1. Ankh is being pwned by both Hina and Chiyoko, in very different ways. And by Satonaka, actually. So basically by any woman he meets.

2. Like I already posted, Eiji and Hina are adorable together. Him being instinctively protective of her is cute, obviously, but there’s also the way she’s coming to understand him, in particular how she realizes that Eiji is the man he is because of what happened in the village. And because of it, there’s understanding and support growing there… it reminds me a little of Natsumi and Tsukasa before Hibiki world, before Yonemura made her more damsel in distress than supportive friend and partner.

3. We’d already learned in general terms about what happened in Eiji’s past, and more importantly of the effect it had on him, but in episode 9, Eiji confides the full story to Hina: a village he visited while travelling was caught in a civil war, he stayed with them, conditions were bad, and a little girl he’d befriended was killed by a bomb, and he’d been powerless to save her.

So that’s the flipside to the lackadaisical personality, and that’s what makes him a great hero. Lack of attachments, lack of roots, they don’t mean he doesn’t care. He cares a lot, he wants to help people, and he’s perfectly serious about that.

(And yes, this reminds me a lot of Godai Yusuke).

4. We meet Doctor Maki, the scientist who created the Medal System for the Kougami Foundation. And he has a creepy doll, so I refuse to include a screencap of him. He’s clearly nuts, keeps talking about how he’s not interested in beginnings, but in endings, and you just know no good can come from all this.

5. Eiji telling Dr Creepy that he never wanted to see him again was awesome. And yes, so telling of who Eiji is and the value he places on others’ life, so the attitude that casualties are okay in the name of science? Totally offensive to him.

6. We heard a bit more about the Kougami Foundation’s ultimate aim (to harness the power of the Core Medal), but at the same time… it’s really not clear what Kougami wants that power for. He’s giving off quite the unhinged, megalomaniacal vibe.

7. Gotou heard Dr Creepy and Kougami talk about how maybe another human could wield said power instead of OOO, and obviously wants to be considered. I think his heart is in the right place, he wants to do it for the right reasons, and I hope he doesn’t end up being used by Kougami or Maki.

8. We really need more of Chiyoko.