Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko - Episode 3

Despite being surrounded by utter oddballs, Makoto seems to be getting into the swing of his new every-day life as enter Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko's third episode, as gets up to all of the usual kind of stuff you'd expect a student to - the drudgery of school, a meeting with new friend Ryuuko on a "date" of sorts outside of it.

However, despite leading what seems like a pretty decent life in his new location, Makoto is clearly bugged by one thing and one thing alone, that being Erio; whether it's her past, her present or her future, it's clearly gotten under Makoto's skin as he tries to piece her together in his head while asking his friends questions that are clearly related to her.

Despite those concerns, even Erio's mother is keen to warn Makoto away from getting too close to her daughter, although it seems that even Meme's past is a fluid, confused mass when it comes to her pregnancy with Erio, making this entire subsection of the family seem more than a little mysterious.  Despite Meme's warning, Makoto still refuses to leave Erio alone, which ultimately leads to him devising the ultimate test to prove without doubt that she isn't an alien - an attempt to make both of them fly using Erio's old bicycle that ultimately leads to a The Girl Who Leapt Through Time-inspired scene, and a moment which looks as though it might just have cracked Erio's outer shell...

Even three episodes in I can't really pin down my exact feelings for Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko - when it's on-form its witty dialogue voiced by crazy characters is hugely entertaining, and at other moments its darker, bitter-sweet edge comes through in a fascinating way that keeps me gripped in a fashion that I can't quite find a voice for.  In a word, this series is interesting - I still worry that it doesn't know what it wants to be and that its whole pack of cards will come tumbling down as a result, but as long as it can keep these balls in the air I'm very much signed up for more of the same.