Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai - Episode 11

The summer holiday may almost be over, but with a week still to go time remains for one last fun club activity before those involved return to everyday school activities.

In typical anime fashion, that final jaunt is a visit to a nearby festival, albeit a visit disguised by the need to check out the local takoyaki rather than daring to admit that a festival might actually be fun.  So, off the group traipses the next day, with rental yukatas available for those who don't have their own, and only Yozora refusing to wear one outright.

From here, it's all pretty typical fare, with all and sundry enjoying the delicacies of such an event before moving on to check out the other attractions and games, and with Yozora and Sena's fierce rivalry unsurprisingly stoked by the challenges before them.  The night ends with some good old-fashioned fireworks, spoiled only be a rather unfortunate accident involving fire and Yozora's hair - although this actually turns out to be a rather serendipitous turn of events, as when the new-look, short-haired Yozora returns to school a week later it triggers a rather important memory from within the depths of Kodaka's mind.

Having had plenty of negative things to say about recent episodes of Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai as it shifted from entertaining comedy into slightly irritating fan service vehicle, the good news is that this week's effort is far more palatable.  Not good, admittedly, but at least inoffensively entertaining with odd moments of amusement.  Of course, the end of this episode leads into the series finale with a question as to how Yozora and Kodaka's relationship will change now that their past has finally come to light, which could make things interesting, but for now we can at least content ourselves with a cessation of the show's slide into the doldrums, even if it's visual reference to OreImo only reminds us of how poor it looks in comparison to that relatively more illustrious company.