Kyouran Kazoku Nikki - Episode 4

After the last couple of episodes of Kyouran Kazoku Nikki really quite surprised me by being rather different from what I expected (although not in a bad way thankfully), episode four of the series finally seems to plant it in what you could ironically call the most sensible direction for the series - That is, utter madcap insanity.

The premise of the episode (as if it needs one) is that Kyouka (with more than a little prompting from new arrival Chika, who has designs on Ginka, if she can just make him a little less... well, gay) decides it's time for her and her 'husband' Ouka to embark on a honeymoon with the rest of the family - With a hijack option thrown in, of course. What follows is a visit to a suitably bizarre travel agents, complete with cursed employees and a branch chief who is some kind of wannabe witch doctor.

Above all else this episode is, quite simply, fun - If you like your anime to race along at speed while not necessarily making a great deal of logical sense (a la Excel Saga), then this should be right up your street. To be fair to this episode though, it isn't just randomness for the sake of it - There are some really funny moments too, such as the aforementioned request from Kyouka for a honeymoon package with an optional hijacking, and some other great little set pieces that I won't spoile too much, although any show that somehow manages to work a man dressed as a penguin wearing a turban has to get bonus points in my book.

So, those really quite emotionally charged second and third episodes, we now seem to have hit the real crux of the series, and it's exactly what I expected. Yes, it's a little predictable that this was going to be the way it progressed, but given that the craziness and smattering of genuinely funny gags were enough to keep me entertained, I'm continuing to quite enjoy the show.