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⏎My Little Monster episode 2 ⏎ Rating: 3.5 (out of 5) ⏎ Review: ⏎ Shizuku just can't get that kiss out of her head and it's making her do crazy things like eat way too much monja and try to avoid Haru. Of course the latter is impossible, especially when he's picking up stray roosters on the way to school. Things get shaken up when classmate Natsume asks Shizuku for help on her make up tests so that she doesn't have to take remedial classes. Shizuku, true to form, says no, but when Haru hears that a real life meet up of online friends is at stake, he volunteers to do it. Unfortunately he's a terrible teacher, so Shizuku has to step in. ⏎ This episode is pretty evenly divided between humor (an unexpected barfing scene, Nagoya the rooster) and more serious emotional content. Both Haru and Shizuku discuss their feelings, with Haru trying to explain why he so badly wants to go to Natsume's meet up and Shizuku reflecting, and thereby indirectly conversing with the viewer, about her personal isolation. It is here that the major difference between this and Say I Love You, fall's other major shoujo offering, comes in – Mei in the latter show is ostracized, whereas Shizuku has voluntarily removed herself from social situations. To me that makes Shizuku's story more interesting, as it is about coming out of her self-imposed shell rather than a damsel in distress being rescued by Prince Charming. ⏎ My Little Monster is, however, still moving very quickly. Episode one brought us a kiss and a confession, and episode two, without giving too much away, elaborates on that theme. It seems as if any conflict will be social rather than romantic, as along with Natsume another classmate, Sasahara, puts in an appearance, bamboozling Shizuku with his apparent urge to talk to her. But there are also pitfalls to be navigated between Haru and Shizuku, particularly as his response to her question about liking her romantically is, “I'd do you,” which will doubtless add fuel to the fire episode one sparked. In any event, this episode is both funny and sweet in places, and while its rapid progression through typical shoujo plot elements may be cause for concern, it may also indicate that what we're going to get is not entirely what we are expecting. ⏎ My Little Monster is still streaming at Crunchyroll. ⏎ Teekyu ⏎ Rating: .5 (out of 5) ⏎ Review: ⏎ Wow. So much happened, and yet so little happened in two short minutes. Teekyu apparently follows a high school tennis club and this first short episode introduces us to Yuri (15) and Kanae (16). Yuri is good at tennis. Kanae is not. Yuri tries to teach Kanae how to play tennis, but Kanae doesn't know which is her dominant hand because apparently she only eats naan at home and so doesn't hold chopsticks, plus she gets tired really easily and is prone to silly stances. When she does manage to hit the ball, she whacks Yuri hard in the belly. I'm fairly certain that that's all that happened. ⏎ Sloppily and choppily drawn and animated, Teekyu tries very hard to be cute and funny, but just moves at too fast a pace. Maybe if you play tennis or are familiar with the source manga this will appeal to you, but others can safely leave it alone. ⏎ Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life ⏎ Rating: 3 (out of 5) ⏎ Review: ⏎ On the other hand, Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life is a delightful little treat. Wooser is a strange animal vaguely resembling a bunny, but that dot in the middle of his face is not his mouth. Rin is his companion human, although just what their relationship is is unclear. They have three brief adventures over the course of this 3 minute show, but because they are so simple, it doesn't feel rushed. In the first, Wooser is on display in a zoo, but everyone cares more about the pandas. In the second, Wooser, Rin, and some other girl are farming, and when Rin remarks that she would like to be able to talk to animals, Wooser responds that if he could, he would ask them why they're so tasty. Finally Wooser and Rin embark on a brief life of piracy, because anime pirates only believe in their own shows. It's short, it's silly, and the juxtaposition of the simple Sanrio-style art and Wooser's deep voiced (Mamoru Miyano) sarcasm make it work. ⏎ Hiiro no Kakera Dai Ni Sho Episode 2 ⏎ Rating: 2.5 (out of 5) ⏎ Review: ⏎ Talk about a difference! After a first season of not much and a first episode of even less, Hiiro no Kakera Dai-ni-Sho's second episode introduces something that has heretofore been lacking – plot. Although I suppose that “intrigue” would actually be the better word, as there always was a storyline, albeit one that was less than thrilling. This episode builds on the suspicion that many viewers have had from the get-go, that one of the guardians would turn traitor. But what if two of them do? That ups the stakes considerably, and coupled with the reasons behind it, we are suddenly forced to look at Granny and the whole Tamayori princess thing in a slightly different light. ⏎ Another excellent sign is that Tamaki and her gang don't get their butts kicked in a fight with Logos this episode, although that could simply be because there's no fight scene. But it looks like the show is going to use a bit more pacing and care in setting up this plot arc, not to mention a good helping of “mood weather” (it always rains when someone betrays you!), and that creepy sixth guardian will likely come to play a bigger role. Less promising is the scene at the end when Tamaki, with a beatific smile on her face, announces that she will trust in the betrayer, as he certainly has a noble motive. Sweetie, this is the kind of thinking that got you all into such trouble last season. Maybe spying on Granny and Mitsuru would be a better plan...? ⏎ Hiiro no Kakera still isn't great shakes, but at least now it has some potential. There's something ominous going on with the mythology behind Tamaki's position as the princess, and clearly a lot of adults know way more than they're sharing. If the show delves into this, it could redeem itself. Another way it could get better would be to cut out those creepy fanservice endings after the credits where one of the guys talks directly to the viewer, but that's a whole different issue. Suffice it to say that the show is finally moving forward and that the hopes that were dashed with each episode of the first season may have some resolution in this one. ⏎ Hiiro no Kakera's second season is available streaming on Crunchyroll. ⏎ Say, “I Love You.&...