The old Minko returns.
There was a lot going on in this episode: Enishi and Takashi decide to get married, the inn prepares to host their wedding, and Minko throws a fit. The part about the wedding was good, except for the couple acting all love-dovey. I didn’t think these two could possibly get more annoying, but I’ve been proven wrong. I especially liked that we got to see a bit more of the grandmother’s past.
Minko’s trip to the beach with Tohru was entertaining, where he reveals he wants five kids. Minko isn’t so sure about that plan. She wants to have his children, of course, but five seems a bit too many. Tohru realizes that Minko is upset about something, and thinks it is about the difficulties of becoming a chef. Man this guy is dense. Minko gives a near-confession, and then Tohru starts talking about how great Ohana is. Minko gets jealous and returns to her old ways of calling Ohana names and attacking her in the bath.
So… I guess this is a step towards more drama? Another fight with Minko is not exactly what I had in mind though. In the earlier episodes, it added a lot because we didn’t actually know Minko yet, and Ohana was having all these other difficulties moving to the inn. But now, it just really doesn’t raise the tension for me. How are we supposed to take this fight seriously? We all know that Ohana has no interest in Tohru, that Minko likely has no chance with Tohru, and that Minko throws fits like this all the time. They’ll reconcile in a day or two. The funny thing is, Ohana seems to just be rolling her eyes at Minko’s routine as well. She doesn’t even bother chasing after Minko after being assaulted in the bath. When Minko shuns her at lunch time, Ohana just goes to eat with Yuina and Nako. Now that Ohana actually has some friends, Minko’s fits are less effective. In fact it’s probably backfiring, as Minko is the one without any friends now.
The ending of the episode, where it’s revealed that Enishi won’t be inheriting the inn, seems to be the lead in to the show’s conclusion. I’m guessing that either Ohana or her mother will become the heir, or the grandmother is planning to shut the inn down. The latter option seems more likely, since then there will be some final battle: Ohana and friends must save the inn from closure. I do hope they resolve Ohana’s love life though. Or realistically, just have Ohana do anything other than smile and look cute. It’s been how many episodes now since anything happened involving her?