And so concludes the first season of Nyan Koi with the love triangle right back to where we started and Junpei having survived the harrowing trials of turning into a cat.

For a shrine maiden with a priest father with a penchant for tossing money on cabarets, Kotone is still able to sport some slick surveillance gear. GPS through phone, tracking through a hidden shoe receiver, where does she get the money? Blackmail? Judgment wishes they could track people as well as she does.

However, it works out pretty well for Junpei, because without Kotone’s deviant behavior Junpei likely would’ve died an embarrassing allergy death on the floor of the men’s bathroom – as if dying with nekomimi wasn’t embarrassing enough. But after the two save Junpei from a furry death and give him temporary shelter (as well as an allergen-proof hat), the gang finds that they have a bigger problem on their hands when Kanako calls Junpei teasing him about being cursed by Jizou the cat. While Kanako is playing it up for lulz, apparently Kaede has become quite concerned about it. And this has probably contributed to Junpei’s quickly worsening curse.

So with Nyamsus’ help, the gang come up with a plan to deceive Kaede and try to alleviate her suspicions. I gotta say I loved the scene where Kaede’s asking her dogs for advice, after Junpei seemingly asks her out on a date the following day. I think anime has warped my brain. Talking to cats seem like all the rage these days. And heck, many of them even talk back. But talking to dogs? Well, that’s still novel and cute. The following day, Junpei and the twins try to concoct some story about him having defaced the stupid looking cat in the shopping plaza, and the twins having to exorcise those demons. All seems to go well, that is until Nagi flies in wearing huge, exotic wings and pulls off Junpei’s hat revealing his nekomimi ears. The next thing we know, Junpei hightails it out of there, and Kaede’s on red alert.

Junpei is not exactly the cutest of cats. However, as his life flashes before his eyes (conveniently consisting of all moments that we’ve seen), Kaede stumbles across him and is surprised to find Junpei cat approach her. Shocked that the cats are no longer running from her (and actually, in sort of a creepy way, she becomes surrounded by many, many cats), she decides that there’s no way that Junpei could be cursed by Jizou, considering how nice he is to cats.

Next thing you know *POOF* Junpei transforms back and graces Kaede with his naked body. What with all the past events, the Chizuru boob hug, Kaede’s missing bra, and now this, I have to say I’m impressed that Kaede hasn’t charged Junpei with any sex crimes yet.

Seeing Junpei naked has apparently riled up Kanako, because she recants tosses her hat back into the love triangle ring and proceeds to shamelessly engage in some naked wrestling with Junpei. Of course, Nagi randomly arrives just in time to turn it into a threesome. Yep, there was definitely some inappropriate physical contact happening during that tussle. Hopefully, Junpei didn’t get too excited during the wrestling match. But I’m glad Kanako’s decided to re-enter the love triangle fray. And I hope this naked wrestling incident will help her be a little more forward next season.

Speaking of which, yes, a second season apparently has been greenlighted! While Nyan Koi wasn’t the most brilliant of shows, all the characters were likeable and had enough of a unique twist to make the show a joy to watch. I think the challenge with the second season will be to try to continue that and avoid falling victim to turning into a cliché harem comedy. There’s definitely some good material in the manga that they can still adapt. But even the manga seems to be downplaying the cats and resorting to the standard harem routines as it goes on. But we’ll cross that bridge whenever the time comes. In the meanwhile, I’m giving Nyan Koi a 7 out of 10. Falls well short of Seto no Hanayome, but still thoroughly entertaining.

Seems like we’re barreling towards an anime-original ending. Although if I were to make a bet, I’d bet that we don’t get a "true" resolution to either the curse or the love triangle in the next episode. Although that image of a black fluffy haired in next episode’s preview could be a harbinger for Junpei. AIC has balls if they decide to end the season on a cliffhanger like that. I’m not typically a fan of cliffhangers, but I’d totally dig that. But anyway, enough speculation about the finale, this is about the penultimate episode.

Actually, before we get to the episode, I can’t help but give Junpei’s sister, Suzu, some ink. Her ecchi-all-the-time mind (which probably comes from her very forward mom) comes to a head in this episode. I got a huge laugh out of Junpei asking how she got so corrupted, and expressing his worries about her future. Combine that with her perpetual neko-smike, and she’s made for one of the more amusing little sister supporting characters that I’ve seen.

Ok, just one more digression before I start talking about the episode, but this eye catch was great. Yes, Junpei does look like a certain someone. Someone who also rue his bad luck like Junpei. Twin brothers separated at birth? Hmm. Thankfully, this twin didn’t get the long moral speech gene.

Alright onto the episode. Which was actually pretty random in the first half, then surprisingly Kanako heavy for a next-to-last episode. The shrine priest discovers the broken Jizou head, and calls upon on the shrine supporters to provide some financial help to fix the statue (no doubt with a anti-cabaret poison pill condition attached). While this isn’t particularly good news for the priest, it’s worse news for Junpei, because the Jizou curse seems to be progressing even more quickly with the recent events.

We then get an oddly placed scene in which the gang celebrates the end of the school year by drinking juice at Nagi’s estate. To be honest, it felt like a random piece of filler they stuck in to fill out the episode length. But I did get a particular kick seeing Kaede react to Nagi’s magical blades in a pharaoah trick by referring to Nagi as "her corpse." It was like in an instant, Kaede had accepted Nagi’s pokey-pokey death. I also liked seeing Kotone’s silent disapproval of drunken Nagi’s advances on Junpei. Even denpakeis have strong feelings.

The story picks up when Junpei gets a part-time job as a mailman (apparently anyone can become a mailman in Japan) hoping that helping pay for the shrine’s expenses will allay Jizou’s anger and slow down the curse progression. Of course part of the job includes becoming both sober and drunken Chizuru’s boy toy- Greater men have fallen to lesser temptations (*cough* Tiger Woods *cough*), so give Junpei a lot of credit for resisting the Chizuru’s touchy-feely advances and seemingly staying true to Kaede. Meanwhile, Kanako, who’s working herself as a Santa-girl, discovers that Junpei’s begun working and begins worrying that he’s trying to make money to get a Christmas gift for and confess to Kaede. You know, I always wondered how these Santa girls worked wearing such short skirts in the cold weather.

I don’t know if the last couple episodes have helped people warm up to Kanako a little more, but I wouldn’t mind if she ended up with Junpei. Kaede is megas cute… but pretty generic. I like Kanako’s history with Junpei and she seems much more tortured about her feelings than any of her competitors. As long as it’s not a Junpei x Nyamses end, I’d be happy with whatever they decide. However, luck is on Kanako’s side for this episode at least, as she wins tickets to see a sappy and lame cat movie (10 Promises with Me and My Cat, lol, I want to see this movie) and then invites Junpei out on a surreptitious date.

In what’s likely the final rabu rabu moment between the two, Junpei shows the movie attendant the doll he received from Kanako to get her a special gift. While Junpei gushes waterworks during the movie, Kanako comes to the realization that she’s ok with hanging with Junpei just as friends and decides not to pursue the relationship further. While it seems like they tied things up with a nice pretty bow, we’ll see if this sticks once she sees another girl making a move on Junpei.

Meanwhile, it looks like we’re setting things up to get Kaede roped into the curse for the finale. Because she overhears Junpei talking to some cats and begins to wonder about the Jizou curse conversation that she’d overheard. Could Junpei x Kaede have a happy ending… as cats? Now that would be twisted. Kaede may yet have a chance to BE FRIENDLY with her beloved cats.

No one can resist the power of nekomimi! Even when it’s happening to yourself. Hopefully AIC can end this well, but keep things open-ended enough for a second season.

This appears to have been an anime-original episode. It wasn’t too bad, although pretty random. I wonder if AIC is going to try to create an anime-original ending, since the manga is still ongoing?

Kanako’s failed attempt to steal a kiss from an unconscious Junpei backfired in two ways. One, she didn’t get the kiss. Two, she failed her final… meaning, it’s time for some independent studying! Although, not before Nagi gets in another brilliant potshot about Kanako’s boobs. She’s got the mind and mouth of a dirty old man. No wonder she gets the best lines in the show.

Kanako’s punishment is to write a 20 page report on the history of the town. Which I imagine is pretty heavy lifting. I can’t imagine a small town having enough history to write 20 pages about. However, Junpei gets a good idea and asks the twins for help, since they’re related to the shrine priest. I’m not sure that was really necessary, since Junpei already knows the shrine priest himself, but what’s a harem about without some obvious plot devices to get the whole gang together? Plus, it gets us some excellent Kotone screen time, so I’m pretty content.

It’s not exactly a sob story, but we also get a little backstory about why Kotone and Akari are pretty much isolated from the rest of the world. Akari, because her mahou shoujo powers unconsciously kept her from getting close to other kids, and Kotone, because well… creating voodoo dolls at a young age isn’t exactly a very popular hobby. I’m not terribly enchanted by Akari, and her relatively typical tsuntsun story, but Kotone’s awesomeness continues to rise.

After Kotone leads Kanako around town to show the 7 wonders of the town (dubious wonders that is, I’m not sure Kanako’s report is going to help her pass), Kanako treats everyone for their help. But before an heartwarming embrace can occur between Akari, Kotone and co., Kanako ruins the mood by deciding to throw superstition in the wind and vandalizing the strange looking cat status in the main shopping area. Akari forcefully stops a humbled Kanako, and then proceeds with some anti-voodoo procedures to keep the cat spirit content and Kanako from getting cursed. However, the damage has been done.

Nighttime arrives, and the cat spirit, angered by all of the vandalizing, has gone insane. Meaning? It’s time for Mahou Shoujou Haruka Tomatsu. I think Akari’s costume needed some angel wings to complement the devil wings that Kotone has… wait a second, where did this transformation thing come from anyway? Oh well, best not to think too hard about it. It just so happens the two run into Junpei, who’s out for a late night porn run, or so it seems.

An initial attack by Akari leaves her drained of power and needing of Pocky to recharge. However, the cat spirit is tossing Junpei and Kotone around like ragdolls. Mostly, because Kotone seems to be enjoying the close contact with Junpei.

Junpei’s hands bound by the hugging Kotone leads to the scene that we saw in the last episode’s preview. With no other way to pass the Pocky on to Akari except by his mouth, Junpei takes the initiative to save their lives. Akari resists at first, but grudgingly decides that Pocky survival is better than no-Pocky death… even if it means reenacting the scene from Lady and the Tramp. Kotone isn’t particularly pleased by their close contact… which probably means that she doesn’t intend to share Akari with Junpei. Recharged with Pocky, Akari easily disposes of the evil cat spirit and saves the day. In the aftermath, Junpei gives Akari and Kotone the butterfly clips that Kanako bought for them as thanks for their help earlier in the day. Akari, staying true to her tsundere roots rewards him with a tsuntsun slap in the face.

The next day we see some girls admiring Akari’s new hairclip and maybe, just maybe, becoming friends with her. It’s sort of funny that Akari’s so intimidating that the girl needed two backups to approach her though. Ah, I guess it’s a start. Looks like we may be in for some cat drama though, because the shrine priest has discovered Neko Ji-san’s broken head. Which means that someone or something has disturbed the statue since Junpei broke it.

Let it be decreed that this was the greatest pool/beach episode I’ve ever seen. If Sora no Otoshimono is fanservice done right long-term, this was fanservice done right in a one shot. Great designs, excellent animation, perfect use of chibi forms, sneaky fanservice split-second eyecatches, random appearances and that’s in just half the episode! I have no doubt in my mind that AIC is going to knock Strike Witches out of the park. Actually, there’s really not much I can say about the first half. I’ll let the images speak for themselves.

Part 1: Swimming

Heh, I knew this episode was going to be good when I saw the differences in reactions. Yuka Iguchi sounds so cute when she’s not playing Index.

Really nice use of shine effects here. I thought it really brought out the beauty of the colors and artwork.

For some reason, I got a kick out of seeing the typical lovey-dovey background localized as a cloud around Kaede and Junpei. It makes you realize that when they show this effect, the whole world doesn’t disappear. Instead, it’s more like a roaming cumulonimbus cloud… of love.

I also really like thick outlines AIC uses time to time. It makes the picture POP!

Has he been playing too many galges? Yes. Definitely.

Random place for an unexpected character to get accidentally stripped? Why not? Logic is for nerds.

Wow, this showed up for a split second. You missed it if you blinked. Were they just trying to squeak it by the censors? Makes those underskirt blackholes seem ridiculous in comparison.

Railgun asks the tough questions that we all want answers to.

Still, Kotone the denpakei has shot up as perhaps my favorite in the show. Her voice is strangely sexy.

The next words out of Nagi’s mouth? How outrageous! Loved the honking bike horn sound effects during this scene. Hopefully, Junpei’s otaku friend learned that it doesn’t pay to ask permission.

Catfight? Check. Stripping? Check. Chibi fights? Check.

Funny nyankoi faces? Check. Clumsiness? Check. Nosebleeds? Check. Nosebleeds not caused by fanservice? Hmm, that’s new.

Misunderstandings? Check. Underwater groping? Check. Is there much more to ask for? No? Can’t think of any? Well, you’re going to be surprised, because the show doesn’t stop there.

Cat in trouble? Check.

Accidental underboob? Check.

Totally random fanservice from the totally random hot co-ed mailwoman? Check. Geez, I think they’re just inventing categories at this point.

Final screenshot of this visual smorgasbord is Kotone breaking out in a flurry of hearts after hearing that Junpei may or may not have been looking at her "like that." Man, she is just so weird cute.

Part 2: Kanako’s confession

I’ve been waiting for them to animate this Kanako-centric story, just because I think she’s been getting the short stick in the show. I’m not sure if this half episode stint will win over anybody who dislikes her, but hopefully it portrays her in a more understandable light. I think Kanako’s quite cute when she’s not in her tsuntsun, jealous mode. It was pretty funny to see her go out of her way to make sure she was the one who visited Junpei to give him their class notes. I like how she’s headstrong and has no patience for subtlety. But she has tough competition.

Poor Kanako. She comes all the way over to help Junpei out, only to be reminded that she’s not Kaede.

Still, it’s getting to be that time where she’s going to either have to put up or shut up. Make a move, or concede Junpei to Kaede. Otherwise, everyone gets put on standstill.

For whatever reason I got a particular kick out of this episode. Maybe it was the cat exercise montage (classic) or maybe it was the nekko twist on the classic misunderstanding of a boy "accidentally" ending up with a girl’s bra and getting caught (sad to say I have never heard of this happening in real life).

Have you ever heard of a guy "accidentally" pulling a girl’s bra out of his backpack? In the good ole’ US of A, Junpei probably would’ve been charged with a sex crime, ended up on a sex offender registry and been forced to live out in the wilderness, but thankfully he’s in Japan. Instead of a court summons, he gets a hot mailwoman making a snarky remark. Would puberty stand up in the courts like the insanity plea? I wonder. But how did this whole messed up situation conspire to be?

As you can guess, it all starts with a cat. Actually it all starts with the denpakei, Kotone and her twin-tailed twin sister convincing Junpei’s mom and sister that they were an item. This then leads to Junpei dragging them out of the house, and Chizuru imploring him to bang them both. I gotta say… I really like her forwardness. Although I’d be willing to bet money that Chizuru is the first one to get all deredere when and if she meets her own crush.

Turns out in between Kotone bugging Junpei’s house and Akari giving her some bad advice (it’s probably better to commit a crime as a juvenile… you get more leeway), they’d actually brought a fat, unathletic cat to Junpei to help him break Jizou’s curse. I gotta say, if I wasn’t already won over by Kotone’s denpakei-ness, I’m won over by her consideration. There’s very few people in this world that are considerate enough to introduce you to a cat in need. Furthermore, when she’s willing to stalk you and get off on your angry reactions… well, that’s pretty darn unique. Anyway, this cat, Micchi, is a piece of work. I don’t know how he expects a human to help him learn to catch sparrows, but that’s the type of crap Junpei’s gotta deal with to avoid being turned into a cat himself. Oh, and he’s doing it to pick up nekko chicks… ok, just one nekko chick.

However, Junpei’s early attempts at training Micchi go terribly. Partly, because of Micchi’s incompetence. But more because he gets enraptured by the moe queen of the season, Kaede. This is bad news for Junpei, as you could’ve guessed if you saw the intro.

But before we get to Micchi’s treachery, I can’t help but wonder what sort of injuries Kanako suffered while trying to keep up with Junpei and Kaede to require bandages on her stomach. I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice piece of Kanako fanservice, but she must have suffered quite a bit from Kaede’s workout. Or maybe it was due to Nagi’s umm… over-exuberance in checking out Kanako’s personal belongings?

Anyway, in case you didn’t figure it out. Micchi takes Kaede’s most intimate wear and places them in Junpei’s bag. Junpei, who had received Kaede’s handkerchief, and cleaned and ironed it to return it. And while, I would’ve kicked Micchi to the moon for his treachery (bros before hoes only applies for human bros), Junpei is of the more forgiving type, and instead leads Micchi to a classic montage scene. In case, you don’t understand why montages are so important to athletic improvement, you should check out this reference.

The montage works brilliantly for Micchi. Perhaps Kaede needs a montage too. Or at least, she needs to stop asking Kanako and Nagi "weird" questions about boys. Why is that?

Well… neither Kanako or Nagi could be considered normal. And you could probably say that there a little bit reactive… Ok, a lot reactive.

But all’s well that end’s well when Junpei’s otaku friend recollects seeing Micchi stealing Kaede’s bra and taking it to the guy’s locker room. Junpei gets to return the handkerchief properly to Kaede. And Micchi gets buff, catches a sparrow (the bloody details thankfully omitted), and gets the girl (cat). No harm, no foul.

Also, I’m not sure where this scene fits in, but the idea of Kotone’s sister Akari advising her to wait until she’s an adult to peep is pretty hilarious. I don’t think I’ve heard Haruka Tomatsu use her Kotone voice before. It’s quite a treat.

So what’s the likelihood that Junpei will actually end up with Kaede by the end of the year? I’d say about 0%. But perhaps I’ll be shocked. In the meanwhile, I’m really glad to see they’ll be animating some nice Kanako chapters next week. It’s a good chapter. And hopefully, it’ll ease some of the hate for her. because I do think she’s a likeable character.

Nyan Koi’s been fairly consistent, but it’s getting somewhat formulaic and getting stuck in "pretty good" land. Or basically, it is what I thought it would be when the season began. The fleeting hints of Seto no Hanayome greatness were probably just that – hints. Which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy this last episode, because I did. It just wasn’t anything special.

There’s nothing like taking a trip to Kyoto while smuggling a cat in your luggage. I can’t remember that cat’s name, and I’m not going to bother to check since we’re never going to see him again. That cat shall be known as "Tama’s friend" from henceforth. Anyway, kudos to Junpei’s sacrifice, because I bet Tama’s friend left enough cat hair in that suitcase to last for weeks. On another note, I feel like all the Kyoto jokes went over my head.

Like for example, the tour guide woman. Was her look and mannerisms a Kyoto in-joke? I bet she had a funny accent too. The montage of her popping up in between Junpei having to help random cats was pretty funny and well paced. I bet he helped like 10 cats during this trip. He’s up to around 30 or so by my count…which means he has 5 episodes left to save the other 69 cats. Yeah, good luck with that buddy. Junpei may want to leave an offering for neko-Jizou to get him a second season to work with.

Unfortunately, we had a lack of twins this episode. But their scene was strnagely cute. Maybe it’s the sound of Hauka Tomatsu whining and shushing herself at the same time. And lol at the random humor. The boys love reading bus driver, Junpei’s happy thumb, and the "girls are not baby-makers" quote from Junpei plays-cool-but-really-is-a-perv friend. Nyan Koi does do that well.

For an onsen episode, I thought it was pretty light on the fanservice (and thankfully free of the black hole censorship), but we did get some nice angles of Kaede. I approve.

The quick visual gags of Kanako being a third wheel were great. I especially loved the picture of her being the horse. But the gags where Kanako beating the crap out of Junpei… has sort of worn itself out. I really wish AIC would explore some of Kanako’s more deredere moments from the manga, because her one-sided bitchiness is making her a magnet for fan hate. And to be fair, that fan hate is justified. I mean, when all she does is beat up Junpei, get in the way of his moments with Kaede, and then hypocritically blame him for not being honest with his feelings, you can pretty much expect people to hate her.

No those cats above are not starring in some weird doujinshi. In a twist of fate, Tama stumbles along a small kitten who just happens to be the son of Tama’s friend. This small kitten shall be dubbed, "Neko-chan" from henceforth. Little Neko-chan may want to invest in some therapy. Because it turns out he may have some half brothers out there, because his dad’s a sleaze and apparently cheated on his mom while she was pregnant with him. The site of Neko-chan’s mom smacking her husband silly and strangling him was too hilarious. Especially in contrast to Josephine and his wife, Cindia’s very blissful marriage. Who said you couldn’t learn family values from cats?

What’s Nagi’s cat Josephine doing in Kyoto in the first place? Well, it turns out Kyoto is Nagi’s family’s true home, and it just so happens that they were gathering for the yearly family meeting – which basically consisted of Nagi turning down all her henchmen for marriage. Nagi’s family is doing it all wrong. She can’t marry her own henchmen. What they need to do is find another clan and match her with the head male there. Seriously, the Ichinose clan needs to be a little more on the ball. However, seeing Junpei in Kyoto has sparked the destiny card for Nagi. And it looks like ExecutiveOtaku was right and Nagi might throw her hat back into the ring. Man, I did not expect that. Seriously. What the heck happened to hoes before bros? Tsk tsk tsk.

Josephine’s got the right idea. You gotta stop chasing after the hares and go after the grade A chicks. Hares barely have any meat on them, and chickens are much more delicious. Oh wait. What’s that? These hares were what? Metaphorical? Whoops. My bad. *Makes sheepish face. Cue laughtrack.* That’s all folks! I’m here all week. Thank you! Thank you!

Keep the cats coming. The twin-tails were a nice cherry on top. Now, the Princess Lover style black holes under miniskirts was an unwelcome censorship. Seriously, what’s going on with that.

Junpei quickly makes a run for it after meeting the twin-tailed with knowledge of his curse, cutting short any conversation. Meanwhile, that gives Kaede some time to stew about what she had seen. Unfortunately, her preoccupation with Junpei’s mysterious encounter leads her to pack some dog treats in her "cat cat" bento box.

While Kaede leaves to buy some real food, Kanako and Nagi overhear Junpei’s otaku friend mention his new twin-tailed flame. Nice try Kanako, but Nagi’s got yakuza spirit guiding her shakedown efforts. Either way, these are two girls you don’t want to make angry. Kaede, on the other hand, is a bundle of cute.

I sort of wish that a.) they wouldn’t have spilled the beans on the twins and b.) AIC wouldn’t have colored their uniforms differently. It sort of took away from the joke. But even though the setup was weak, it was still worthy of a laugh, if only because of Junpei’s reaction at getting confessed to, then being rejected in a span of 2 seconds. Oh, and I say this everytime, but I’ll say it again Haruka Tomatsu is love. I like her tsuntsun voice, but her deredere voice is cute enough to die for.

Junpei later meets Akari (the tsuntsun twin) at the shrine, where he learns that there’s actually two of them. Akari is laying the smackdown and throwing cats around like confetti, in order to keep her sister Kotone and Junpei apart. Akari also introduces Junpei to Kotone’s "delusion diary" which chronicles all her Junpei stalking exploits (denpakei? that’s a new word for me). There’s nothing like a little craziness to spicy up the attractiveness. But Kotone catches Akari in the act, and also finds out why guys she likes tend to avoid her (as if the stalking craziness wasn’t enough).

Akari runs away, after telling Kotone that she doesn’t want to lose her like she lost Tama, but ends up falling down the stairs. Don’t worry, it’s not because of the curse, she’s just clumsy. Somehow, Junpei goes on warp drive and ends up breaking her fall. Which leads to a round of apologies for everyone. Kotone even agrees to stop her delusion diary, although she asks to continue her stalking ways. Akari’s your pretty standard obstinate tsundere twin-tail, but I like Kotone a lot. She’s a bit more unique. Not exactly yandere crazy. But obviously not very normal either. The closest character to her that I can remember seeing is Machi from Nagasarate Airantou – although she’s a bit more of a sadist. Needless to say, I liked Machi a lot too.

Introductions out of the way, we can now get to the cat part of the story, with Tama’s former flame Noir. There’s a bit of jealousy on Noir’s part, because a.) Tama became the priest’s pride and joy (ka-ching!), after he was discovered to be a male character and b.) Noir ended up getting dumped by Tama for the middle-aged Nyamsus. I guess Tama just likes big cats. Noir is definitely cuter than Nyamsus.

Their reconciliation efforts continue to go poorly, even after Tama "saves" Noir from a tongue-lashing from Kaede’s dogs. Their bickering continues to get worse and worse until it drives Junpei off the edge into an angry rage.

Heh, self-control isn’t exactly one of Junpei’s strong suits. But seeing Kaede’s dogs with bug-eyed expressions was hands down the funniest part of the episode. As well as seeing her high-tailing it out of there.

When in distress, eat some ice creams with twin-tailed twins, lol. There’s something about that tranquil scene that’s bizarrely comical. Sort of like if a hero had decided have dinner with his mortal enemy, while they were waiting for the next episode to air. Of course, you can’t have an episode without having the mailgirl say something that she shouldn’t be saying. Hooray for misunderstandings.

In the end, all’s well with the harem world. Junpei explains to Kaede that he was just talking to the cats, and he gets a beating from both Nagi and Kanako, while the denpakei adores Junpei’s continued misfortune. Nagi also pulls her best Death the Kid routine by admiring the twins beautiful symmetry (what in the world was she talking about pineapples for though?).

Anyway, I didn’t really have much to see, but it was a good episode. Twins = good. Denpakei twin = more good. Haruka Tomatsu = most good.

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up. The World Series has taken up all my time lately. The latest Nyan Koi episode was good, and gives us some nice Mizuno and Junpei development, but I was sort of disappointed that there were no cats in this episode. Unfortunately, you might start to notice Nyan Koi becomes more harem romcom and seems to lose the cats as the series goes on. At least that’s what I’ve seen in the manga so far. Hopefully, AIC will pick and choose chapters and volumes that have heavy cat action, because they make the show unique.

By circumstance Junpei ends up at the amusement park with Mizuno, Kanako and Nagi. Well, actually, it was Nagi’s challenge for Junpei to pick between her and Mizuno at the park, but somehow Kanako ended up tagging along as well.

Kudos to Junpei for being so decisive between Nagi and Mizuno. In fact, waist-breakingly, head-damagingly so. In response, Nagi vows to help bring Junpei and Mizuno together… WITH a catch. That being if Junpei doesn’t hook up with Mizuno by the end of the day, he has to marry Nagi. It seems Nagi still needs a few lessons in love, but turns out she’s a good sport. Between her erraticness, and Yuu Kobayashi’s hilarious screeches and voice changes, I think she’s been a great addition to the cast. You need at least one crazy person in a good harem. And she’s crazy in a unique way.

While, Nagi does everything she can to bring Mizuno and Junpei together (as well as embarrass them), it quickly becomes apparent to her that Kanako has fallen for Junpei as well, and will play the role of cockblocker for the day. And while Nagi appreciates Ms. D-cup tits beauty (lol – so direct), she doesn’t compare to her cuter junior, Mizuno. Thus, the wing-woman was born. Wing-women are probably a lot more effective in real life then wingmen. Just because there’s more trust off the bat. Anyway, lucky for Junpei, it turns out Tokiwadai Land is owned by Nagi’s clan. Yup. You can’t go wrong with an entrepreneurial yakuza clan that owns everything. Not nearly as hilarious or unique as the Seto-clan infiltrating Nagasumi’s school, but it’s not bad.

I grabbed these scenes simply for the cute factor. Mizuno flicking her tongue out to lick the ice cream was knee bucklingly cute. And frightened puppy Mizuno is sure to make any harem lead’s heart jump. Luckily, I must say Junpei’s as likeable as any harem lead I’ve seen so far. Admittedly, the competition is few and far between though.

Romantic moment leads to an ass kicking from Kanako. Who, I’m gathering a lot of people aren’t really liking right now. Actually, there’s a chapter in the manga that went in between this episode and the last, that showed off a softer side of Kanako, which I’m a little disappointed they chose not to animate. I can understand it, since animating that would’ve meant two consecutive episodes light on catty goodness, but it becomes a little more difficult to empathize with Kanako without it. Now she just seems like a hypocritical, rampaging bitch, when she’s really not.

It’s hard to make a move when Godzilla and the paparazzi are directly across from you staring at you. But by a trip of the foot, Junpei almost ends up giving Mizuno some unexpected mouth-to-mouth. That is until Kanako breaks it up by calling Mizuno’s cell phone (doh!).

There’s something hilarious about Mizuno still wondering about playing with Nyamses. I want to see Mizuno go nuts with her. Yeah, consider this flag triggered. I’m not sure Mizuno would’ve gotten it without Nagi spilling the beans to her, but we have a bonafide flag. Hmm, where’s Junpei’s otaku friend? When Kanako admits (violently) that she’s not going out with Junpei, Mizuno starts wondering about the mailwoman who was giving Junpei a choice fanservice hug.

However, there are some questions that you just shouldn’t ask. Plus, random girl could be completely misinterpreted. That girl could’ve been Junpei’s sister or cousin for all she knows. When her question raises the ire of both Nagi and Kanako (now there’s a threesome I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of), she tries to alleviate the situation by dishing out some treats. Dog treats that is. Whoops. Nagi and Kanako both gladly accept, and promptly give to Junpei to eat.

After school Mizuno tries to track down Junpei to warn him about the dog treats. This leads to a random, but hilarious scene in which she helps a random old dude find the pharmacy, and the two finish the conversation in engrish. Having had a chance to flash her multilingual pedigree, Mizuno continues to search for Junpei and finds him… only to see him being confronted by another girl. And this one seems to know a dark secret about Junpei. Yep, next episode welcome the spicy twin-tailed uh… twins. Voiced by Haruka Tomatsu no less!

I’m looking forward to seeing the twins… and MOAR CATS!

Yuu Kobayashi scares me. At least her drawings do. Behind those hideous drawings is a psychotic mind, I’m sure of it. However, when she goes nuts voicing a character, well, let’s just say I’m much more forgiving, because it’s so much fun. And this off-the-wall episode was probably the best episode of Nyan Koi so far.

Nagi Ichinose is the worst reverse trap ever. Not for one second did I believe him to be a guy. I think it’s because of the long hair. It didn’t really impact the episode though. Maybe the duel might’ve been more dramatic, but Nagi’s genderbending revelation wasn’t exactly a Ryukishi07 level mindbender to begin with.

Shintaro Asanuma. I’ll have to remember that name. I’m not too familiar with his work, and the stuff I am familiar with, he was a pretty minor part of, but his performance as Junpei is definitely one of the highlights of the show. I was rolling hearing Junpei unleashing the power of engrish, when he receives what he thought was his first love letter. But as we all know, he’s a pretty unlucky guy, so of course, it turns out to be a challenge letter from some random person instead.

Instead of answering the challenge letter, Junpei shreds it and flushes it down the toilet. Which leads to Nagi RAEG, since she’s been hanging by the beach for three days waiting for him to show up. And then right when the fireworks are about to begin, she becomes enamored by Kanako’s beauty and bountiful bosoms apparently, leading to one of those anime trademark, fire breathing shit beating scenes. The Kanako flame-on scene was really nicely animated. Actually Nyan Koi has been really good looking all season long. It’s a little easier when you get to use so many deformed styles, but like Nagi, I’m a connoisseur of beauty as well, and credit’s due where credit’s due. Kudos to AIC.

When Kanako hears of Nagi’s challenge to Junpei for Mizuno, she launches into a fantasy of her own, where she imagines Junpei groveling as her love slave forever. Why exactly she has so many cats in her fantasy though, I don’t know. However, Nagi quickly drops dead (more or less) with a high fever, thanks to Junpei’s poor duel etiquette. Which leaves it up to Junpei, Kanako and Mizuno to return the corpse back to her home.

When they arrive at Nagi’s place (the only Ichinose house in town), they find a huge mansion and a welcome befitting of a yakuza master. Wuh oh. Score one for Seto no Hanayome reference/music! Mermaid spelled as chivalry! Actually I think there were a few different music/references to SNH this episode. (For a second, I thought the yakuza henchmen were calling for Bunta Willis.)

Rather than have their guests get sick in the rain, the chivalrous yakuza head servant takes the girls in to let them bathe, while Junpei is left alone to talk with the family cat, Josephine. Yes, a male cat with a female name. He’s pretty cute though. As if Junpei didn’t have enough to worry about (like not getting killed once they find out it was his fault Nagi got sick), now he’s got to deal with the requests of a cat. Fortunately, it doesn’t require him to become a Terminator-like character with a thing for sera fukus. But the request turns out to be a tricky one regardless: make Nagi fall in love. Josephine obviously knew something was up, otherwise, I’d say the request isn’t very fair. There’s no statute of limitations. It could take a day, or it could take decades. Of course, I knew they’d wrap it up this episode.

Score one for random fanservice. The ecchi mailwoman had two lines, and they were gold. Such a dirty mind. Unfortunately, she doesn’t get to bathe with Mizuno and Kanako (who’s becoming more and more unhinged by her worries over Junpei. This is the power of the harem end.). My only knock on this episode is that Kanako’s proportions are more fitting of a H-anime. Yeah, I knew that already. But still.

While Mizuno’s spilling the beans to Kanako about Nagi’s true gender, Junpei finds out first hand when the head servant brings him to Kanako’s room for a "chat." And in a clear bait-and-switch move, leads to Kanako taking a death strike until… BOOM! CRASH! Thunder and lightning turns her into a dere dere little kitten. Junpei does get lucky though, as he gets to feel up Nagi, without taking a jaw to the chin or a sword to the eye.

Nagi explains the reason behind her fear of thunder – yeah, watching your gramps get hit by lightning numerous times will do that to you. And breaks out what looks like a blindfold and Nagato-approved earmuffs to block out the sight and sound. This predictably nullifies her fighting abilities to some degree. But lucky for us, we get to hear Yuu Kobayashi going nuts using three or four different voices for each of Nagi’s different moods. There’s regular boyish furniture-like Nagi, something that sounds like Kaere Kimura, something that sounds like a cuter, younger version of Kaere, and a real weird voice that I’ve never heard her use before. Anyway, the vocal schizophrenia fits the off-the-wall moments of the show perfectly.

When Junpei asks why she has a thing for Mizuno then, he learns that Nagi’s simply a pursuer of beauty. But when another thunderstrike sends her scrambling into a mummy case, Junpei wins her heart by telling her he’d stay by her side. In my life, not once have I found myself in a situation where I thought that line would be a fitting response. It seems to happen a lot in anime though.

lol @ very random Saki reference. Is Gonzo whoring out all of their characters? First Strike Witches in Seitokai no Ichizon and now this. The shenanigans complete, Kanako and Mizuno get rides home, while Junpei is left to walk on his own. But it gives him the chance to have a heart to heart with Josephine the cat, who tells him that Nagi used to be a normal girl, who did things like wear pretty clothes and play in mahjong tournaments. That is until her first confession rejected her, telling her that he wasn’t gay (ouch!). Junpei apologizes, but Josephine thanks him anyway, seemingly pleased with his performance.

Approaching harem status. Yes, welcome to the love square. One more step to go. Looks like there’s actually another character introduction next week, two twin-tailed uh twins!? Whoa.

Actually, you might as well have considered this an episode of Seto no Hanayome in an alternate universe. References, music, comedic style. It was brilliant. Hopefully, they keep ramping up the random, off-the-wall hijinks. Maybe Nyan Koi will eventually be the replacement in my heart for the second season of Seto no Hanayome that never was.

The third episode of Sora no Otoshimono was pretty good even though there were no flying pantsu this time around, but I’ve decided to stick with writing about Nyan Koi. Both shows have been nice surprises (SNO moreso, because I thought it would be terrible), so you can’t go wrong watching either.

In the first part of the show, Nyan Koi introduces Chizuru, voiced by a wonderfully giddy Rina Satou (Haruka Minami, Mikoto Misaka), a college-student, mail girl-in-training with a poor sense of direction, a strong penchant to be very touchy feely, and a healthy lust for nice asses. Twenty bucks says she’s probably also a lush like Hinagiku’s sister, or Konata’s cousin Yui. Fortunately for Junpei (or unfortunately if you go by his word… although I can’t figure out why he’d consider himself to be unfortunate), he runs into her outside of the old monk’s place, thanks to an insane conversation he struck up with Nyamses, Jun Fukuyama and the homeless cat, allowing Chizuru to find her way out from the labyrinth of shrubbery.

Most of the first half of the episode consists of Junpei helping Chizuru find her way around the neighborhood, all while accommodating random cat requests along the way. Between all the cute cat voices (I want to Nyan Koi’s eventual cast list), Chizuru’s overbearing touching, and Junpei’s disbelieving reactions, it was a pretty good combo of events.

A couple highlights of their travails include Junpei and Chizuru running into Kanako, who’s apparently completed her transformation from tsuntsun manba to raging, super-possessive fireball. And Junpei’s friendly relationship with a seductive cat, which leads to her MILF owner telling Junpei to come over one day to play with her um… cat. Cue heat seeking missile’s in the husband’s eyes. Comedic gold there. I’m still laughing about that one.

The day ends for Chizuru and Junpei with a big, friendly bear hug… and since he’d already been caught with her by Kanako and his sister, it was, of course, in this moment of voluptuous weakness that Mizuno and her posse of dogs catches the two of them together. Yep, that hug is definitely a legitimate situation where you might want to clarify what was going on there.

The idea of Mizuno running around with a pack of large herding dogs is pretty amusing. Judging by the strength she’d need to keep them from going wild, I can see why she accidentally brutalized the cat in the first episode.

From the cute, but somewhat daft cat torturer, to the possessive tsundere manba, to the rambunctious onee-sama dressed as a mailman, Chizuru follows another series of character archetypes that Nyan Koi somehow manages to fit into somewhat unique shoes. I can’t imagine how they’re going to fit her into Junpei’s harem over the season, but I certainly won’t mind seeing more of her.

The second part of the show, introduces us to how Junpei first met Mizuno. It seemed like a bit of a weird time to stick in a flashback, but whatever. This failed cat torture attempt is something out of Hayate no Gotoku, or maybe Sora no Manimani. Except, when Mizuno falls, and Junpei slips, she manages to do a summersalt and a land a standing 10 onto Junpei’s chest, knocking him out cold for a while.

Probably the best part of the show was watching Mizuno smack the crap out of Junpei. The sweet mix of cute, airheaded Mizuno just makes her brutal, slap-happy, cat torturing, gangster-loving side that much more funny. Also, a nice design touch by drawing Junpei’s hair shorter, since this was earlier in the year. It’s little details like that make me appreciate the effort AIC is putting into this show.

In addition to the introduction of Chizuru and the story of how Junpei and Mizuno met, Mizuno also raised her first flag by showing a little hesitation when Kanako later dragged Junpei off in a jealous rage. Sheesh, no wonder Mizuno thinks the two are together. Clearly, we shouldn’t be counting on this show to give us a harem resolution, so I’m just enjoying the ride without taking any sides. I’m looking forward to seeing the introduction of Mizuno’s protector last week, and how she gets drawn into Junpei’s harem. Seems like it should be the last of the character introduction episodes.