Episode 7, “The Hanamichi and the Silver Bridge,” heralds summer vacation, and also, an intensely Ai and Sarasa-centic episode that feels like a nice break between episode 6’s fairly serious growth arc and whatever episode 8 will bring. And while this initially breaks episode 6’s building tension… I found myself kind of excited. There’s something magical about getting a summer vacation episode in the last gasps of summer; it’s like the stars aligned in a strange, but kind of fantastic, way. Safe to say I was (and am, as I write this review) pretty stoked for this episode.
Post-OP, one thing is immediately clear: Sarasa’s mind is elsewhere while Ai’s trying to learn how to be a best friend. It’s a neat little moment that tugs on that episode 6 tension of Sarasa being told – incredibly bluntly – that she’s not cut out to shine at the top of Kouka. It’s nice to see the…
