(CR) Astro Note

[magnumcyclonex]

Wow...the mother is even more immature/childish than her own daughter! Well, I suppose since it takes 3 Earth years to equal 1 Wido year, Mira would be more mature.

I don't feel quite sold on this episode. Miyasaka just witnessed a whole bunch of things and he doesn't go into any real kind of shock. He's just feeling down but doesn't question anything really.

Aoi looking creepy at the end there with the insect flyer.

[Frontier]

Who could resist the offer of a date with a cute girl like Aoi? Even if it means attending an insect festival and delighting in insect food .

Mira is digging herself into a hole with her feelings for Miyasaka...quite literally, in fact, when she learns Naosuke helped set up Miyasaka and Aoi together for a date. Though conveniently, the next leg of their search for the key takes them to the exact same festival they're going too .

Poor Aoi. She was head-over-heels for Miyasaka from the get-go, and accidentally set up the Meet Cute between him and Mira, all the while stalkin...I mean, observing him throughout the season. She still remembers their time together working at the same hotel where she had long hair (and it looked good then!) and was a klutz of a waitress with no friends, money, or prospects...but she and Miyasaka were able to bond over their mutual love for a radio show and Miyasaka was able to help her realize how tasty eating insects can be (which he seems to have forgotten). She fell for him hard but could never work up the courage to talk to him again after that .

Things really did not go Aoi's way though. First the hotel goes bankrupt, she's left homeless, she runs out of money...and she ends up living in a park. The only good thing that happened to her was being taken in by Tasuke who saw in her the same person in need that he saw in Mira's mother. Mira's father helped her love rival because Aoi reminded him of her mom .

Aoi really putting herself out there to make Miyasaka remember her...and then of course Shoin and Mira shows up. And the gossipy old bat, as if this wasn't crazy enough .

Look, it's the rest of Astro Lodge! Including Matsubara doing an idol performance! Nice to see her get work and get cheered on by her lodgemates! Even if neither Shoin nor Aoi care for how into it Mira and Miyasaka get together .

It's time for Miyasaka to step up and eat wasps to help out Mira in an eating contest! They make an effective team! And Matsubara even goes to the trouble of helping promote their relationship while she's emceeing .

I honestly can't tell if Shoin was so thrown off by watching someone eat what he regards as his old alien classmates from school or Mira and Miyasaka working so well together. Or maybe both ?

Miyasaka won! A...cardboard key which they didn't need, but hopefully the bike he gave to the old bat will keep her occupied for the foreseeable future .

Everyone is happy and sleeping...except poor Aoi who is crying herself to sleep knowing Miyasaka doesn't remember her. And the Alien Hub squid is active again .

[Lex79]

Honestly, I get that she hoped he remembered her, but if she can't even manage to say "I'm onigiri chan" that makes hard to root for her. Not that it would change anything, the best she can hope for is being paired with Mira's friend after both they'll be rejected.

[magnumcyclonex]

This was a wonderfully funny and happy and heartbreaking episode.

I blame Miyasaka for not recognizing Onigiri Girl after she cut her hair, and especially after she showed him the radio channel prize, but it was just a one time initial interaction so I'll let it slide. Props to her for getting better at her job but sad that she didn't have any friends at the hotel, nor did she fall back on going home after the hotel went bankrupt. As per usual, Tasuke was there and if Aoi reminded him of Miwa's mother, then things could get interesting later on...

Miyasaka is the reason why Aoi likes bugs and him in the first place. Was a bit surprised she didn't volunteer or at least voice interest in eating in the contest. Also was surprised the father and son did not partake in eating as well.

That lady sure knows how to make things awkward! Now that she has the moped, she can get to places and spread that juicy gossip even faster!

The idol song was just off the wall kiddy and funny! It was kind of refreshing to see and I enjoyed that bit! The idol herself did a great job trying to bring the two MCs together. She deserves her champagne!

Ultimately the prize key was NOT the key! The search continues - Alien Squid cameo ... (did they ever fill up those deep dug holes?)

[frubam]

Honestly I found bits of this episode annoying, and its for the simple fact that they shoehorned Mira into going into the insect festival. We already know its going to be Miyasaka x Mira, so if you're going to have someone have an unrequited love for one of them, at least give them a whole episode together. Not only that, they decided to have Miyasaka see Mira at the pivotal moment where Aoi makes the connection between her current self and past self. Yeah, he still wouldn't have remembered even if Mira didn't pop up in that moment, but could have at least gave her a chance to say something. After that he didn't focus on Aoi for the remainder of the episode. Its like, 'why even bother'? Guess they are going for Aoi x dog.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by frubam

Honestly I found bits of this episode annoying, and its for the simple fact that they shoehorned Mira into going into the insect festival. We already know its going to be Miyasaka x Mira, so if you're going to have someone have an unrequited love for one of them, at least give them a whole episode together. Not only that, they decided to have Miyasaka see Mira at the pivotal moment where Aoi makes the connection between her current self and past self. Yeah, he still wouldn't have remembered even if Mira didn't pop up in that moment, but could have at least gave her a chance to say something. After that he didn't focus on Aoi for the remainder of the episode. Its like, 'why even bother'? Guess they are going for Aoi x dog.

I think it re-emphasized that, yeah, Miyasaka only has eyes for Mira and we see how well the two of them can really work together during the contest as Mira is slowly realizing her own feelings.

It did end up screwing over Aoi in her own focus episode but I hope she can still find some happiness by the end.

[Lex79]

Aoi basically exists only to make Mira feel jealous.

[scififan]

The plot device Aoi's date makes Mira realizes she has feeling for Takumi.
Many anime and manga implements love triangle for just because. This show has some purpose.

Takumi's advice on eating anything is dangerous. There are news about people dying from eating snails. Most reason is due to not cooked, because some people prefer more raw taste. Some animal, even cooked, are health hazard.

[Frontier]

Aoi is sad about how chummy Miyasaka and Mira are getting, Naosuke is still trying to lecture Mira on her love life and acting the part of a princess, she gets payback by sending him off with Shokichi so Shokichi can get some attention of the feminine persuasion, and Ren is set to try and expose Naosuke. Just a day in the life for the Astro Lodge residents .

Miyasaka and Mira are really getting along well! Especially as Miyasaka is coming to better understand Mira's life on Planet Wid and why she enjoys the freedom of Earth so much .

Miyasaka is now in the know, which means he can help Naosuke try to sell his cover as a dog in front of Ren by teaming-up with him to do as many classic dog things as possible, no matter how degrading they are for Naosuke. He's liable to go native at this point .

But stolen keys is a sign that the Hubby Spy is acting up and they're going to need to work together to catch it! And make sure Ren doesn't expose Naosuke!Good thing they've got Mira's fantastic acting skills .

Hey, Naosuke actually acknowledges Miyasaka and Mira are similar! That's as close to giving him any credit that Naosuke's done all season. And Miyasaka helped Mira realize that she'd been taking Naosuke and his sworn duty to protect her, even to the point outliving her, for granted !

Poor Aoi...caught up in her complicated feelings for Miyasaka with only "Octo-san" there to emotionally support her .

A blackout is the perfect time for the Astro Lodge residents to sit, drink, and be merry, and Miyasaka to tell Mira that, to him, she's just an ordinary girl. Probably the one thing she most wanted to hear at that point !

Too bad the Hubby Spy had possessed Aoi and made her act out her frustrations with Miyasaka and resentment towards Mira by having Aoi beat Miyasaka up (and force him to endure every anime gag in the book) and try to take out Mira. Though I feel like Aoi might've appreciated the solution to rescuing her...having Miyasaka kiss the squid out of her. Right in front of Mira. Too bad Aoi can't remember it, but Miyasaka and Mira definitely do. Awkward .

[magnumcyclonex]

This episode was full of all kinds of ridiculous action and I loved it!

From Takumi stating to Mira that she's a normal girl to getting Naosuke to play up being a dog under Ren's observations, to kissing/sucking on Aoi to get the Spy Squid out of her made for a crazy episode!

It's kind of weird that none of the other residents who have seen Mira's room think anything of how hi tech it is, despite it being not enough according to Naosuke. And Takumi is ALWAYS there!

And while that was the running gag of the episode in several instances, Takumi suffered many a hit by the Spy Squid. But let's not forget that Posessed Aoi can really deal some punches! All her true feelings came out, thanks in part to Spy Squid, but also the build up by Naosuke from Room 8.

Next week, the awkwardness continues!

[Alchemist007]

Imagine if Aoi was actually a spy alien the entire time, deep undercover just doing things an earth girl might. But I knew it wouldn't be the case.

[Frontier]

Miyasaka, Mira, and Aoi are all feeling really awkward after the kiss from last episode...and Matsubara is so here for all the drama .

Yeah, I'm not surprised Ren doesn't want his dad to come to his school for parents day. Just from his thoughts alone he's been a pretty big mess every time he's come before. Though I understand why Wakabayashi wants to do his duty as a father and be there for Ren .

C'mon Naosuke, you KNOW that kiss wasn't Miyasaka being a creep but to get the Alien Hubby spy out of Aoi's body. Though he at least has the decency to try to clue in Miyasaka as to his past with Aoi .

Mira is more at home playing a proper landlady than a future queen of Planet Wid, and she doesn't want to confine herself to the rules and standards other set or expect from her, but Shoin gets straight to the point and asks if it's possible she's fallen in love with someone...and Mira's response basically confirms it .

Ren's ran away from home! Which is inconvenient for a girl and her bodyguard trying to hide they're aliens when he sleeps over in their room .

Matsubara is happy to give relationship advice to Miyasaka over some beer on his dime, and while she has no interest in relationships herself (fitting for an idol), that doesn't mean she doesn't have good advice to share .

Wakabayashi may look like a jobless bum who is hopeless at life, but he actually DOES have day jobs. If only just to have some cash. He can't always sponge off food !

Ren is the spitting image of his mother but not his father...because Wakabayashi isn't his biological father, he just loved Ren's mother and loved Ren even more, and adopted him. He's very much Ren's father and wants to do right by him, and even someone like Aoi, who was raised in an orphanage and had a piece of trash for a father, can tell he's a good dad. And it's nice to see Ren recognize and acknowledge that .

Well, Miyasaka takes Aoi out on a picnic just to let her know as gently as possible that he doesn't return her feelings...but at least he FINALLY remembered her and complimented how much she makes food look good when she eats. At least she's got that going for her .

Honestly Aoi took losing in love better than I expected, especially since in the process Miyasaka was able to make her feel more confident and self-assured in the process. Happy Aoi is best Aoi .

It's great that Ren just thinks Naosuke is a cat like Tom from Tom & Jerry...but poor Naosuke, Aoi doesn't like the real version of him because she doesn't like dogs. And now she thinks SHOIN is him !

Next week: Matsubara focused episode !

[Lex79]

Yeah, I thought Ren knowing Naosuke's secret was just a tease and he didn't actually learned he's an alien, but I wasn't expecting him being mistaken fir a cat. I wonder if Ren is serious about that or is only saying it as a joke.
Aoi now thinks Shoin is her mysterious confidant, so maybe the author is really going to pair the rwo.

[magnumcyclonex]

I'm so delighted to write about this episode! So much to unpack and notice. My personal opinion, this was the best episode of the season thus far.

Starting with the awkward morning after, Aoi "remembers" being having that "drunken" kiss.

Matsubara notes it's rare to see Aoi up early for breakfast and gets all giddy eyed at the obvious attraction between Aoi and Miyasaka.

I love it when the "side plot" is a huge character development moment. We see Ren not wanting to have his father at his school event for a multitude of reasons. The talk his father had with Mira about how much he loves his adopted son strikes a chord in Mira when she's asked if she knows what true love is. Of course parental love is different from romantic love, but it still has her thinking (as if she hadn't been thinking about it all day)

Shion returns and it's obvious Mira is distracted from the mission. We get to see the inside of his layout which is full of Planet Wid gadgetry.

Naosuke has a heart to heart talk with Miyasaka - I like how the characters just silently "creep" up on each other - reminding him about Aoi and telling him to do something about her. I wonder how that would turn out? Interestingly, Miyasaka was looking for more employment opportunities but this chat drove him to declare and stay as "head chef at Astro Lodge".

I still find it funny that none of the residents raise a concern at how different Mira's room is compared to theirs. Cross dressing Ren "runs away" and proceeds to "strangle"/cuddle Naosuke in slumber. The following morning his father documents his son's "running away", while Miyasaka is now aware of Aoi's feelings and gets nervous when she shows up to the table.

Speaking of silently creeping on others, this time Matsubara gets Miyasaka to buy her drinks and mocks everything about him, but she does give him advice on what to do with Aoi.

Ren's father reads some "interesting" books. They look like some ancient language. It's here we learn about Ren's upbringing, his mother, and his adoption. And now they're off to "war" at the supermarket to get the best discount deals.

Sometimes...it feels like we are all stumbling our way through life, doesn't it?

Anyways, over math homework, we learn Aoi was orphaned and had a terrible father so she heard, so Ren has it lucky to have one who dotes over him. In return, he spills the secret about Naosuke to her, putting him at unease.

The "war" is cancelled as Miyasaka notes there's food he can cook up for dinner. I believe this is the first dinner we've seen with the entire cast (minus Shion and Naosuke). This scene struck me as Aoi always sits besides Miyasaka, but he can see Mira across the table. There's a fine juxtaposition between what Mira eats and declares as delicious and what we see Aoi eat in response (grains of rice).

Days and meals go by with everyone doing various things. And then...Miyasaka takes Aoi out to have a picnic. At least he didn't make plain rice balls, but somehow (and not awkwardly in a lot of other anime), he went straight to the point. Aoi knows and now determinedly takes a big bite of her rice ball...and it was at this point he finally remembers her as Miss Riceball!!! Boy...that was the happiest (sad) break up I've seen.

Mr. Hachi get's his thanks from Aoi for all the advice and she spills the big secret that Naosuke is a cat! But the even bigger kicker is that she doesn't like Naosuke (well not really because we know she was attacked by dogs during her homeless days).

And the last bit...is there a new ship that's going to sail? Mr. Hachi and Shion sound nothing alike, but to a girl who is infatuated over someone, it probably won't matter.

Regardless, this was a great episode. So much detail packed into it (We even see Ren's father reading the same book with ancient text...or it looks similar to the text of Thailand?)

Preview dives deeper into another unexplored resident of Astro Lodge. This time Terurun Teruko has doubts. I wonder how they will dissect her character next week.

[Frontier]

Idols have to work hard to keep their bodies in shape, even if it means early morning jogs! But that shows just how seriously Teruko takes being an idol .

I think the last thing Miyasaka expected (or wanted) from his talk with Mira was Shoin moving in and joining the group. And then the dude immediately insults him and his cooking .

And of course Aoi is trying to figure out if Shoin is her "Octo-san," and Shoin is all charm as always, though Naosuke doesn't care for him getting close to Aoi. Granted he doesn't have room to talk because they've made very little progress finding the key .

Look at Miyasaka making a move! Asking Mira out on seeing Terurun's idol concert together AND an aquarium date on-top of that! Wakabayashi has his support, especially because guys like him love beating guys like Shoin .

Dang it, cooking was the one thing Miyasaka had confidence in! And then Shoin just buys a lavish feast for everybody as part of his "welcome party"! And then it turns out he's actually a good cook once he starts learning from Miyasaka. Though I guess it's nice in a way that he wants to learn how to cook for Mira's sake so she can still experience the Earth cooking she loves even on Planet Wid .

Dang, lucky tech CEO marrying a hot ex-idol. That's the dream !

Was that Hubby Spy targeting Miyasaka? But it ends up hurting Teruko instead and giving her a sprained ankle. But that's not going to keep her from pulling off her concert .

Miyasaka and Mira are both internally questioning whether Mira plans to go back home to Planet Wid and whether that's what SHE wants, but she seems especially concerned about what Miyasaka thinks. Particularly so when she's wondering to herself what she loves as she blushes while staring at him .

The life of an underground idol is a difficult one. Younger girls keep coming in, you have very little to show for all the effort you put into it, others have been so much more successful, so why keep doing it? But Terurun has her fans who cherish and adore her, and that reminds her of why she loves being an idol. And she even rewards them with a new song !

Nice of Mira to want to learn how to cook...maybe someday she'll make something that's actually edible .

Definitely seems like the Hubby Spy is targeting Miyasaka...but it looks like they've finally found the key! It was literally lodged in a frikkin' garden that got paved over by the road !

[magnumcyclonex]

Hmm...not as deep as I would have thought compared to the prior week's episode, but I suppose many of us who are older can relate at some point with Terurun on what we are doing with our lives, our careers, what it all means etc. I didn't expect her to open up to Mira of all people, but it was nice to see these two get some shared screen time and see what Terurun's room actually looked like.

Aoi is now left wondering who was in Room 8 before Shoin moved in. This ship is currently docked and not going to move anytime soon.

Shoin moves one thing in and has no more room! Aren't people going to start seeing similarities between his room and Mira's and question them?

Once again, Miyasaka is crept on...by Ren's dad! Lovely for him to support the chef while noting all he is not comparable at. But Miyasaka DOES have his cooking skills, until Shoin learns and can cook just as well! Btw, Shoin's mistake of thinking Miyasaka is a servant cracked me up, and also when he bought all those "cheap" foods!

I suppose the "bamboo" was just a precursor as we see that the Hubby spy is a rodent...more to come next week probably.

Of all the cast NOT to get a voice this week, it was Ren. I wish there was something for him this episode and NOT the gossipy old lady who only knows the "Big Three" idols.

And the key! Wow it's big! And right there in the front yard as a plant support beam! Where on this planet did it go? I hope next episode brings more answers.

[Alchemist007]

"Unlucky baba" is an apt nickname.

[Frontier]

I can't believe the key WAS HIDDEN BEHIND A FRIKKIN' MAIL BOX the entire time and they only realized it because Miyasaka wanted to hang a sign warning people of random bamboo attacks! Though it also oddly fits this kind of show .

Well, figures the Hubby Spy would attack, though Shoin takes care of it and saves Mira...but I think what stands out the most is Mira immediately trying to protect Miyasaka .

Well, they have the key, it's time for Mira to leave...but no one wants her to leave, even if she wants to use her last week as landlady to settle Astro Lodge for the residents before leaving...though it's also her last week as a free woman before having to become queen. And there's also the unresolved feelings between Aoi and Naosuke .

Hey, at least Miyasaka finally got a proper aquarium date scheduled for Mira! She'll miss Earth's cooking, but she'll miss Miyasaka just as much, and the least she can do is spend her last day on Earth with him .

Of course the residents want to throw a farewell party for their sincere, kindhearted, yet quirky landlady, and Ren's heart is in the right place for ideas, so why not throw a concert? It'll be the perfect way to cap off Miyasaka and Mira's date! Though kind of awkward talking about his date with another woman in the same room as Aoi...but right now Aoi just wants to find her Octo-san .

Dang it Naosuke, you can't just leave a radio message of emotional support for Aoi along with her favorite song and not expect her to fall even harder for you !

Welp, Ren's best bud caught him with a skirt on! I hope he just doesn't turn on Ren and just accepts it after initially being surprised .

Miyasaka and Mira are all dressed up for their date...too bad Shoin WAS A DIRTY TRAITOR the whole time! The Hubby Spies? Were all working for him. All his impressive feats were faked to make him look cool and heroic. But real heroism is Miyasaka and Naosuke fighting off the Hubby Spies and Miyasaka beating Shoin to save Mira .

Well, that escalated quickly! Miyasaka asks Mira to stay on Earth and he and Mira confess their love for each other and waste no time kissing (unlocking the true power of the key in the process0, there's a Planet Hub invasion of Earth coming lead by Show Hayami, Naosuke exposes himself to the Astro Lodge residents (and in particular Aoi), the key ends up TRANSFORMING ASTRO LODGE INTO A GIANT MECHA to fight off the invasion with and piloted by freshly-minted couple Miyasaka and Mira...this finale is going to be epic !

[Lex79]

OK, this turning into a super robot anime is not something I was expecting.

[magnumcyclonex]

OK Wow! I'm impressed! This is 9/10 for me. I was surprised the key was in the mailbox all along, and at the end of the episode, I was gleaming in WTF joy as the entire Astro Lodge transformed into a giant cat robot! Makes sense since they kept showing the lucky cat whenever these two love birds walked around town. And all the more for laughs that their enemies, the Hubbies, are a fish species!

All secrets have been revealed - first Aoi learns of who Mr. Hachi really is, and the rest of the cast get to see him standing up and communicating with Mira and Takumi, which I'm sure they will have so many more questions about. Oh and Ren's friend learns about his cross dressing secret!

The ONLY thing that I was disappointed was the 180 turnaround of Shoin. I REALLY wish he was possessed like Aoi was when he went on that tirade and quickly became the biggest wimp of the cast. So unlike him! I'm not a fan of this plot twist, but we'll have to live with it. (which is why this is a 9/10 episode for me)

We're getting a season 2 right? There's no way they slid down that path, suited up and control a giant cat robot, only to maybe defeat the Hubby Fish army in just one more episode (but I'm hoping that's not the case and we're left with a cliffhanger in episode 12).