At this point, pretty much everybody in the main cast has been the focus of an arc this season, or at least an episode.  Apart from Seiya, who’s kind of always around anyway giving his opinion about everyone else’s problems.  That’s an impressive display of spreading it around – heck, they even gave the girls an episode and that was a definite first.  That approach can cut both ways but I don’t mind it here – the main boys are pretty likeable for the most part, and there are no outright deal-breakers in the bunch.

To begin with it’s a group story, with the guys desperately trying to up their ikiai to the girls’ level.  They clearly have no real idea how to do that, and while the “boys are girls are different” humor is pretty heavy-handed, that’s really the house style so there’s no sense in complaining now.  In teaching (or managing, where I have more experience) this dilemma of whether to tell the grommets how to do it or let them figure it out themselves is a very real one.  The fastest way to get something done right is usually to do it yourself; the next-safest to tell someone exactly how to do it.  But knowing when to let go can be very difficult.

Animanga coaches tend to err on the side of “let the idiots figure it out”, but I think Masa-san generally strikes a pretty good balance.  It’s true that especially kids will absorb something much more if they figure it out on their own, but you still have to know when (and how) to give them a push.  Finally Masa relents and intervenes (that stomach bit was about as edgy as the humor in Tsurune ever gets) but the boys are still clearly in the baby steps stage here.  Even I know, though, that in competitive archery (and shooting) breath and even heartbeat control is of paramount importance.

From this point it’s mostly Ryouhei’s show.  He’s a background character in a very practical sense – a plodder, good-natured but insecure.  We knew he had a big inferiority complex about his role in the team; that he has a hikikomori older (I assume) sister is new info unless I’ve forgotten it.  He heads over to Nakazaki’s to beg for a loan for some new gear, but Nakazaki-san is having none of it.  The discussion about Shuu’s borrowed arrows is apparently the first time Ryouhei has remembered he still has then, so he heads over to the Fujiwara mansion bearing the arrows and a sack full of cola and junk food as gifts.

Shuu’s poor little rich boy story is still having its edges colored in, but there’s obviously some deeper stuff going on there.  He may have his own kyuudou range (the use of the shadow of that hanging arrow, wow) but he clearly doesn’t feel “supported” by his family.  Having everybody look up to you has got to be exhausting, and Ryouhei is certainly no exception.  Shuu bears it well, though – he never betrays impatience of acts overtly imperious.  Imagine getting to middle school never tasting cola…

It’s nice for Ryouhei to have wormed his way into Shuu’s circle, because he can confide in him in a way he can’t his teammates, and he really needs a confidante.  We also get a brief check in on Eisuke-kun, working at a cafe when yet another mysterious older dude shows up in his orbit.  That chip on Eisuke’s shoulder is being hyped like a whole can of Pringles, but Tsurune doesn’t really do villains – he’s going to be redeemed at some point.  As for who this new guy is, the vibe of the interaction suggests “older brother”, but Eisuke certainly doesn’t address him that way.  Stay tuned.