The penultimate episode of Dragon Crisis and things have come full circle – Onyx has come back and custody of Rose is the matter of the day, once again.

Turns out Sapphie inadvertently set the stage for the current sequence of events by pushing Rose to complete the coming-of-age ceremony with Ryuji. Apparently the problem is, Ryuji isn’t a dragon. Even worse, he’s not a human but himself a lost precious. Or so Onyx – in non-corporeal form – tells Ryuji on the rooftop of Society HQ while Rose is strapped to a table in the lab, sweating with fever and apparently about to expire. Onyx tells Ryuji that only he can fix her. I’m not quite sure I’d believe anything Onyx tells him if I were Ryuji, but he’s desperate to save Rose so he agrees to turn Rose over to Onyx’ custody. The Society is none too pleased at Ryuji or Eriko for this but that’s just what happens, and Ryuji spends a rough couple of weeks depressed over what’s happening and fending off Ai’s advances as school. It looks for a fleeting moment that Misaki may finally be about to confess to him, but she just wants to confront him about Rose – and finally, Moruga turns up at Ryuji’s door – with valuable information about Rose, no doubt.

I’m disappointed the awkward, hormonal interplay between Rose and Ryuji didn’t last longer – I really enjoyed it, and the effect it was having on Eriko. There’s no small similarity between she and Misato Katsuragi, now I think about it – sharing the apartment with the cherry boy with the special abilities who likes to cook, acting like a slob, getting trashed on beer. I enjoy her and I enjoy pretty much all the major characters here, which always makes this series worth watching even when it really isn’t doing anything exceptional. I’m sure things will end with Ryuji and Rose together in a chaste, non-threatening relationship – this isn’t the sort of show I expect to give me any surprises in the finale. And that’s fine – I have no complaints about knowing where this is going. It’s easy to watch and doesn’t require an excess of analysis, and a couple of those every season are a Godsend.