Recap: After Heartseed’s threat, Inaba is wracked with anxiety over the truth coming out. Will Iori be able to reconcile with the fact that her best friend has the hots for her man?

Marlin’s Thoughts: Coming off a gripping end to last week’s episode, I was all set to see some major drama go down. Seeing how the unleashing of desires could really screw up relationships in the past few episodes, I was ready for friendships to get sent totally adrift, for Inaba to be sent into the pits of despair because she could not deny her desires. Since when did I become such a horrible person?

What I got, however, was a still fantastic episode showing the true bond between friends, and how I really didn’t buy any of it.

What I loved most about Heartseed’s powers is that they have an equal ability to bring both comedy and drama. Iori draping herself into Taichi because her desire to not walk had been activated was hilarious. I also loved how everyone I talked to had the same reaction to Inaba’s unleashed desire during the vegetable cutting. It had the potential to end badly, I mean really badly, but the way it was played out made sense in context. I feel it must have been intentionally scripted like that, as the dread of a knife-wielding  out of control person is too easy to bring into that line of thinking.

This week’s drama was definitely much less than I thought it would be. Talking to Life and Jel about the previous week’s previews, I did see this as a possibility. Iori’s anger seemed too far, belying more the unleashing of a desire than legitimate rage. In a way I always felt the go-with-the-flow character of Iori would be more disappointed that Inaba would think her so shallow that she’d let the truth destroy their friendship. They are friends first, and honestly it’s not like Taichi and Iori are dating yet.

Still, words were said in that friendly banter that held a sinister edge. Inaba’s declaration of Iori only being a pretty face, while obviously meant to be taken in jest, could also easily be her true feelings. As much as they put on airs about this subject and declare it would never get between them, it is just a topic too emotionally charged to not cause drama. With romance becoming the heavy focus amongst all five characters now, it has to be what will drive the plot in the future.

Heartseed has to get an honorable mention for the hugest dick move ever. He is like an artist the way he spins the truth by omitting details in order to mess with their heads. With the unleashing of desires coming to an end, the biggest thought that comes to mind is what he has in store next. If my theory about his powers connecting to the heart are true, there are a lot of creative possibilities that are on the table. One popular idea amongst us Glorio members was mind reading. It would definitely be the kind of old idea that I think Kokoro could really spin into a fresh concept ripe for drama. With not even an image to our next episode preview, we can only be left to wonder until the mastermind reveals his next hand.