It’s hard to say Hidarikiki no Eren has been in any way predictable or conventional in its narrative structure so far. So that it took another hard left turn here is not remotely surprising (and quite appropriate). I confess after last week’s episode I wasn’t looking forward to what it teased. I get PTSD from Kouichi’s work life anyway, and it was obviously on the brink of descending even deeper into Hell. A break was actually kind of a relief – though I’d be lying if I said this ep was easy to watch. Eren the Southpaw rarely is.

In a blink the title character goes from being dark matter to being the Sun. This series is sort of a “You And I Are Polar Opposites” of creative pursuits. Kouichi is cursed by being unexceptional in almost every way. Eren is cursed (in a way) by being a singular genius. I confess I don’t find her in any way sympathetic. Her “woe is me, I’m so driven and exceptional” act wore thin as soon as it started, Boo fucking hoo, she’s a great talent. All anyone has ever done is bend over backwards trying to accommodate her talent (albeit not always for altruistic reasons) and she’s never shown a shred of gratitude.

The latest one taken in by her is Professor Manabu Mashiro, from her art college. He’s captivated by her tiny cat painting (her first submission), buys it, and immediately sets about being her patron during her time at the school. When she’s working on her graduation project three years later, a first-year student of his named Kishi Akari takes interest in her. Akari is a gorgeous and wealthy model, living in her parents’ “extra” condo and larking her way through school. She winds up on the runway for a fashion show Kouichi is acting as art director for, which sucks Eren into going to see her in it.

I find this whole business about Akari and Eren being singular but opposite freaks – seeing and being seen – kind of self-important and silly TBH. Nevertheless this takes us into areas anime almost never ventures, which is par for the course with Eren. “Esoteric” is a word I don’t think would be misplaced when describing this show. It’s kind of a free-form musing on creativity and how the world tries to harness it for its own benefit. Akari winds up deciding to keep Kouichi as a pet, recognizing at once that he’s mired in a world she considers herself far above (he doesn’t even know a Shirley Temple is alcohol-free).

I don’t like Eren and I don’t like Akari, and as such this whole arc is kind of a chore in some ways. Akari is an awful person – entitled and selfish and incredibly shallow. But she apparently has some form of animal magnetism, as Eren becomes obsessed with drawing her (for her senior project) after seeing her at the show. Akari pompously declares that she’ll peak at 27 and kill herself, unwilling to live on past that apotheosis. It’s impossible not to gag, though of course people who think that way do exist. Then she starts to have actual feelings for Kouichi, which causes Eren to decide she’s no longer worth drawing because a strain of contentment has slipped into her bearing.

This is all a lot to take, and this ludicrous pair and their self-important delusions are pretty gag-inducing. But it’s genuinely interesting in a trainwreck sort of way. Hidarikiki no Eren is quite willing to focus on unpleasant people and the effect they have on those around them, which is a pretty rare quality in anime. I don’t find anything remotely inspiring or redemptive about it and don’t expect that to ever change, but it’s determined to muse on the ideas at its core in an unvarnished way. And in the big picture, that counts for a lot.