Kamiina Botan, Yoeru Sugata wa Yuri no Hana Ep.04 - Kanade x Botan is actually quite nice.

Episode 4 of Kamiina Botan: Yoeru Sugata wa Yuri no Hana returns to a decent art style after the absurd drift we saw last week due to artistic choices. Hopefully, it was a one-time attempt and we won't see it again, as it was really jarring and highly contested even online.

The episode focused on a trip made by the girls (all five of them) to visit shrines and similar locations. Botan and Ibuki separate from the group and end up at a shrine with the typical romantic trope: "if you write the names of two people here as offerings, they'll be together." The surprising thing was that Botan actually suggested writing their names, and they actually did.

Absolutely adorable sleeping scene with Botan and Kanade side by side. They look so happy when sleeping.

The reaction from Kanade to Botan's innocence was amazing. This! This is what I like!

Are they already a couple? It feels a bit forced to me, as there was no real "connection" or progression; they just "are," which is jarring, and I don't really like it as an approach to a yuri relationship. Remember, my favorites are stories like Adachi to Shimamura or Shuu ni Ichido Classmate wo Kau Hanashi, where the two girls are clearly into each other, but they actually have to spend time together to connect.

This led me to enjoy the moments where Kanade and Botan bonded over playing a game or sleeping together much more. They felt more "yuri" to me, if that’s even a phrase you can use. Maybe it's just me, though, as I know taste can vary wildly, even among yuri fans.

I do feel bad for Kanade at times, though, because she feels like a fish out of water within the group, as the other four are tightly linked in yuri pairings and she's the only one alone. There is a sixth girl, but apparently she's not going to be introduced for now, so...

The other couple briefly covered was Yaeka and Akane; it showed how attached Yaeka is to Akane, to the point of bordering on obsession, when she reacted poorly to a genuinely innocent question from Botan about her toenail color. This was interesting but received little attention and felt "lacking," considering I think it’s the most "promising" couple.

Honestly Yaeka in terms of looks is the best for me, maybe I'm biased towards cute blondes though...

As usual Botan's expressions are great, they put a lot of detail in making her feel attractive, but cute at the same time.

Overall, I'm enjoying the series. The art quality is back to being pretty, leading me to spam the screenshot button every few seconds and then spend minutes trying to decide which screenshot to pick for my article. It's not easy when you have so many good shots!