I guess the dark energy is now referred to as “the calamity”. Then again, maybe I wasn’t paying too much attention. Not going to lie, the term makes me think of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I hope that doesn’t mean Kanan’s robot will turn evil.
Because of the calamity, Yohane’s little stage in the forest is now off limits. The gang fortunately doesn’t run into any possessed animals though they do run into the show’s animal lover. After heading back into town, Riko compares notes with Yohane and Mari, confirming that animals are more prone to be affected by the calamity due to their stronger sense of hearing compared to humans. The trio then meet up with Dia, who thanks them for their findings but reprimands them for being reckless in their individual research. As a result, Dia requests that three of them team up in their investigation from here on out.
While Yohane and Mari are keen on the idea, Riko is hesitant to join the team as she plans on leaving Numazu the next day. Yohane and Mari want to spend time with Riko before she leaves or at least see her off at the station, eventually compelling Riko to admit that she lied about leaving. The truth is that Riko has never had any friends, due to her family moving around a lot. Her plan to leave Numazu is out of fear that any friendships she makes there will be temporary.
Having an episode starring Yohane, Mari, and Riko is actually a cheeky move as the three characters form Guilty Kiss, one of Aqours’ subunits in Love Live! Sunshine‘s music and marketing. The original Sunshine!! anime did not incorporate the subunits into its story so this episode of Yohane the Parhelion is the closest form of acknowledgment to any of Aqours’ sub-units. I don’t know if Guilty Kiss could have worked in the original anime. Yoshiko and Riko become pretty close in Season 2 but Mari doesn’t really interact with either of them apart from group interactions. The nod works here because the three have common ground in this universe. Both Yohane and Mari are outsiders to Numazu, neither of them were keen on making friends in the town, and they both overcame that notion over time. They were in the same boat as Riko so naturally, they feel inclined to help Riko by being her friends. I suppose seeing a third girl get anxious about making friends in a bit repetitive but on the flip side, the common ground gives the trio a sense of unity.
I like the flashback where Riko recalls helping a stray dog when she was little. It reminds me of the Sunshine!! episode with the dog, minus Riko arguing with Yoshiko over it. Riko’s takeaway is similar to her original counterpart’s in that she develops a love dogs and animals in general, resulting in her studying zoology. It also ties well into her arc as despite being fond of animals, Riko doesn’t own a pet out of fear. She’s too afraid of becoming attached to one like she is with people.
Speaking of zoology, it’s fun seeing Riko get super excited over any rare creature she sees. First, it’s Lailaps. Then, it’s Mari’s familiars. The funniest variation is when Riko meets Ruby. I’m not sure if fairies fall under zoology but at least there’s finally someone who wondering how Ruby is Dia’s sister.
Naturally, since this is the de facto Guilty Kiss focused episode, we get treated with a song performed by the trio (though I don’t know if they are actually credited as “Guilty Kiss”). It’s another lowkey sort of song, I dig it. Curiously, the girls speak some of their lines as opposed to singing as per usual. Unfortunately, Crunchyroll doesn’t provide subtitles during the song so I currently can’t take a guess as to the reasoning behind having certain likes spoken. Something that I realized is that Hanamaru, You, and Kanan sang a song together a few episodes ago and now we have a song sung by Yohane, Riko, and Mari. That leaves Chika, Dia, and Ruby as the remaining three characters who haven’t performed. I wonder if the show will have those three will sing together and round out these trios.
At the end of the episode, Guilty Kiss meets up with Dia and Ruby. Dia decides to arrange a stage for Yohane to perform in so that she can tap into her Resonance. I guess the show really is factoring the idol element into the plot. Since everyone is still getting to know each other, Ruby proposes that they have a girls’ night out. This could be an obligatory training camp episode but most likely, it’s just a sleepover. I will be so disappointed if Dia doesn’t get super serious about pillow fighting like the original version did that one time in Sunshine!!.
Watch YOHANE THE PARHELION -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR on Crunchyroll
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