a crane, and Maya and the rest realize they’ve been duped by Ami’s dad, JK and Smile. Ami’s dad explains he just wanted to see Maya smile like before. Maya becomes infuriated and lashes out at Ami’s dad, which causes Ami to slap her. Ami is then slapped by her father, and the show ends with Ami and Maya at odds with each other.
This was a great episode of character and relationship development. We saw how Maya used to really be in to the occult as a kid. We also saw how Maya’s current attitude is affecting her relationships with others. There were a couple times I thought the animation for Maya was not up to par, but it was not enough to warrant concern.
Strike Witches 2 (Episode 7):
A brand new bath has been installed in the base for the girls, but as they try to enjoy it, a Neuroi has invaded the base. Just the size of a bug, the Neuroi begins taking out the power to the base. Not satisfied with just that, it begins to invade all the girls pantsu. Yes that’s right, the bug is perverted and likes to invade the girls underwear and nether regions. This is all an excuse for another episode where the sole focus seems to be the fan-service. The girls try and chase down the Neuroi before a larger one reaches the base. How do they defeat it you ask? Why, one of them just lifts her underwear up so fast and hard it kills the Neuroi.
Sadly, I wish I was making my synopsis of the episode up, but it was that bad. If you are only watching for the fan-service, you’ll love it. If you are like me and actually enjoyed the balance of the first season with fan-service and a good story, this episode will turn you off. I almost turned it off as I was watching it.
K-On!! (Episode 20):
Finally the day of Houkago Tea Time’s concert is here. All the girls are decked out in their new outfits and right as Yui trips up on stage, the curtain rises and the concert begins. They quickly realize everyone in the crowd are wearing the same shirts. After initial confusion, then utter excitement, they immediately jump into their first song, which is “The Side Dish Is A Whole Meal”. The song is performed without a hitch and despite the lyrics, is very catchy. Yui gets carried away during the next break between songs, and then they end up performing “Fuwa Fuwa Time”, which we don’t get to hear much of. They get to introducing the band-mates and Mugi-chan is adorable as she gets excited from the crowd’s enthusiasm. The finally get to the final song, entitled “U & I”, which is a smash hit, and I must say one of their best songs to date. The show ends with the girls in the club room discussing the show. They suddenly start talking about future plans as if they will continue this forever, and then reality hits them that it will end soon. They start crying and hugging each other until they pass out from exhaustion.
This was an amazing episode. The music was fantastic, and the emotions were dead on. When they were getting excited during their concert, I was pumped up. When they were sad and crying at the end, I genuinely felt sad for them. Best episode of the season!
