RDG: Red Data Girl - 6

"The First Sleepover"

I truly wish I were blogging this with the two week delay, but on the other hand I'm discovering much earlier just how beautiful a series this is overall.

Though it's already at its halfway point, RDG seems to have no sense of urgency as it nears the end of its run. It continues to develop at its gorgeously relaxed pace and slowly but surely brings out its plot and characters as if it were the novel it were adapted from, rather than the adaptation it truly is. It's a shame that the series' strengths lie in subtlety and thus lack the hook so many contemporary viewers want from their shows because this means that there isn't as much attention on RDG as there should be. Blockbuster this isn't, and in a season full of action, drama, and flair, that's unfortunately not going to stand out. Yet the more I watch, the more I'm convinced that Red Data Girl deserves its spot in my top five picks for Spring so far, and this episode is a great example of just that.

In fact, this is the week where I really felt the supporting cast come into its own, and while I wish this had happened earlier, it's nevertheless engaging to learn more about them, particularly when it comes to Mayura and Manatsu. Izumiko and Miyuki's stay at their home in Nagano for a Committee retreat brings out much in the way of development for all parties involved. Despite the generally relaxed atmosphere at the Souda home, Izumiko and Miyuki are not just guests; they're being observed by both Masumi and his father, and the judgements they make are of high consequence. Masumi in particular makes a passing comment to a drunk Izumiko about them being "a perfect match" which sounds anything but innocent, though his father's judgement too has dangerous repercussions.

Mayura, it seems, is playing a dangerous game, though she's not the only one. Her goal, as is Takayanagi's, is to become a part of the student council, and though Izumiko and Miyuki are completely oblivious to this, Mayura and Manatsu have not approached them by accident. With her father's assessment, Mayura is ready to act on her suspicion that Izumiko and Miyuki are special and possibly threatening, and it's with this in mind that she attacks them, sending Tengu after them in the middle of the forest to test their skills. Unfortunately, this means trouble for our leads, who have already been cautioned not to let Izumiko's secret be known. Miyuki's skills are hardly formidable enough to take the powerful Souda triplets on by himself, and on top of it all they're not really sure just why Mayura is doing all of this. Just what is so important about becoming a "World Heritiage Candidate" that the school has set up this judging contest in the first place, and why create so much enmity between its already exceptional students? Though it's taking its time, RDG is by no means ignoring the issues at hand; sometimes it just pays off to take a more elegant approach at storytelling, and that's certainly the case here.

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the screencaps!