Recap: Yasaburo visits the professor as Benten in order to comfort him. Afterwards, most of the episode is then spent to focus on the other members of his family, alive and dead.

Not a whole lot happens this episode. Understandably, this is more meant to build the character of this aformentioned “eccentric family” than advance the plot. First up is dear old mom, who apparently either crossdreses or transforms into a bishounen dude to… play pool? Okay I don’t quite get it but I’ll roll with it for now. I was far more interested in the second-oldest  Yajiro anyway. Abandoning his original form, hes basically taken on the life of a guru, secluded in a well dolling out advice to whoever wishes to have it. I really wish we could have learned more about his circumstances, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing from him every once in a while.

As one could guess from episode one, the youngest Yashiro is a bit of a pushover. I suppose it makes sense losing his father early that he never really learned from him the way the others did. At least, that’s what I assume. Considering these are mythological beings I actually never thought about how old they’re really supposed to be, since Yasaburo doesn’t really even seem to age from the flashback with Benten in the first episode. Yaichiro solidly cements himself as the eldest, saving Yashiro as he’s getting bullied by some tanuki thugs. I find it kind of ridiculous that they are fighting as luck cats and giant tigers wide open for anyone to see, but it made for a funnier scene, so I’ll allow it.

I didn’t quite get the whole “mom is scared of thunder” thing. By implying the storm has a god within it, I suppose this might be some kind of foreshadowing as to what happened in the past. Still, without any context there’s really no reason for the audience to care why their mom is so scared. I guess it was as good a setup as any for the role reversal since their father died and it was her consoling the children. As much as I understand this is supposed to be sad, I do find it somewhat subverted by the fact that they all look like Winny the Pooh’s japanese cousins, making the scene look ridiculous if only for that.