Man this episode was so funny, my stomach hurts from laughing so hard! After two terrorizing episodes with Adam, this was a great breather where we could just enjoy some fun and games. That isn’t to say we didn’t see some underlining development in regards to Reki’s insecurities right now, but at least for most part, it was all good.
As per Mika’s recommendation, Reki, Langa, Mika and their chaperon Shadow took a trip to Miyakojima to visit some hot springs to help Reki recover. They weren’t the only ones heading to the same destination though, as it turns out both Joe and Cherry were going over there for their own reasons. As result they all ended up grouping up together, heading to the beach to have lots of fun and trolling one another (Mika pretending to be Joe’s son to scare off the ladies was absolute gold). Then later, after discovering the horrors of Shadow’s initial reservation of a rundown inn, Joe helped them hijack Cherry’s reservation so they could stay in a better place. I was in stitches every time Langa prayed before going to the bathroom.
And it was such a delight to see the mix-mashed group altogether. They are absolutely hysterical, and it just got even better when their race to the hot springs was interrupted by the Paantu going around a part of Miyakojima’s Strange Festival. Bless their poor souls, they were scared senseless of finding their friends covered in stinky mud, and then being pursued by a mob of Paantu. It was a ritual of sorts to be granted protection from evil, which I thought was rather fitting given they could all use the protection from Adam’s twisted shenanigans. Sure enough the guy is already making some grand plans, starting with the suggestion of a tournament, something we will probably learn more about next week.
But with a competition in the horizons, this does spell a bit of trouble for Reki. Much to his dismay, he had to take it easy this week so he could make a smooth recovery, so he wasn’t able to participate in the race to the hot springs. As result he ended up getting left behind. Fortunately Langa had noticed and went back to get him, but we are definitely starting to see the fear of being left in the dust is starting to consume him. It does appear that Reki may be the one who will be the first to distant himself from Langa as he gets too caught up in his own head. While Langa get easily excited, he did show us that he does notice Reki’s absence, faster then Reki probably thinks. I think the thing we will all be watching out for is to see whether it ever gets to the point where Langa is drawn away and ends up inadvertently leaving Reki behind. While I have expressed concerns of that happening, after this week, given that Reki seems to be the first to pull away, it could be that Langa might choose to prioritize his friendship with Reki over pursuing the thrill of the achieving greater heights.
