I don’t like the way they intro this show. The Human Encyclopedia (Haruhiko) starts teaching us about some concept that loosely relates to the content of the episode at hand. This week he talked about family and polygamy and stuff. Then Ruru cut off his boring lesson and the show actually starts. Every week. Ugh.

It feels boring and ultimately useless to me. I don’t laugh or cry or shiver in excitement. I don’t even learn anything remotely important. So what’s the point? Are these intros just here to fill up space in the show’s run time? If so, I’d rather just watch a minute of Izumi dancing or eating or something. Anything GIF-worthy will do.

Other than the intro however, I actually found the rest of the episode to be quite enjoyable. Of course, I wouldn’t expected anything less when this week’s showing is dedicated to Izumi. Hell yeah! We got a Reina episode! But the fact that it was mostly about her wasn’t the only thing that made this episode exceptional.

There was noticeably less exposition! Looks like whoever has been writing this show has been reading my reviews (:3). I’m just joking around of course, no one reads my blog, heheheh *sheds one tear while trying to smile*. Still, the exposition is a little heavy-handed and mostly unneeded. I think I have a pretty good grasp on the whole “Phantoms” thing, so you can stop explaining it to me.

I’m starting to warm up to Ruru, just a teeny bit. If The Human Encyclopedia is going to continue spouting exposition, it’s nice to have someone to keep telling him to shut up. I know this is just a solution to a problem that the show itself continues to make, but at this point I’ll take it. Also, her jokes have been getting mildly comical. Worth a soft chuckle, if nothing else.

Now onto the ending. There was a few ways this episode could’ve ended, and I’m glad they went a sweet and simple one. From the start, this phantom wasn’t really a problem. Izumi got to spend time with her nice imaginary rabbit parents, no time passes in the real world when she enters and leave the magic school bus, and she ends up with a free ride to her house.

It was all a pretty swell ride, up until the point she realized it wasn’t real. Once she realized that, the illusion could not carry on in the same way it had before. Now she had to make a choice: Stay there for eternity or return to the real world with her real friends and her real family. During the decision making process, The Human Encyclopedia even offered up some advice that was made sense. The phantom faded away into a beautiful light show and a touching scene for Izumi. Reina was welcomed home by her parents, making for a happy yet somewhat mournful ending.

That could have gone in a completely different direction, one that I was actually expecting (and dreading). I was afraid they were just going to seal away this phantom because it was a phantom. That wouldn’t really be fair, as the phantom really didn’t do anything to hurt anyone, and as a Phantom Rights Activist (PRA) that would’ve sorely disappointed me. So it was a good thing they didn’t. Izumi had to face her feelings and cast away her delusions for something real.

All in all, this was a very sweet and somber, and easily the best of the season so far, not to mention that it was brimming with Izumi screen-cap potential.

+ Izumi episode!

+ Gorgeous visuals, as always

+ Nice ending

– Intros need to stop

– Exposition problems (but considerably less thus time)