Daijoubu

“Satoko, the campaign to save you has really heated up! Everyone is waving “Save Satoko” banners (it’s like Ferris Buller, except that movie hasn’t been made yet) and Al Gore is in town making a movie to raise awareness of your plight!”

Satoko finally stands up and is saved. She runs crying to Rika and, before you know it, she seems to be back to her old self and enjoying the Watanagashi Festival with everyone. I wonder if this is very realistic for an abused child to recover so quickly. Her emotional damage has already been shown to be very severe. Wouldn’t she be kept under observation or something? Or maybe whatever adults are in charge of her case think that being with her friends is the best therapy? Also, after all the build-up for several episodes it all gets wrapped up fast so that the episode can move on to Takano. This is pobably a shock tactic, though. Just as when Rika’s confidence was at an all time high at the start of the arc, and they suddenly brought in Houjou Teppei to have it all fall apart, now, when the agonizing “Save Satoko” sequence finally has a happy ending, they try to shock us with a bunch of new revelations (poor Tomitake-san!).

“Oishii! Oishi has probably found the Level 5′d Tommy by now! I need the caffeine in this tea to stay awake since I always look droopy and sound partly asleep!”

Itou Miki does a great job creating that menacing voice for Takano. I wonder what all her talk of an explosion was about? (maybe she’s going to go blow up Rena’s bus at the trash dump so she can say “Basu Gasu Bakuhatsu really fast?) I think Tomitake should have just pretended to go along with her, but I guess she wouldn’t have believed him. She just couldn’t wait to pull out her syringe :3 Let’s find out more about her plans next week!