So, “皆殺し編” is on. With so many episodes left to finish this arc and “祭囃し編”, I think we’re going to be in for quite a few cliffhangers. Case in point, we’re presented with some information about the time loop and Hanyuu in this episode but neither is really elaborated on. I’m not sure as to which of the two I’m more interested in, although I guess they’re probably interrelated at the end of the day. I guess I’m more intrigued by Hanyuu since I’m curious as to what purpose does she and Rika actually serve. Surely some higher power must be involved if they’re constantly getting resurrected with the complete knowledge of the fact that they’re reliving their lives again.

On the topic of Hanyuu, I have to say that Studio DEEN made the right choice in asking Yui Horie to voice her. Her Kanon Ayu voice really works well in this role. It’s hard for me to believe that she was actually voicing Eri Sawachika in School Rumble. She seems to be rather useless (like Ayu) because you would think that having another person to float around through walls would be useful…but that clearly isn’t the case if Rika has managed to die during every single loop.

This arc’s conclusion could be a real eye-opener since this arc’s name translates to “massacre”. With the twists of “fate” that have been triggered in this episode, there are probably going to be a lot of revelations and I’m confident that this arc is likely going to be a completely “new” one despite the hinted ties that it seems to have with “綿流し編” and “目明し編”.