Recap: With Yashiro free, he goes to the only help left. As the False Eizan Electric Railway winds through town, will the brothers be able to save Yaichiro in time?

This was by far the most entertaining episode in a while. Not that I have been bored by the recent developments, but this use of transformation in a witty and absolutely ludicrous way was what I loved about some of the very first episodes. Watching Yajiro move about like a demented Thomas the Tank Engine had me in stitches. I like the idea of this Idiot blood being a real force, not just an excuse for doing stupid things. That Yajiro literally couldn’t stop due to the mirth he was having driving around was fun, and brought out a new characteristic to the normally somber frog. While the idea that Yashiro had to facilitate his former alcoholism to get him to transform is a little suspect, it’s the kind of inanity I can manage.

What I really loved was the total reversal of position between Yashiro and the twins. I still don’t get quite how it works that they were all sucked into Yajiro, and not just like Yajiro trying to ram into Ginkaku or something, but the resulting cage scene was just the best. After all the grief he had to go through, it was more than a bit satisfying to see Yasaburo toy with the pair before finally dropping them into the river. Each time the idiot brothers tried a scheme to mess with one of the Shimogamos, it was always their own hubris that eventually became their downfall.

A lot of strange things happened when they did finally save Yaichiro. The setup was absolutely brilliant, with Yajiro just barreling into the restaurant, but some parts afterwards just felt off. For one, Hotei, the professor, didn’t seem to recognize Yasaburo at all. It made perfect sense for Jurojin to not know him since he was absent the time Yasaburo did meet the Friday Fellows, but Hotei grabbed him and looked him straight in the eye as he realized they had lost Yaichiro. I can only hope that this was on purpose. We already know Chotaro likes Tanuki, and it could be he wanted an excuse to not to have to eat one, but was forced to by the imposing Jurojin. Secondly, speaking of Jurojin, what’s strange is that he seemed to hold some kind of rope magic that we haven’t seen yet. Aquagaze thought it was maybe some kind of ninja skill, but still it seemed very odd. Him holding some kind of power would much better explain why he has such authority over the Friday Fellows.

Last of all, it’s much harder now to see Benten’s game then it was when she first seemed melancholy over the prospect of eating Yasaburo. There was a sinister edge to the way she was playing with Yasaburo this week. She seemed to keep his true identity from Jurojin, but we also don’t know what she whispered to him before speaking out loud. She might still be mad at Yasaburo about Christmas and the way he treats her. It just seemed a little too convenient that the secretive Friday Fellows’ leader would let a random bystander in on their bash, but I loved the result of their move. Having the Friday Fellows relocate right next to the elders meeting is the best way i could think of this finale playing out. With all the powers that be coming together, things are going to get crazy, and if this episode is any indication, it’s going to be crazy-good.