What happened to the animation? Did J.C. Staff just take most of their budget and shove it into Refrain!? That would explain Golden Time's animation
. Though I doubt that's really the case.
I liked the new opening and ending, but I don't think there quite as catchy as Little Busters! Or Alicemagic. One of their strong points is definitely the visuals. Though the ending being still scenes is probably a result of the animation in this episode...
Now, while I ordinarily would complain about the lack of romance and how its impacted arcs, this episode had some suggestive imagery between Kurugaya and Riki that leads me to believe they'll at least be something there. That, and the opening having a Riki and Rin scene has me hopeful that there'll be some actual serious romance this time around.
All in all though, an entertaining and enjoyable return by Little Busters!