Black Torch Ep.03 - Usami Hana is quite plain. Reiji looks annoying...

Episode 3 of Black Torch continues with some character development for Ichika and the introduction of the other members of the "Black Torch" team. This new squad, established within the Bureau of Espionage following Jirou's arrival, is the focus of the entire storyline. It won't be a large group, just five people in total.

The team consists of Jirou, Ichika, Ryousuke, and two new characters: Usami Hana and Kirihara Reiji. Hana seems to be a plain-looking woman in her late teens or early twenties (as she has a driver's license), and she honestly feels like the opposite of Ichika; there is no shadow of sex appeal in her whatsoever.

Stop getting that closer Ichika, your appearance must have a huge impact on poor Jirou. He's just a man you know?!

My first reaction was 'oh she's plain'. I guess it's not her fault though after watching Ichika's thighs for most of the episode.

Of course, it's just her first episode in the story, so perhaps her role will shift later. There is something about the way she speaks and moves that makes me wonder if she is faking her personality and her true self is much, much different, but I have no proof as of now.

The other character, Kirihara Reiji, seems to be a womanizer, always showering them with praise and trying to get close to them. At the same time, he seems to hate Jirou deeply. Yes, it's the standard stereotype of the rival/friend who starts off harsh but eventually becomes a "best friend" down the line.

This establishes the roles for the series: Jirou as the protagonist, Ryousuke as the mentor, Ichika as the main love interest, Reiji as the rival/friend, and Hana as... I don't know, a mascot character? Since the manga series is only five volumes, there isn't much time to add additional characters; I expect everyone else will just be minor characters appearing for an episode or two at most.

So far, I've been enjoying the story quite a lot, and as I mentioned in the first episode, it really brings me back to the old days of action series. The most important thing now is the main antagonist; he needs to be someone we can easily hate while still being a threat much greater than the usual "monsters of the week."

Exactly what I was referring to in the previous image, Ichika's thighs were the highlight of the episode considering the amount of shots the anime gave them.

Seems like Ichika's past was tragic and that explains why she's so uptight about everything. Surely she'll mellow out though...

The next episode will show us the match between Reiji and Jirou, which will demonstrate what kind of skills Reiji possesses. Ichika fought with a slashing weapon, but surely everyone must have something special in that regard, right? Perhaps we'll also learn about the first mission they need to handle together.