Impression:
In episode 5 of Mikakunin de Shinkoukei we find out that the infamous Mitsumine family…well…they’re not human. Or, to be more precise, Hakuya is a dog. Does this spell the end for the Kobeni and Hakuya romance? Hopefully not. Two seasons’ ago’s Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou gave us a rather poor take on the…ehem, “bestiality subject”, one that failed to…ehem, “satisfy” my expectations in any way shape or form. Hopefully, Mikakunin de Shinkoukei can continue to exceed expectation, especially in the story-telling department.
After Benio’s perversions come to an end (although, let’s be honest here, Mashiro looked great in that cat onesie), Hakuya reveals to the Yonomori that a representative of his family, namely his mother, Shirayuki, is coming to “inspect” them…oh, and that they have a test the next day, but that’s irrelevant. What’s not irrelevant however, is Kobeni’s curiosity. Kobeni, once again, questions Mashiro’s age, asking Hakuya to clear things up for her. When he does not, she asks Mashiro…who tells her that she’s nine… Honestly, at this moment in time I’m not entirely sure whether she’s older or younger than she’s claiming to be, especially since it’s feasible that she too is a dog and considering that the average lifespan of a dog is about eleven, I’m inclined to believe that she’s younger…then again, who knows how long these spirits/demons/half-humans can live?
Regardless, Shirayuki arrives, via public transport, and…buys sweets?! Is the entire Mitsumine family this weird?! But of course, where’s the comedy in a normal family, eh? Shirayuki ends up being the one whole reveals the Mitsumine family secret in the most anti-climactic burst of truth-telling…ever. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, this lackluster approach to a plot-twist drawing many a comedic moment out of out cast of characters. However, it is Kobeni’s reaction that proves most interesting, she once, again catching a fever she remembers something about the past. Shirayuki later reveals that these sudden spurts of illness are actually caused by Hakuya’s having given her half his power to allow her to survive, so…good job Hakuya? I suppose it’d explain why he’s so concerned when she gets ill, but I imagine he’d be concerned regardless, so it doesn’t matter all that much.
This does indeed pose the question…will Kobeni still want to marry Hakuya? No obviously the question of this hasn’t been addressed yet, but it remains a question regardless. He’s a dog. She’s a human. It can never work…right? I mean, he has the ability to appear human so he must, in some way, be human-ish…? Please – just let them be together. He strokes her head because she stroked his once when he was a dog and he thinks it’ll make her feel good! I mean come on, she’s only just starting to act normal around him! Talk about throwing a spanner in the works…
Otherwise, not much else happened in this episode, and that makes me sad – not only because it was such a good episode, but also because I wanted more. More, I say!