Aside from Shinichi gradually warming up to Murano a lot more this episode he went through hell here.  That was tough to watch, and I feel really bad for Shinichi now–  waking up late for school, getting attacked by a gang while Migi is asleep, and what’s worse he gets beaten up a second time by the same people only to try and protect Murano without showing his inhuman nature.

That wasn’t even half of what poor Shinichi went through in the span of 24 minutes as we left from the previous episode with his parents leaving on a trip only to arrive back with his mother very much dead and taken over by parasite and his father is presumably stuck with the same fate.  This guy can’t catch a break, especially after he has slowly been learning how to fight alongside Migi let alone even understand the creature’s values for life.

After those previous episodes that started laying out a foundation between Shinichi and Migi– this episode dedicated itself in developing their bond through survival as Shinichi’s continuous hope to persevere and take on his problems as a human without Migi was astounding especially during his second encounter with the gang.  I do like how well the episode director took the source material to create a nice dynamic of soft-touch up scenes to the intense parts that were used here when the group of troublemakers around a corner caused harm to Nagai and Shinichi just happens to be at the right place at the right time to interrupt their violence.  Nagai, the same guy who beat up Shinichi way back in episode two and right here in this second half ended up using Nagai’s own friends or gang as a way out to hide the fact that Shinichi has a parasite for a right hand!  Somehow I could not have seen this going the same way if Migi had not landed a punch on Nagai back then, he was freaked out then and now there is this confidential understanding that Nagai had of Shinichi after seeing him protect him once.  Love the foreshadow as this gave into the introduction of Kana played by Sawashiro Miyuki wonderfully and established a feeling of fear in not just Shinichi but more so Migi regarding their secret.

A bit off topic, but she has been very busy this season:  Sinon from Sword Art Online II, Rita from Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis, Gen from Tenkai Knights, heck even this year she’s had close to 15 shows she’s done voice work in! Not much to say here but that this was an incredible episode!

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 9/10

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