[Guardian Enzo]

Spoiler for 36:

Well, my favorite part of the ep was the preview - because it had hints of some bodacious Kou/Aoba development. Honestly, did anyone really think Aoba was seriously injured - with 15 eps to go? I'm in agreement that this was actually a very clever way for the anime staff to extricate themselves from their anime-original subplot and return Aoba to the main story. The subplot was quite good considering it was non-canon, and did a lot to develop Aoba's character - sponsor-driven or not. Still, I'm not keen on extended distractions from the main event and I'm glad to be getting back to it.

As for the ep itself, we see once again that it's Kou - as usual - thinking foremost of Aoba's welfare. He's quite the level-headed and mature one in the relationship, she the impetuous hothead - something of a gender reversal for a shonen title. I thought the addition of Shimano's cousin was a rare note of plot manipulation and cheap gratification - it felt rather tacked-on and obvious. Other than that, great to see Aoba show the world how great she is - there'll be plenty of time for her to make the national team once the third-year guys have shared their Koshien dream with her.