Recap: Satsuki institutes a natural election, turning the entire academy into a free-for-all brawl for supremacy.

Gee’s Thoughts: Despite the premise of the episode, it’s basically an opportunity for us to get a glimpse of the unfailingly loyal Gamagoori in action, if only briefly. With all students given permission to attack anyone they want, even the Elite Four are open targets, though as we quickly see, those four reached that point in the first place for a very good reason. Also, having three-star uniforms gives them a huge advantage, which in retrospect, makes the whole affair pretty unfair for anyone who actually wants to actually capitalize on this opportunity.

It’s also basically a free week-long vacation for our heroes, so Ryuuko visits her old home again and we find out a little more about her past. We have the usual, “rebellious girl and stubborn seemingly uncaring father” trope play out, but what I find more interesting is when Ryuuko talks about her father’s death. Before, we saw that her father’s killer carried a blue scissor, but in this flashback, it’s red. Does it actually mean anything? Or did someone at Trigger mess up the colors? Either way, we get a little more insight into our heroine’s motivations.

However, it’s on the way back that things get interesting. Out of gas, they’re passed by Gamagoori, who offers them a ride back to their home. Turns out our boy Gamagoori is a villain of the honorable persuasion, and since it is the duty of all student council members to aid students in need, even outside of class, that extends to Mako and Ryuuko. I love villains like this and I hope that no matter what happens to him in the future, he sticks around for a while. We also find out he’s…kind of a freak. He’s still my favorite member of the Elite Four, but…dude, keep that in the bedroom man. I had a feeling anybody with whip related powers was going to have some bondage undertones, but seeing Gamagoori moan while asking his assailants to punish him like a bad boy was a little much. That’s Trigger for you I guess. That said, the Buddhist undertones visible in the silhouette of his uniform’s second transformation have me thinking that karma and rebirth also play a part in the thematic design of his uniform’s powers. Guess we’ll find out soon enough.

In addition, we’re treated to another 4:3 ratio flashback, this time taking a look at the Gamagoori before he met Satsuki. Honestly it looks like much hasn’t changed, but Satsuki’s goals and ambitions give Gamagoori an outlet and opportunity to create law and order in a world where there is none, and for that, she has his undying loyalty. I find these flashbacks to be pretty interesting and I hope we’ll get one for Inumata and Nonon in the near future. Those two are definitely the most ambiguous in their motivations.

In the end to nobody’s surprise, the Elite Four and Ryuuko are the only ones remaining at the end of the natural election. However, it’s not over just yet. With every member challenging her to one-on-one combat, starting with Gamagoori, it looks like things are coming to a climax in the first half of KLK. I eagerly await what comes next.