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... Ordinary Life, Sket Dance, and Chihayafuru. ⏎Inu x Boku SS ⏎ Rating: 2.5 (of 5) ⏎ Review: ⏎ A short-tempered young heiress, a dashing manservant, an elite-society backdrop, and secret supernatural powers—Inu x Boku SS has it all. ⏎ Except, you know, an actual point to the story. ⏎ Although Episode 1 contains all of the aforementioned elements, it does little to explain why we should take an interest in what's going on. The heiress is a raven-haired, pint-sized beauty named Ririchiyo, who has just moved into an upper-crust apartment house named Maison de Ayakashi. Soon after she arrives, she is greeted by a silver-haired gentleman named Soushi, a member of the apartment complex's "Secret Service" who offers himself as Ririchiyo's helpful "dog." Much of the episode, then, is taken up by pointless banter where Ririchiyo meets other residents, while Soushi behaves way too enthusiastically. Only in the closing minutes is there any actual conflict: a burglar tries to break in and almost hurts Ririchiyo before Soushi comes bursting in to save her, revealing that all the Ayakashi residents and servants are descended from legendary spirits and folk creatures. Hey, it wouldn't be an anime without special abilities at some point, would it? ⏎ Unfortunately, just saying "here's some cool people with spiritual powers living in a nice mansion" isn't enough to make the next episode a must-see. And that's a problem for this show in general: the creative ion is there, but there isn't enough follow-through. The animation, for example, has moments of striking beauty—cascading sakura petals, Soushi's transformation into his true form—but other areas like room interiors and backgrounds look flat and lazy. The character designs are striking, but fall back on overused ideas like the goth-loli tsundere (Gosick and Dantalian and Oreimo all say hi) and multi-colored eyes. At least this episode tries to create a solid foundation by recalling Ririchiyo's childhood and explaining why she's come to the mansion, but looking back is not going to move things forward. This series has the tools to win over gothic-fantasy fans—but does it know how to wield them properly? ⏎ Inu x Boku SS is available streaming on Crunchyroll. ⏎ Ano Natsu de Matteru ⏎ Rating: 3.5...