There were several moments in that episode that left me almost stunned. Watching Kirino play that eroge was really… Something. I mean, no nudity, no foul language, but that was about as dirty as any anime episode I’ve seen in a long time. What a performance she put on! I don’t know whether the worst (best?) moment was the constant squealing, the masturbating in the shower, or the lovemaking with the pillow on the bed – but wow. Just wow! It’s easy enough to see why Kyounosuke was uncomfortable to say the least.

Saori!

While you’ll never convince me that the point – and what a point! – of the episode wasn’t to see Kirino graphically act out her sexual fantasies, there were other points as well. We certainly got our longest look yet at Kuroneko’s private life. And for every step Kirino takes towards being irredeemably a bitch, Kuroneko becomes that much more adorable. She’s got an imouto of her own, who worships her, and we see them passing a very quiet afternoon watching Mereru, knitting, and – best of all – talking with Kyousuke on the phone. For you see it was Kuroneko that Kyou called when the porn fest got to be too much for his nerves. “Just to see what she’d been doing.” Relationship flag, anyone? Kuroneko knew immediately what was happening in the background, even if Kyou wouldn’t admit it. When she’s not interacting with other denizens of the darkness, she’s quite the normal girl.

Another major development – Saori is an Ojou-sama! Some predicted she was rich, but I didn’t see that one coming – not only is she apparently wealthy as sin, but (this isn’t so shocking) quite the hottie too. But then, I adored her in her otaku getup, so I didn’t need any convincing. She’s got something planned – some sort of cosplay party that Kirino & Kuroneko are to be invited to, complete with meido outfits. Will Kyou be there too? In full cosplay mode? We got a glimpse of stalker Ayase too, though mercifully brief. While Kirino turned off her phone to keep fragging herself in peace, Ayase convinced herself it was so Kirino could study without distraction. That relationship can’t last.

While I still have the same fundamental problem with this show that I’ve had from the beginning – Kirino is a totally unsympathetic character – at least this week the writing staff showed they’re on top of that, with the vicious self-mockery of Kirino’s eroge (“She’s 100% tsun, 0% dere!”). Kirino got a taste of her own medicine, but will it actually change her behavior? There were clear signs she thought the hints hit too close to home, but her only reaction was to act out even more and be a bigger bitch to Kyousuke. In a sense I almost admire the fact that the writers are staying the course here – they know she’s awful and they’re staying the course. But where does that lead to in terms of an ending?