Red Data Girl - Episode 9

It's school festival time in this week's Red Data Girl, with the theme of choice being the Warring States period - a period which too much thinking about seems to do Izumiko very little good...

This isn't really the best time for our protagonist to be feeling the exertions of her summer however, as the school festival also means that the academy will be open to the public, in turn meaning that any barriers erected around the premises will be lifted throughout the duration of the event.  With Takayanagi at large again and the potential for threats which come from that lifted barrier, Sagara in particular is feeling rather nervous at the thought of someone using this opportunity to get at the Himegami.

These nerves are only frayed further when Izumiko is press-ganged into modelling some traditional clothing from the Warring States period, which also entails her removing the braids which (supposedly) keep the Himegami in check - although this seems like it could be a perfect setup to cause trouble, everything goes without a hitch... at least, until after the bevent when the Himegami suddenly puts in an appearance to cause Sagara some hassle and a difficult decision to make between assisting the Himegami and following Izumiko.

In fairness, this was an improved episode of Red Data Girl, in that it was only mildly dull for the most part - its humour still lacks any bite more often than not, and the plot and the way it develops remains incredibly unsatisfying to the point where it almost feels cobbled together on a whim.  As a whole, it's still hard to feel anything to hold onto as an example of what the series does well - this isn't to say that it's getting anything horribly wrong, but it doesn't seem to know how to make you sit up and pay attention, be it visually or in terms of its narrative.  Still, only three episodes to go...