Well it’s an episode late, but this was pretty much what I expected to happen. There was just no avoiding this. Slowly, but surely Banri continued slipping away. By the end you are just hoping that he could hang in there long enough to make it through the dance. He was clearly going, but at least it was nice that he could avoid causing the club additional trouble.

I had to wonder if Banri reverted to the guy who got injured or back when he was 6 years old. Not that I don’t get how insane it’d be to suddenly appear somewhere not knowing anything that’s going on and being extremely confused….but past Banri really is annoying. I mean running around, looking like he’s going to throw up, crying out for Linda, etc. I swear he must have been confessing to Linda to become his eternal babysitter back then. Really should feel worse for him, but old Banri never really had any moments when he seemed like an interesting person.

This was definitely the episode where the effect of Banri vanishing could be seen best. We finally got to see more of Kouko’s expressions to be able to make out what she was thinking. I really do feel it was a mixture of things that pushed her to this point. In the end the result is that she’s also hurting quite a bit from the decision she made and the situation. I’m sure from her words that she thought it’d be easier on Banri to not have her around and thus she had that bit blow up with everyone and tried to pull out of the club. In the end it’s probably eating Kouko up seeing Banri vanish before her very eyes and either way there not being anything she could do about it.

Those last words really said it all. If Banri could somehow stay himself and not lose his memories of her she’d want to stay with him forever. Give her the ring that was pretty well a proposal right there. But before anything can happen, Banri’s situation has got to be stabilized. Going to take a lot of strength for Kouko to help get Banri back. Could just see how utterly devastating it was when he reverted for that short period of time with her and Mitsuo. Just a terrible moment.

Was interesting seeing how people came together and developed when pressured by this situation. 2D-kun deserves the most praise really. He didn’t have much information, but knew that Kouko was forcing herself to stay away from Banri and that things were getting pretty bad. He’s certainly not in the mix when it comes to any relationships, but he cares about his friends and will go through a wall to try and pull them back together. I’m sure if anyone will give Kouko a kick in the rear to get her going after Banri it will be him.

While we didn’t see Mitsuo much, he did get some good development. Of course he was angry and probably confused by what he heard last episode. It took Kouko of course acting behind the scenes to fill him in and get him back on their side. I’m sure he knew this wasn’t time to get angry about secrets or anything else. His friend was disappearing and he had to at least do whatever he could. Helping out the club was a nice touch and it was a nice little moment with him and Banri. Seeing a friend vanish is just a horrible thing and he tried his best to let Banri know he’s on his side. May not have stopped him from vanishing, but that’s another bond that might help pull him back.

I’m not surprised Linda got so pissed off at times. For her being handed Banri like leftovers would be aggravating. I’m still not sure how she’s dealing with this situation or what her position is. While she certainly was more attached to the older Banri, she’s spent a long time with this one too. Having to lose another Banri can’t be enjoyable. I kind of wonder what she’s going to do anyways. If Banri’s rebooted it’s right back to him wanting an answer from her. But I can’t imagine she’s ready to do anything especially considering Kouko.

And of course Chinami is hurting as well, just that she wasn’t a major focus this time around. I’m sure she’ll get her moment if only to smack Mitsuo over the head with her feelings.

In the end this episode was mostly the uncomfortable feeling of watching a character vanish. Just a painful feeling watching a character pretty much dying over the course of an episode. Certainly the last moments of the episode left that impression of Banri being dead and gone for good. But of course I really don’t buy it. Don’t see this series ending on a depressing note. Somehow, someway they are getting Banri back. My gut says it will be a fusion of the past and the Banri we’ve known, but who knows. I’m just pulling for Kouko to do her old stalking thing and get Banri back by beating him up with a bouquet of flowers XD. When your preview title outright says the title of the series…it’s going to be something big. Let’s hope it’s a great episode.
Score: A