Recap: Our intrepid squad arrives at Guadalupe base for a special exercise and find themselves working with Cryska and Inia. Tensions are diffused with a little friendly competition, but bad weather leaves Yuuya, Yui and Cryska stranded on a deserted island.

Jel’s Thoughts: YAAAAAAAAAAWN!!!!! *stretch*

Last time I said I would be OK with Total Eclipse turning into a Love Triangle Space Opera and they went through all the steps they could handle in one episode to make that happen. They even dusted off the ancient “trapped on a deserted island” scenario to force our hero and our two busty heroines to address their burgeoning feelings. Mixing the novel’s eroge pedigree and some of the dialogue, I was half expecting the episode to end up in a three way to “preserve body heat”. Sadly I would have preferred that, as instead we were left with another mildly entertaining, inoffensive episode.

I’ll admit it was nice to get a break from Yuuya and his boring technical problems, but this really was so straightforward and predictable it’s hard to get too excited about. I still don’t understand the “he helped me with my (insert minor medical issue here) and now I love him” thing, and I’m sure next episode will have plenty of bickering between the girls and incidental nudity. I will soldier on for another episode and wait for Total Eclipse to pull out something more compelling. In the meantime, I will amuse myself by photoshopping Bonnie Tyler posters into leftover screencaps:

Lifesong’s Thoughts: A welcome change of pace.

I share Jel’s opinion with this series for the most part but I can’t help but feel like it’s building up to something greater than what it is now. This episode changed things up a bit by showing a little more human emotion and a little less bitching about mechs and racism. This episode was straightforward to a fault but I am grateful for a break in all the endless bitching that was episodes three through five. Maybe this anime will start going places after this episode? I can hope right?

[Activate your Love Triangle by watching Total Eclipse on Crunchyroll.]