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Episode 9: The Hayasaka Siblings
Air date: November 29th 2006
Channel: TV Tokyo
Length: 23 minutes
Summary
Kazuki befriends Ouka Hayasaka, and meets her younger twin brother, Shusui, the star of the kendou team. Although his nightly training with Bravo is exhausting enough, Kazuki volunteers to train with Shusui, who has already surpassed all his team mates, and yet still strives to improve his strength.
But the Hayasaka twins have a secret: they belong to L.X.E. Dr. Butterfly gives them the task to find and eliminate the renkin warriors at their school, since Papillon still refuses to give out Kazuki's identity.
When two homunculi come to the school, Kazuki ends up summoning his Sunlight Heart in front of the twins' eyes, revealing his identity.
New main characters introduced:
Kishou Taniyama as Shusui Hayasaka
Guest starring:
Hiroshi Shirokuma as Tai
Chihiro Suzuki as Shii
Compared to the manga...
The episode covers the manga chapters 25 to 28 (not exactly the entire 28th chapter, though). There is only one big change: instead of having a cup of coffee, Tokiko, Mahiro and Ouka go to the bath house just like the boys. I suppose this was done so the male audience does not have to feel left out. The original bathhouse scene is left intact, with all its hilarious nakedness, so I don't think I am in the position to complain about the change, even though... ah, us coffee fetishists really get no love. ;)
Opinion
With some of the most daring comedy scenes so far, and the introduction of two interesting characters, this episode is a highlight, even more so for me because I am a fan of the Hayasaka twins. And of the bathhouse scene.
Maybe the pacing is a bit too fast, or it just feels that way because the the twins' affiliation to L.X.E. were revealed so early and it did not take much longer until all secrets were out - then again, this was just the same in the manga, and cannot be blamed on the anime, which, after all, follows the manga very closely.
(Written by Kaeli on November 30th)