Kamiina Botan, Yoeru Sugata wa Yuri no Hana Ep.08 - That was quite direct Chin-lan...

Episode 8 of Kamiina Botan: Yoeru Sugata wa Yuri no Hana delivers a surprisingly interesting episode that is pretty much entirely carried by Chang Chin-lan, who is turning out to be the central plot device of the series when it comes to moving the needle in the relationships within the group.

After triggering Kanade's yuri attention last week by acting clueless in front of her, this week she asked Botan straight out if she was going out with Ibuki already. Botan denied it, of course, and then Chin-lan, while drunk, asked her to consider what she wants to do with Ibuki, because she is clearly into her and her attitude may become a strain long-term.

Just look at how much thicker Botan is compared to Ibuki, clearly she's the one that eats more!

Yaeka and Akane got some time this week, but it felt inconsequential mostly. A shame as I was interested.

This managed to move Botan enough for her to start looking at Ibuki in a different light. Will this lead to them becoming an official couple before the end of the adaptation? The line at the end of the episode (see video) from Botan was a bit cryptic; what was she thinking in those moments?

They also delivered a bit of Yaeka x Akane this week, and it's such a shame that they always take the backseat in the story because I'm actually quite excited to know more about Akane's woes with her band. She seems to be striving to become perfect, but the band is not on the same page, which frustrates her.

Yaeka doesn't seem to be informed about all this, though, as Akane's personality in front of her is completely different. I wish they would just drop the Ibuki/Botan plot for a few episodes and let us know more about the side characters' backstories; these crumbs help get me interested, but it's hard to be satisfied with just crumbs.

Also, is it just me, or do these girls have way too much disposable cash to be buying alcohol this often? Are they daughters of some corporate overlord or something? I know anime requires a suspension of disbelief, but once you notice it, it's hard to ignore the expenses racking up.

This particular scene with Akane was interesting with her completely different way of talking compared to Yaeka.

Chin-lan face seems clueless, but she's sharp and probably the smartest of the girls of the group.

Oh, and the art/animation was relatively good this week, too. It's different from all other episodes, of course, as is tradition for this series, but nothing even remotely as bad as episode 3. I am curious to see what other styles they have prepared for the remaining few episodes.