Medaka Box Abnormal - Episode 7

Although even Akune at his finest as a "destroyer" was having a struggle despatching Naze and her cyborg sidekick Koga, is the appearance of master analyst Maguro on the scene really going to make any difference to this particular battle?

It certainly doesn't seem like it given his proclivities, and his obsession with Naze's underwear seems likely to be nothing but counter-productive as it turns into a wager between the two of them, effectively betting on Akune or Koga in a game of strip judo.  With knowledge of Koga's super-fast healing, Akune instead aims to dislocate her joints in the hope that this will stop her rampage, but even this is something that she can shrug off in short order.

Eventually, Maguro finally proves to be useful as he nudges Akane in the right direction towards figuring out Koga's weakness, and in the ensuing moments it appears that the day is won.  Rather than having her strip for him however, Maguro has something else in mind for Naze... making her remove her mask.  This in turn reveals the true identity of Naze - an identity that is a shock to even Maguro, as we're introduced to a member of the Kurokami family who treats said family's wealth and talent as a curse, instead pursuing a path of sheer Hell.  Given her unflinching attitude towards her brother in the aftermath of this revelation, could it be that Maguro has just made things worse for all concerned?

As appears to be the default for this adaptation by this point, this week's Medaka Box was again an utterly devoted transplant of the original manga to the small screen - something which certainly avoids it making any major errors, but also something which leaves it feeling drained of life, as scenes which work fine on the printed page are left feeling stilted by this adaptation.  With what feels like a decidedly low budget approach to the animation itself, this leaves us with little to really get excited about it - a disappointing fate for source material that arguably deserves better.