In the first place, this was another fantastic episode of Kai Byoui Ramune in its own right.  I love surrealism in anime, and we’ve seen two really good examples of it in the last calendar year with this show and Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun.  Above and beyond that, this series has a cogent and effective game plan that’s clearly at work and has been since the beginning.  All of the pieces fit together, every story paints a few more brushstrokes in the big picture, and the pacing and sequencing are spot on.  I expected Hanako-kun to be a classic – sleeper or not, Dr. Ramune has blown past the markers I’d placed for it.

I took a ton of notes on this episode, I notice.  Sometimes great anime episodes are like that, with some I write almost nothing at all – there’s no surefire equation at work.  But I think what we had here was an episode that was dense with ideas and subtle exposition.  The premise finds Sensei and Kuro invited to a “mysterious labyrinth” – a kind of treasure hunt/hall of mirrors set up by artist and mysterious item maker Reinette, recently deceased.  Whoever completes the challenge shall be the recipient of his bequeathed treasure, or so the invitation says.

This provides us, at last, with the formal introduction of the mysterious Master’s Master, Momiji (Suwabe Junichi).  He – along with Ayame and Nico – have been invited too (along with some zaku who don’t really have a shot).  The dynamic between Ramune and Momiji has been obvious for a while but the master’s presence confirms it.  “Terrified respect” seems to cover it from Sensei’s side – Momiji was obviously a harsh master.  How he views his former pupil is a more complicated proposition, and it’s clear that the difference in their personalities annoys the older man to a considerable degree.  But their relationship – like everything in this series – goes well beyond what’s on the surface.

Reinette was obviously a mischievous fellow, and this hunt stands as a sort of final jape from him – but there’s more going on here.  Sensei is not at his best in Momiji’s presence, clearly, but there’s a lot of firepower in this group.  And Kuro is clearly not to be excluded from that, as Momiji notices what the others all have already – this boy is formidable.  He’s smart and fearless, and what’s more he’s always watchful.  The ability to learn by observing and the inclination to observe are a powerful combination in anyone, especially a youngster.  What’s more we get yet another tantalizing tidbit about Kuro’s past – his family runs a dojo in some unspecified martial art.

After the group is separated, Momiji and Kuro find themselves in a room full of suits of armor which mirror their movements – making the challenge of “pierce the armor’s heart” a difficult one.  Kuro shows off his wit and his training here, impressing Master, but Momiji cuts to the chase and reveals a bit of his own abilities.  The challenges come one after the other but this diverse group have the talents to handle them, and eventually “win”.  The prize is a catalog allowing the user to choose one of Reinette’s magical items, which Momiji promptly presents to Ayame-san.

That’s that, or it would be if not for the real story being more complicated (as usual with Kai Byoui Ramune).  Something seems off about this to Kuro, and about Sensei’s behavior as well.  Once more he finds himself paired off with Momiji (that track suit is adorable) as each have the same idea.  Momiji is again impressed, and delivers a lesson to the boy for free on the difference between “correct” and true”.  But the real truth of what Reinette was giving away remains a mystery, especially as Master makes sure Kuro never catches sight of the real treasure – the “Mysterious Old Book“.

Momiji entered the narrative at just the right time, and he – and his treasure – clearly still have a role to play in the story’s resolution.  But we’re now proceeding to what looks like the main event, Kuro and Sensei’s origin story.  This adaptation has been tremendously impressive in its construction – I would use the word “meticulous” to describe how thoughtfully and expertly it’s pieced everything together, and this development comes at exactly the right moment.  This kind of seamless storytelling is extremely rare for adaptations of ongoing manga, yet another reason to step back and appreciate just what a revelation Kai Byoui Ramune has been.