かんなぎ Episode 09
Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens 09
Kannagi 09

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Takako calls a meeting with Shino, Akiba, and Tsugumi to discuss the reason that the relationship between Daitetsu and Jin has apparently changed, causing Daitetsu and Nagi to become enemies. Naturally, this must mean that Daitetsu and Jin are in a homosexual relationship, which Tsugumi refuses to believe. The discussion leads to Akiba’s collection of various manga (and doujinshi?) being displayed. Akiba protests that this is all for research as a manga artists and Tsugumi picks up a yaoi title, becoming shocked at what she sees. However, she checks out other titles in Akiba’s collection.

Despite her new education in maters of boy-love, Tsugumi won’t believe that Jin is a homosexual and so decides to ask him directly. She and Takako go down the hall, Takako wondering if Tsugumi is really going to do it. Tsugumi is frustrated and yells out wondering how Jin and Daitetsu can be a “homo-couple.” The other students in the hall hear this and thus the rumor is born that Jin and Daitetsu are a couple. Later when Jin comes to the Art Club, he has noticed that people are treating him differently and he wonders why. Akiba shows him a post on the Nagi-sama site indicating that Jin and Daitetsu are in love and Nagi-sama isn’t happy about it.

Daitetsu encounters a dark-aura Nagi in the hall and is prepared to fight her, but she storms passed him. Daitetsu hears other students talk about him in a strange fashion before 3rd-year male student Honda arrives and gives Daitetsu a love letter. Meanwhile, Tsugumi feels terrible at having accidentally started this rumor about Jin and Daitetsu being a homosexual couple, so another girl decides to help her out and ends up taking her to Zange-chan for a confessional. Tsugumi isn’t too happy to see Zange, but the two end up talking, Zange finding the situation funny. Zange says the only solution is for people to know that Jin likes girls, and Zange volunteers for it. Tsugumi protests that but isn’t sure she wants to be that girl either.

Tsugumi decides to pay a visit to Jin to apologize to him for starting the rumor. No one answers the door but because it is unlocked, she lets herself in. The TV is on, meaning someone should be home but since Tsugumi is we from having walked in the rain, she heads to the bathroom for a towel. There she finds a naked Jin drying himself off and screams. After Jin gets dressed, the meet in the main room where she apologizes for walking in on him and they talk bit. Jin is about to say something when Nagi comes in. Nagi is a bit surprised to see Tsugumi, whom Jin calls a perverted woman.

Once Nagi has had her laugh about what happened, she wants to know more about “Jin,” and an embarrassed Tsugumi says that Jin has changed from when he was a child. Nagi wants to hear more about Jin when Zange is suddenly there, deciding that she wants to hear embarrassing stories about Jin. With that, Tsugumi breaks out the photo album and tells Nagi and Zange stories of Jin and herself as children. Jin wants this to stop, leading Zange to ask about the whole “homo” rumor and whether he would want to be with Tsugumi or Zange to help dispel the rumor. That’s when Zange learns that Tsugumi still hasn’t told Jin who started the rumor.

Tsugumi and Jin head to his room where Jin apologizes to Tsugumi for being such a brat when they were children. Tsugumi assures Jin that everything is fine because she knows Jin best and thus even when Jin got angry or whatever as a kid, Tsugumi always understood. Now it is Tsugumi’s turn and her confession has Jin trembling in frustration. Nagi suggests that Tsugumi act as Jin’s boyfriend since she started the rumor. Zange wants Jin to decide. It looks as if Jin is about to choose Tsugumi, but Nagi interrupts, saying that a choice is not required since the goal is to make people understand Jin is into women. So both Tsugumi and Zange are at school feeding the resigned Jin at lunch. Unfortunately, this changes his reputation to “anything goes” (bisexual), as Nagi shows him on her official site.

Thoughts/Review:

Here, we have another episode that mixes the wacky humor with some serious stuff, this time touching stuff since it helps develop Tsugumi and Jin’s long-time friendship. I certainly liked this bit, though I can’t help but think that Tsugumi will get the shaft in the end IF it comes to Jin choosing a girl. Of course, this episode has Nagi not appear interested in Jin that way since the “battle” over Jin ended up being between Zange and Tsugumi (with Nagi laughing on the sidelines).

Of course, the humor continues to be impressive. Some highlights were Tsugumi seeing yaoi materials, Jin’s reaction to what was posted on the Nagi-sama site, Daitetsu getting the love letter from they guy named Honda, Tsugumi “discovering” Jin at home, the girls (Nagi, Tsugumi, and Zange) discussing Jin, and how the plan to have Tsugumi and the famous Zange-chan convince others that Jin is a heterosexual backfired. To continue to keep me laughing as this series has makes this rise up fast. While a title like Hayate no Gotoku had me laughing hard at times, it had a lot of failures too as an anime (which aren’t present in that manga). Thus far, Kannagi hasn’t had any real failures, especially in the laughs.

I get the feeling that the next episode might be dealing with the aftermath of Jin’s new reputation but we’ll see. Either way, I’m looking forward to it.