Things are back on track with a preposterous and funny episode of R-15 that goes back to the roots of the series. As a bonus, it seemed as if the censor bars were quite a bit less obtrusive than usual.

There was a lot to like about this episode, though it was very silly and undeniably filthy.  Taketo is on a sort of compulsory undercover mission in the girls dorm using a wonky invisibility suit that Tsuruko sold Ojou-sama on EBay.  His mission is to write an article on the splendor of the dorm (which is quite splendiferous when compared to the boys dorm) but it ends up being a sort of all-in ecchi fest as Taketo gives in to his libido. The problem?  Among other defects, the suit begins to fail when the wearer’s shape changes.  What Taketo sees in the dorm causes his shape to change quite often, alas.

Taketo ends up as a sort of quasi-visible shadow leaving a trail of blood everywhere, which leads “big sisters” Ran and Botan to conclude some sort of “slouching ghost” is terrorizing the dorm, and join forces to stop it.  Botan recruits some new faces to the cause – genius miko Kagura Mai and genius exorcist nun “Saint Maria”.  Delightfully, Taketo returns to form with his flights of pornographic fantasy, seducing each pursuer in turn with his words (“The only way to quench the flames of desire was with her own holy water”).  The slouching ghost even leaves behind pornographic writings in blood on the mirrors and ceilings, though no one quite connects it with Taketo.

There’s no denying this is in terrible taste, but Taketo’s overwrought fantasies really do make me laugh, and it was nice to see him bailed out in the end by Raika, who continues to soften up after her somewhat psychotic start as a character.  There was also a little tidbit about Fukune (exempt from Taketo’s peeping) being invited to join a music conservatory in Paris but declining – ostensibly over concerns about her own readiness, but her mind was on Taketo, not her clarinet.  I also enjoyed Taketo’s observation that as exciting as the baths and finding dirty panties were, what really got him “changing shape” was seeing the girls in normal activities, with their guard down.  It sounds funny to say it under the circumstances, but there’s a sort of profundity to that, especially for a porn author.

I guess this show is the very definition of a guilty pleasure, but episodes like this one really are a pleasure for me.  I may need to watch Ikoku Meiro twice tomorrow though, just to be on the safe side…