Nyan Koi! - Episode 11

With Jizou's head dislodged once again and the shrine to which it belongs in dire financial straits, the side-effects of Junpei's curse seem to be worsening, leading him to take the drastic measure of finding part-time work with the post office to help pay for the shrine's upkeep and thus earn some clemency from his "master".


The trouble is, with Christmas just around the corner Kanako is convinced that Junpei is working to save up for a present for someone, be it herself or (more likely Kaede), and for much of this episode we concentrate on Kanako's internal struggle regarding whether or not she should confess to Junpei, and what that would mean for her friendship with Mizuno. Despite those worries, it doesn't stop her from inviting Junpei on what can only be described as a date, which he agrees to, inadvertently bringing memories of the pair's childhood flooding back for her in the process.

Mind you, if this all sounds like trouble enough for Junpei, think again, as the end of this penultimate episode sees even greater troubles ahead for our hero, and quite possibly for Mizuno to boot.

This being the penultimate episode as I just mentioned, it's no real surprise to see some elements of the plot being moved on apace here, although I have to confess that it actually feels rather rushed in this instance. On a more personal level, I was also a bit disappointed to see Kaede given so little time in this episode, with Kanako again taking up the lion's share as she seems to have done quite a lot recently, in an episode that was rather light on the humour compared to some of the more amusing instalments of this series. What this left us with was a pretty average, run-of-the-mill effort that was somehow lacking in charm somewhat compared to what we've been used to with Nyan Koi, a state of affairs I can only hope is rectified in the grand finale of the series, assuming it isn't simply used as a way to lead into a second season of course.