We’ve learned something this week on Hoshizora – when it tries to get serious, it’s pretty boring.

Oh, we also learned that Ayumu in a fundoshi is almost as sparkly as Erio in a futon. And it was nice to get an ep full of Hina, as she’s one of the characters I’ve liked from the beginning. Unfortunately the only really strong Hina goodness was the service – which was damn good, mind you – but all her moe-otaku humor was missing. Why, she didn’t make a single move on Ayumu the whole time she was staying at Yorozuyo.

It was strange seeing a whole episode devoted to a girl who isn’t even in the game, harem-wise. It was an OK premise – she fled the house after squabbling with her father about wanting to move to Tokyo to go to college. But that was really just an excuse for bedroom antics between Kazuma and Hina and to break out the fundoshis for a tug o’ war at the Shrine. There was a few amusing moments mined from both, but Hina was nowhere near as amusing and adorable (though admittedly just as hot) as she had been as a minor supporting character.