[Fish Sandwich]

I probably wasn't too off-base saying I don't expect to call this two-parter a series highlight, but having seen the back-half now, I will say, I found myself quite impressed by all the little work it's doing.

It's not a glamorous story, in the way big plot shakeups and shiny new toy debuts are, but the smaller scope of this one got me thinking that in a show like this, maybe those big important episodes are only able to knock it out of the park the way they do because of episodes like these that put in the effort to set up all the pieces where they need to be for those grand payoffs?

Funnily enough, I can actually use Lakia himself to help explain what I mean. The last time Mouri wrote a script for this show, it was also a fairly inconsequential side adventure on the surface, but ten episodes later, it's already clear how well it fits into the overall structure of the narrative. Especially since, exactly like I suggested at the time, that story about a Granute pretending to defect was also the story that moved the show's actual Granute defector to the forefront, giving it that retrospective irony that'll make those episodes even more fun on a rewatch.

I get similar vibes from everything happening with Lakia in these ones too. It's not making any immediate massive change to his character, but I see stuff like that scene of him clearly being a little taken aback by Sachika pointing out that he's also one of the people she wants to be happy, and I can already imagine Koumura running with that, and building it into something even more touching later down the line. And if she does end up doing that, it'll be because these two episodes were here to establish that relationship in the first place.

At the end of the day, this is just a good Gavv story, plain and simple. While I can't say for sure exactly what overall ideas came from who, with the collaborative nature of these shows, you can kinda tell Mouri "gets it" when these ones are ultimately all about Lakia taking a step towards appreciating the people around him through helping a boy who finds happiness in life by sharing the joy of sweets with others. Put like that, I'm not sure why I'd ever want to rag on these ones for not being quite as exciting as some other episodes, because they absolutely embody the very sentimental nature of Gavv's storytelling, and that's one of my favorite things about this show.

Again, it's all the little work here that all adds up by the end. I also appreciate that Hanto's story does in fact move those extra couple inches, and I *really* appreciate that they made sure to give Vram his own dou suru? moment before destroying his first monster of the week, spelling out the difference between the two of them instead of just taking it for granted that Lakia would kill people in the same position he was because he's a good guy now. Up and down, these ones are put together so solidly that the absence of PoppinGummy might seriously be the only complaint I can think of?