Ano Natsu de Matteru - Episode 11

It's always nice to have a surprise visit from a family member, especially when they've come all the way from deepest space - however, in the case of Ichika's sister, this welcome reunion soon turns out to be anything but.

While Ichika's tale of how she came to end up on earth, set off an emergency beacon and trash the rescue drone sent to find her is one thing, the fact that she now has a human boyfriend is quite another, and beyond sister Emika's surprise that such a thing could even happen there's one rather large problem here - that galactic law forbids their race from associating with a "Class F civilisation" such as humans.  Ergo, the only option from Emika's point of view is for Ichika to return home, no questions asked - something which Ichika herself is understandably more than a little reticent to do.

As Kaito tries to figure out a suitable solution to the problem and Kanna gives Ichika both barrels for resigning herself to her fate so easily, it's the ever-dependable Remon who comes to the rescue - while the whole group bands together to convince Ichika not to give in, it's Remon who has a plan ready to put into action.  In short, if the gang can find the location that Ichika has been searching for from her vision, herself and Kaito could be reprieved.  But can they really find it before time runs out and the rest of the search party track down Ichika?

I'll be the first to admit that the major plot point of this episode is something we've seen coming since pretty much the first scene of this series - it was inevitable we'd reach the moment where Ichika was forced to return home in some shape or form - but that doesn't detract from another outright fantastic episode.  From a quietly emotional first half that really caught me square in the chest without overtly pushing hard to do so, we were treated to renewed hope mixed in with some great action in the second.  If anyone steals this episode however, it's Remon, who once again controls things throughout while simultaneously increasing the sense of mystery surrounding her and proving to be downright awesome when it comes to driving a van.  We're all set for what is hopefully a beautiful ending to this wonderful series, and I simply can't wait, even if the end of this series is inevitably going to leave a gap in my heart.