Not the first time I’ve said it, I know. But damn, it’s crazy how easy Seihantai makes all this look. In a way this is a sort of Platonic ideal anime romcom. It doesn’t go too far in any one direction – it’s cute without being insufferable, funny without trying too hard, and deep without being obvious about it. It gives oxygen to both the main and secondary couples without short-changing either. There exists some sort of Yin and Yang reality where Seihantai and BokuYaba exist on alternate poles and provide center and balance to the universe.

It’s quite a luxury to have a three-couple series and have all three be completely winning. The formula – mostly supporting pairs in the A-part and MiYuusuke in the B-part – just works. Even so this ep more than any gave all three equal time, I think. Nishi and Yamada dominate the first ten minutes (which inevitably means Honda-san has a lot to say too). Nishi is from the social anxiety wing of introversion – she actively stresses over interaction with others. The idea of coming clean about her feelings terrifies her and she resists, even as Honda pushes her to actually start planning stuff with Yamada-kun directly.

Pretty much every school group that comes to Kyoto goes to Kiyomizudera (which, sadly, is one of the reasons locals can hardly ever go). It’s a shame it’s always unbearably crowded because it’s a very special place, and one of the first I fell in love with in Kyoto. Speaking of falling in love, the little matchmaking shrine (Jishu Jinja) embedded inside the temple reels in every one of those class trip hordes. Yamada takes a shot at it, though Morimoto rather spoils the moment. When his and Yamada’s groups overlap looking out from the Kiyomizudera main hall, Honda urges her to talk to Yamada. But still, she resists.

It makes sense that it would be Yamada who finally inches the ball forward – he’s as transparent as the windshield on a new car. He does this by messaging Nishi and asking her to meet him in the lobby (Honda-san still has to practically throw her out of their room). The hoops she jumps through to try and convince herself this is not what it obviously is are both exasperating and wryly amusing, but Yamada is a force that demands to be reckoned with, He manages to ask her out on a date post-school trip, and she manages to agree.

Meanwhile, Taira-kun is somewhat alarmed to find he’s actually having fun on this trip. That’s kind a big deal because his middle school one was a misery for him. Taira is such a fascinating kid, truly. I don’t think he and Azuma are necessarily ever going to be a “thing”. But is a couple still a couple even if they’re not romantically linked? I’m vibing that the story with these two is more about their social development – learning to look at themselves with an unbiased eye and understand what makes them tick. They each play an important role in this process for the other, but I don’t think that equates to anything more than a very genuine friendship. At least not yet.

Finally – as always – our main pair. It’s all out in the open with them of course – they’re not trying to be ninjas about this. But it’s still hard to be a couple when surrounded by a busload of classmates. When they finally get some alone time on the final day they do the usual amusement park (yes, there is a crappy one in Kyoto) date stuff (except fighting). There’s nothing that noteworthy about this scene but it feels very natural. And Yuusuke singling Taira out for disbelief when every guy was sporting silly headgear was the funniest moment of the episode.