One of the worst things you can do when you're watching an anime that you're having a hard time following is to wait several days between episodes. Fortunately, this episode wasn't that hard to get back into. I'm finally starting to get a better grasp of who everyone is. Names can still be a bit tricky, but I'm starting to get the hang of it.
This episode is pretty light on action, choosing instead to go for more dialogue. In a lot of ways, it worked out rather well, but I wouldn't have minded having at least one action set piece.
Kamui continues to annoy me. The fact that the plot centers around him doesn't help matters. The only time he gets anywhere close to being likable is when he's around Kotori. This show is really trying to push the ship between these two, but I'm not seeing it. Kamui's a snit and while Kotori is sweet and nice and all, I'm not invested enough in her as a character where I'm rooting for her to get the guy either.
We get a bit more information on the Divine Sword that is drawing the attention of so many meta-humans. It is, hands down, one of the goofiest things I've ever seen. Even taking into account all the magic that we've seen thus far, I still have no idea how the sword ended up where it did and why it was "forged" that way. You could give Batman a week and he still wouldn't have enough time to explain all the reasons it makes no sense. Also, I know that the flashback was supposed to be all dramatic (and it was actually somewhat effective up until the final reveal), but it was trying too hard.
On the plus side, Fuma is a strong character and I would have a much easier time backing him as protagonist. Even with Kamui being...well Kamui, he still stands by his friend. I'm not sure if Kamui's orders to stay away were just an attempt to pull a Lassie on him or if it was just more of his "I just wanna be left alone' schtick. I have to admit, it was hard to tell. Maybe it was a bit of both?
The ending made for a nice cliffhanger as a new player steals the sword, however Sorata's comment that it was stolen because Kamui was too impatient seemed a bit ham-fisted. I get it, but it seemed a tad forced.
The episode has flaws, but it was a step in the right direction. It gave us a longer glimpse at the characters and it did manage to move the plot forward quite a bit. While new characters were introduced, it didn't feel as overwhelming as it easily could have. I dare say that the show is starting to find it's footing, but we'll see how that pans out.
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