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Excellent episode.
This episode did a lot for the two leads - Kyousuke and Kirino.
It's great to see Kyousuke starting to stand up for himself more often, and to lay things out frankly and honestly when it's called for. I don't expect that every episode, of course, but it's good to see that the man isn't a complete doormat and has his limits.
It's also great to see that Kirino is similarly capable of being frank and honest when the need arises, and can show a softer side of herself at times. On the flip side, I actually kind of liked the maniacal laughing villain side of Kirino that was hinted at in the first half of the episode - even that is a bit different from pure tsun, and adds another dimension to her character.
I have to say that the 2nd half of this episode was quite the cathartic experience for me. It made Kyousuke and Kirino feel much more real to me, and not just some experiment in creating an all-tsun female lead and a male lead as buttmonkey. Basically, this episode added a fair bit to the sense of integrity to the overall narrative of this anime, and to the characters therein.
Kirino may still not be a downright admirable character, but at least she feels like a real and well-rounded one now. Personally, I found her character in this episode to be an interesting exploration in contrasts; it made her a lot more intriguing than most recent episodes did. For her to be tsun all the time is what would be truly boring, imo. So I'm glad that this anime wisely chose to move her in a more multifaceted direction.
As for Manami, she really shined in the first half of the episode. I love how quickly she adapts to the situation put in front of her. You can tell that she's a very capable young woman.
Saori and Kuroneko were amusing as usual. Poor Saori... she's actually a very lovely girl, but Kyousuke can't see that through her outfit, lol. If Kyousuke knew how beautiful and wealthy she was, he'd probably be kicking himself right now, lol. I also loved how Kuroneko effectively teased Kirino by using "Nii-san" on Kyousuke. That was cute, and clever.
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