I have to be honest, I didn't like this episode much.
What's the point of trying to make Enishi and Takako more likable in Episode 16, if you're just going to totally tear them back down and make them look like hopelessly inept losers in Episode 17?
Are we supposed to feel sorry for them? Are we supposed to laugh at their patheticness?
For me, it's like Jiromaru's suicide attempt in Episode 3 all over again, where I don't know if we're meant to pity or laugh at the down-and-out adult character(s), and I'm not really feeling either because of that split mood.
I also have to be frank - plot-wise, Hanasaku has been spinning its wheels since the end of the superb Satsuki/Ko arc.
The visuals are very nice. Some individual scenes are great (this episode started on a great note, at least, with that movie scene). Some entire episodes are pretty enjoyable. But I feel like this anime is lacking good overall direction, and it's not really doing much of anything to flesh out its world, or make its supporting cast any more likable. Minko has improved considerably since the first few episodes, but other than that...
Man, I have to be honest. I'd
sooooooo take a
True Tears-style Ko/Ohana/Tooru love triangle over this. I really would.
