Wagnaria!!3

Episode 8

I've never been entirely sure if I like Souma or if I just want to see Satou beat him to death with a blunt object. He has just a little too much fun pushing everyone else's buttons, but he also ends up giving a voice to my frustrations with the other characters. His job seems to be to jump in and shout, “Get on with it!” whenever a storyline starts to get bogged down by the awkward cluelessness of the people involved. Watching Souma and Kirio pester Takanashi in stereo is a lot of fun, but his appearance this week also means that Wagnaria!!3 is starting to drag its feet a bit.

In the wake of the previous episode's events, life slowly returns to what passes for normal in this series. Yamada may have reconnected with her family, but she still spends most of her time working at the restaurant and giving Takanashi a headache. After finally learning Todoroki's birthday, Satou gives her all of the presents that he's been hanging on to for the past four years. Takanashi notices that Taneshima has somehow gotten shorter, kicking off a flurry of desperate height measurements. In a misguided attempt to earn his little sister's affection, Kirio tries to become Souma's little brother. I shudder to think what effects all these antics have on the restaurant's customer service.

After being confined to the background for a few weeks, Satou makes an excellent return to form here. His deadpan humor is a nice change of pace from Yamada's swirling tempest of goofiness, and it's used effectively throughout the episode. His response to Todoroki's birthday is a hoot, and his wordless retreat in the final scene makes for a great ending. It's a testament to this show's comedic prowess that it can draw humor from such a wide variety of characters while adapting its approach to fit with each individual's personality. Then again, maybe I just really enjoy seeing Satou get revenge for Souma's constant meddling without resorting to his trusty frying pan.

Taneshima has also been underutilized recently, but her part in this episode isn't quite as good as Satou's. The height-based jokes are starting to feel stale after several seasons, even if the series does come up with an amusing explanation for Taneshima's mysterious shrinking. The bright spots in the sequence are the pair of one-line dismissals that she inflicts on Takanashi, delivered with a spot-on mix of disdain and misery. The rest of the cast provides some solid comedic material here and there, offering enough laughs to keep things rolling along smoothly.

My issue with this episode is that it feels too safe and conservative overall, almost to the point of acting as a reset after last week's big developments. After proving its ability to branch out successfully, Wagnaria!!3 seems all too eager to retreat back into its old stomping grounds. For all the fuss and worry stirred up by Yamada's family, very little seems to have actually changed. It's funny and pleasant, but it's also pretty unambitious, relative to what the series has done throughout the rest of the season. If I didn't know that the show was capable of doing better, it wouldn't bother me. But I do, so it does.

I can only hope that this episode is meant to be a palate cleanser, something to help us clear our heads before the series starts wrapping up its remaining loose ends. If that is indeed the case, then it works perfectly well. Order is restored to the restaurant just in time for a handful of budding relationships to serve up a fresh batch of chaos. On the other hand, I'll be very disappointed if Wagnaria!!3 ends up finishing the season on autopilot. It looks like it's time for Souma to start turning up the heat on the rest of the cast.

Rating: B

Wagnaria!!3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Viewster.

Paul Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow more of his anime-related ramblings on Twitter.