Ikuhara loves repetition–  his comedy lies in how often these parts of the episode remain quite similar but have different meanings each time they are executed.  It’s about time though we get to see things have shifted around as we jump into Lulu’s past and how she meets Ginko.  We start off with the revealing that the courtroom men are in-fact bears themselves.  Their forms are much like their human counterparts and I really like how Love Sexy is used as the narrator for Ginko’s story.  Especially with his bear appearances.  These were really hilarious to watch!

The amount of symbolism during this was ridiculously awesome–  the maids with the bear hats, Lulu’s little brother searching for the Promised Kiss, the shooting stars being the Promised Kiss acting as a sign of hope that they can regain some sort of bond through all this.  More importantly though the biggest metaphor was the honeypot that Lulu is seen with and the Promised Kiss that is throughout this story.  This strongly illustrates the sexual side of this series really well–  Prince Murin wants a kiss from her big sister because he’s tempted from the honeypot.  I love all the situations that Lulu puts Murin through to attain the Promised Kiss–  the delivery was so simple!  Throw him in a box and knock him off various cliffs and sand dunes.  Years later however, the kicker is when Lulu finds the honeypot and tries to return it Lulu.  Being fascinated by the woman standing before her she’s once again caught in the honeypot metaphor but this time its reversed.

Without Prince Murin around due to the accidental death by a bee from an attempt to get more honey for Lulu, it’s the mysterious Ginko that not only returns what she’s lost but reminds her of what she’s lost too.  Really interesting to see this show finally chooses now to get across to the viewer what the two worlds represent.  The bear kingdom, the school and what separates them is a sexual allegory.  The kingdom where heterosexuality is a norm and the other side [the academy]  being the very place that establishes yuri as the leading point of the series.  A rather sexually suggestive way to establish this idea of bear vs. man that is discussed in the first episode.  It’s also the phrase in every episode so far that establishes this even more between Prince Murin and Princess Lulu.  We hated you from the beginning and loved you from the beginning, too.

So the Severance barrier separates man’s relationship with women and what ultimately evolves from this.  Lulu trying to kill her brother Prince Mirun because he’s to succeed the throne leaving her out of the picture completely emphasizes this.  As prevalent as the yuri has been in this–  its this episode that pushes its doors wide open here.  Tossed aside by the family that loved her as the favorite because Mirun a man is born into the family will receive all the duties as heir to the kingdom.

What an impact this has on her character!  She’s always been so abrasive.  Out of jealousy of Prince Murin, she neglects him only to lose him in the process to the very honeypot that lured him in the first place!  The promised kiss from a man so to speak that took away her desires is the same man that gives her this monumental push to go over the Severance barrier and become a human with Ginko.  Whoa!

I really like how this resonates with her feelings of keeping her promise to help Ginko–  following through with her love for Kureha.  Lulu gives up her kisses for a promise that’s not even hers and wants to somehow fill the void of losing her brother.  Ginko ultimately saves her and what a great scene by the end where Lulu is being Lily approved.

Seeing as how this trio’s [Kureha, Lulu, Ginko] relationship is left with pure love and obsession at the forefront one has to wonder how this will end up.  Keeping in mind that the very star that Ginko is starting at by the end of this episode is similar to the necklace Kureha’s mother is seen with in the picture.  This strongly suggests multiple paths for this story to take.  I personally can think of two ideas that can stem from this.  Is Ginko in fact Kureha’s sister and if so was Lulu’s story foreshadow towards this?  On the other hand it could also mean that Ginko ate Kureha’s mother as well.  What would Kureha do with this knowledge if this were the case?

I also want to point out that Life Sexy’s shabada–shabadadada lightning strike scene had me laughing so hard.  What a fantastic scene!

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 10/10