Mei contemplates leaving the Seimei Kendo club and her mind drifts to thoughts of joining the cooking club instead. Tamaki brings her back to reality with a couple strikes that leave Mei in awe of Tama’s skill. Tama gives Mei some instructions during the warm-up practice, but Mei’s aim is slightly off when she strikes the bare part of Tama’s arm. The two formally introduce themselves and Mei, now a full-fledged Tama fangirl, requests to be hit by Tamaki some more. Upon seeing Tama’s prowess, the other Seimei girls volunteer their bodies as punching bags too.

With a new role model to look up to, Mei reconsiders staying in the Kendo club to be like Tama someday. In the midst of all the action, Azuma starts to get pumped up as her Kendo instinct comes back. Even though it is a practice match with another school, Kirino suggests that Azuma and Tama have a match to compare their skill levels. In another corner of the dojo, Reimi continues to hassle the miserable Miya and recalls their fateful first encounter.

The rain begins to die down. As the sun peeks into the dojo, the duel between Tama and Azuma begins. Azuma tries to come up with a battle strategy, but Tama is ready and soon gets the better of Azuma with a head strike. However, Azuma isn’t out of the match yet and goes on the offensive again. As the two girls battle, Hayashi makes a comment to Kojirou about the laidback atmosphere of Muroe’s Kendo club. Azuma finally gets rolling as the duel comes to a climax. She reads Tama’s move and tries to counter, but Tama still proves to be the quicker of the two and scores another head strike.

The duel ends as Azuma concedes defeat to the superior Tama. Hayashi shares his story with Kojirou outside. The reason that Hayashi is so strict on his students is to foster a desire to get stronger and eventually love Kendo. Hayashi originally despised the sport but picked it up after being guilt tripped into it by his father. After that, the rest became history. Hayashi explains that he teaches Kendo the way he was taught, so it is imperative to be strict. While it is regretful that so many members quit his club, the ones that remain truly become dedicated to it much like Mei. Kojirou encourages Hayashi to stick to his strict, traditional ways and becomes an official Hayashi fanboy in the process.

Sayako sets up the team positions in preparation of the real practice match. Azuma starts and is followed by Miya, Saya, Kirino, and Tama in that order. Yoshikawa-sensei and Yuuji cheer her on, and Azuma realizes that she has been tricked into this situation. Regardless, she defeats her opponent without hesitation. All the while, Kirino proudly tells Saya about the success of the plan to recruit Azuma.

Muroe goes on to sweep Seimei’s club. Hayashi, unsatisfied at the results, challenges Kojirou to a match to get even. Hayashi promptly wipes the floor with Kojirou and earns an unofficial point for his team. The Seimei girls admire their teacher’s strength after seeing him in action. The girls bid farewell to each other as the day finally winds down. Everyone is in high spirits except for Miya who had to endure Reimi’s presence for the entire practice match. Reimi, having had her Miya fix, slithers away to play again another day.

Tama continues to be broken, but that’s not a big shock. This episode was pretty self-explanatory for the most part. In the next episode we’ll probably see Azuma’s struggle to officially join the Kendo club. No other predictions from me because I really don’t know what will happen.

Sayako begins this episode with some creative storytelling. According to Saya, Satori Azuma quit Kendo because of the sudden death of her father. Saya’s classmates don’t think too highly of her fictional scenario though. Elsewhere, we get a glimpse of Seimei High’s strict training regimen under the watchful eye of Hayashi-sensei. Several of their freshmen have quit the club and we see two young girls in particular, Mei and Nozomi, that are already thinking about quitting.

Back at Muroe High, Kirino and Saya finally find Azuma and they attempt to drag her off to the Kendo club. Koujirou stops them in their tracks and says that for specific reasons, Azuma cannot join the club. Azuma tells the two girls that she has always loved Kendo, but she made a promise to her parents that she wouldn’t join a club in high school. Nevertheless, Kirino and Saya still abduct her under the pretense of just “observing” the club.

Azuma is suited up to spar against Kirino and Saya. A storm begins to brew as Azuma gets serious against the pair. Yuuji hears screaming from inside the dojo where he, Dan, and Miya witness Saya’s defeat at the hands of a very skilled opponent. Yuuji challenges Azuma and defeats her when her concentration starts to waiver.

Azuma rushes back home after the sparring session, and Yuuji admits that she is indeed very skilled. The rest of the team laments that she can’t officially join the club though. Koujirou tells everyone present that Azuma’s grades are very poor so she has to focus exclusively on her studies. Yuuji seems confident that Azuma will return because of what he experienced during his sparring match with her. Returning back home, Azuma has the fire in her heart reignited and thinks about her match with Yuuji and the others.

It is the day of the practice match between Muroe and Seimei. Mei finds out rather suddenly that Nozomi quit the club, so she is now the only freshmen girl. Azuma also shows up to watch the practice match after being asked by Kirino and Saya (and threatened by Miya). Reimi approaches Yuuji on the street and shares an umbrella with him, still thinking that he is Miya’s boyfriend. Coincidentally enough, they see Miya and Dan on the other side of the street. Yuuji gets smacked by Reimi for wasting her time when he tells her that Miyako and Dan are dating.

The Seimei girls arrive at the Muroe dojo for the practice match, and Azuma is suited up against her wishes. Reimi shows up to take photos, putting Miya on edge. Azuma’s teacher also shows up to observe the match. The meek Mei starts to doubt herself and thinks about quitting before she is approached by Tama who requests to spar with her. Likewise, all the other girls congregate with one another and the match is soon underway.

After all the build up to Azuma’s Kendo debut, I’m glad we finally get to see what she can do. This match will probably seal the deal and give her the final spot in the team. Likewise, Mei will probably reconsider he decision after sparring with Tama.

Just a side note: Way too many chibi scenes in the episode. It’s all right in small doses but is just way too distracting when overused like this.

Kirino tries to remember Azuma’s name so the club can promptly recruit her into their ranks. Kojirou continues his drills with Miya to help her improve. Miya catches a glimpse of Reimi and freaks out again. Dan finally asks what is bothering her so Miya shares the story with everyone. Due to a misunderstanding over a guy in junior high in which Reimi confessed to a guy who in turn said that he liked Miya who promptly beat the snot out of him, Reimi has been stalking her ever since.

Practice ends and Reimi continues to stealthily watch Miya. Reimi mistakes Yuuji as Miya’s boyfriend and sets a plan in motion to take care of him. Yuuji is jumped by some thugs later that evening, but he bluffs his way out by boasting of his elite Kendo skills. The thugs return to Reimi who beats them senseless for their failure. Kojirou and Ishibashi share a casual conversation on the phone when they notice that it has begun to rain.

Tama speeds past Kirino and Saya on the way to school; The two girls look on with envy at their underclassman who is so full of energy on a rainy day. Later at practice, everyone complains about the rain, but Tama thinks to herself that she loves rainy days because of the fond memories she had with her mother.

Kojirou asks Kirino about their future prospect’s name once more, and Yuuji says it would be best if Kirino just asked her friends for the name again. In the meantime, Kojirou tells the girls that practice will get even more intense and rigorous in preparation for the upcoming meets. He tells the girls that their next practice match will be with Seimei High, the school Reimi attends. Miya has a brief mental freak out but convinces herself that there’s no way Reimi would be in the Kendo club.

After sparring with Tama, Kojirou asks Tama to gauge his ability level compared to her. She answers honestly that his movements are sluggish and he flies off the handle. He apologizes for his instinctual reaction and asks if her father is the strongest Kendo practitioner in her family. She replies by telling him that her mother was actually the strongest. The rain lets up and Tama looks outside. She comments to herself that she likes sunny days too and has another fond memory of her mom. Kirino receives a reply from her friend with the name, Satori Azuma, in the message.

Kirino and Saya begin their search for the elusive Azuma who resides in the library during lunch. Meanwhile Kojirou meets with Azuma’s homeroom teacher and begs to let her join the Kendo club. The teacher tells Kojirou that it won’t be that easy though, because Azuma’s parents have forbidden her from joining any clubs. Tama unknowingly sits behind Azuma, the girl they have been seeking all this time, as she digs into a book. Saya and Kirino spot Tama and make a big ruckus which gets them into trouble. The pair approach a huge girl they assume to be the legendary Azuma and make another commotion, finally getting the two thrown out. After leaving the library, the idiot pair ask Tama why she was in the library. Tama is quite frank and answers that she was there to read a book written by a renown anime director. Tama’s passion for anime carries her away and she gets lost in her explanation. The day of the next meet is now quickly approaching, and the team desperately needs Azuma’s help.

Any episode where Tama can give a lecture about her anime passion is a good one. I still find it unique that she is a Kendo genius otaku. Reimi is deliciously creepy, and Miya’s woes will continue until the two inevitably meet in battle. I can’t wait to see Azuma in action. Supposedly she is supposed to be second only to Tamaki in the club. We’ll see what goes down next time.

As the strange girl from last time leaves the store, she tosses a charm that she was going to steal back to Tamaki at the counter. She leaves an ominous message that she will return another time to see Miya. Kojirou returns home to his parents’ grocery store and finds out that they are struggling just to get by on a daily basis. His mom gives him some nearly expired food from the store for dinner and also asks that he help out for the night. An unreasonable customer approaches Kojirou’s mom and demands a product that is no longer produced. He is told that the store can’t do anything about the situation and he walks out angry. Kojirou’s mom tells her son that unreasonable situations are just a part of life and have to be accepted.

He thinks back to his first full-time job at a convenience store. The other worker on duty told him that it was really dangerous recently, so Kojirou bragged that he could protect the store with his Kendo skills. Ironically enough he was powerless to stop a petty thug from making off with some money when they were held up. That moment marked the beginning of his downward spiral in life. After reflecting on the memory, Kojirou decides that it is time to fight back against the hand that has been dealt to him and take his life back into his own hands.

The following day, Kojirou’s parents give him a generous paycheck for his help at the store. He reluctantly accepts the envelope and is shocked to find out that they gave him 50,000 yen for one night of work. At the cute goods store, Miya is in a huff when Tama gives her the message. Miya identifies the girl as Reimi Odajima, a stalker that had given her trouble ever since junior high. Miya suddenly decides to quit on the spot to avoid a confrontation despite the fact that it is Tama’s last day. The shop owner agrees with the decision when Miya turns black on her. The owner compliments Tama on her social growth as she gives the young Kendo prodigy the work paycheck.

The two girls walk home together, and Miya asks Tama why she wanted to work. Tama is blunt with her answer of the limited edition anime boxset. Likewise Tama asks Miya to which the latter responds she was saving up to buy Dan a birthday present. Miya suddenly remembers that Dan’s birthday is today and rushes off to buy something for him. As the dust settles Tama remembers about her dad’s birthday as well. Tama returns home with a present for her father and her dream of the anime boxset placed on the back burner. In other places, Reimi returns home and we discover that her mother is the supermarket shopper that got Kojirou into trouble with the school.

An undisclosed amount of time later (presumably the next day), the Kendo team has their first official meet with other schools in the area. Tama easily sweeps the girl’s solo matches in the morning and takes first place, but her companions don’t fare so well. The team reconvenes for lunch break, and Kirino is pulled aside by some junior high friends that tell her about a hidden Kendo talent at Muroe High School named Azuma. Miya catches a glimpse of Reimi as she is eating lunch and freaks out.

The team is back at the clubroom the day after the tournament. We find out that Tama was the only one that won in the team match while Kirino, Saya, and Miya lost their bouts. He gives them encouragement for the next meet with the promise to treat them to something really nice when they win. Kojirou states that they need to find their last girl to which Kirino responds that she has the perfect person in mind… But she forgot the girl’s name.

Episode 11 looks like it will focus on Miya and Reimi, so Satori will probably join in episode 12. Maybe. If this series is only going to be 24-26 episodes, then the pacing is really weird. If it’s going to be in the 52 episode range, then it seems to be right on track. I don’t think there’s enough source material to stretch it to 50 episodes, but series have deviated from the manga with mixed results. In other news, the Kendo team is currently one big joke except for Tama. They really can’t lean on her forever though, so I expect to see some episodes where the other girls continue to develop their skills. Also, will Tama ever find a worthy rival? I don’t want to spoil the surprise by reading the manga so that question will remain a rhetorical one.

Kojiro gives his dear old mother a call after receiving the package and decides that it’s time to return home for a visit. He also has an argument about with her about her cooking skills but that’s beside the point. Tamaki keeps herself busy at the part-time job by thinking about club activities and how things are going without her. Satori enters the store and Tama greets her rather awkwardly. With the owner keeping a watchful eye on her, Tama makes the sale and convinces Satori to buy two study charms. Shortly after Satori leaves, Kojiro enters the store to buy a gift for his mom. He tells Tama to come to the club when she has the time.

Returning to club activities, Kojiro and Yuuji talk about how quickly Dan is improving in technique and skill. They watch helplessly as Miya takes a wildly aggressive thrust at Saya who is unnerved by the experience. Kojiro forbids Miya to use thrusts because her skill level is still too low. As he gets ready to dismiss the club for the day, Tama comes into the room out of breath, and he decides to have everyone reconvene after a break. Elsewhere, Tamaki’s father waits anxiously at home and practices his surprise birthday present acceptance, unaware that his daughter is working to buy an anime DVD boxset.

Club activities finally end, and Kojiro heads to the supermarket to buy some groceries. He has a spat with an old lady in the parking lot but pays it no mind as he goes about his business. As he makes a rush for the last case of cheap beer, the same lady swipes it away which now knocks him off his block. He makes a bum rush to the checkout line to beat her there, but she will have none of this and races him there. The lady collides with another shopping cart, causing one of her packaged noodles to get run over by Kojiro. The lady, now in a rage, makes a scene and demands that Kojiro pay for it. After putting up a fuss he swallows his pride and eats the cost of the noodles. To add insult to injury, as he is about to leave the parking lot the same lady crashes into his car. They make an even bigger scene and she accuses him of being a NEET that shouldn’t even have a license. He argues back by giving his name and that he is a local teacher at Muroe High School. She ominously makes note of his name…

The next day, Kojiro is informed that he will be canned by the end of the year due to the lady’s influence on the Superintendent’s wife. Kirino and Saya come into the dojo talking about their studies, unaware of the presence of a defeated Kojiro who now looks like a ghost. Kirino starts the club activities without the teacher. Yuuji talks about how strong Dan and Miya will inevitably become with the kendo veterans. The discussion inevitably moves to studies again as Saya and Kirino are shocked to learn that Dan and Yuuji are respectively second and fourth in the freshman class. As the topic of Kojiro comes up, he finally makes himself known at the front of the class. He informs the students of his situation which they all kind of shrug off. Kirino suggests that he prove himself as a teacher by getting the club recognized at the national tournament. He slowly comes back to life with renewed vigor as he approves the idea. To cap this episode off, Tama is back at the store and notices a strange girl just standing around…

The pacing seems a bit off because it’s nine episodes in and Satori still hasn’t joined the club yet. From the looks of the preview, it should definitely be the next episode then. Here are the thoughts on this one then. Not much happened besides exposition for the next arc of sorts. Grocery store cart racing, serious business.

The TV announcement that catches Tamaki’s undivided attention is pitching a limited edition anime DVD boxset that she desperately wants upon seeing it. She rummages through her entire home savings but comes up short on warfunds. Elsewhere, Kojiro is having money troubles of his own when he unwillingly repays a standing debt and laments on his situation.

The next day at practice, the club is up to their usual antics while Tamaki still thinks about the coveted boxset she so longs after. Miya mentions having to miss her part-time job shift for the day which catches Tama’s attention. Tama inquires about the job with Miya who eagerly agrees to get her a position there. Miya, Dan, and Tama skip out on the rest of practice to go to the shop. Tama is taken to a cute goods shop where she will be the part-time clerk for the front of the store. Kojiro calls Tama on the phone and reminds her to tell her dad about her new job. At first, Tama’s father is against the proposal, but he changes his mind when he looks at the calendar and mistakenly thinks that his daughter is working to save up money for his upcoming birthday.

Customers come into the shop and we clearly see that even though Tama is a Kendo prodigy, she is extremely uncomfortable dealing with social situations. Her overactive imagination kicks in and she overanalyzes the situation way too much. She manages to successfully sell merchandise to the customers without a hitch though. Upon coming back home she is exhausted from her stressful first day of work.

The following day back at his home, Kojiro receives a package full of kelp ramen topping from his mom. Tamaki is also at work daydreaming as usual. She wonders what would happen if a burglar came into the store and she reaches for a potential weapon only to pick up… A whip. The owner conveniently ends her shift and sends her along to club practice. On the way to Kendo club, Tama reflects on fond memories that her friends and the club have given her.

This was really Tamaki’s breakout episode so far. Her wild imagination and subsequent spacing out on the job was what really made it funny. Next episode, Azuma will finally join the team. Yeah, it only took them 9 episodes.

Ishibashi challenges Tamaki and declares that the outcome of the duel will officially decide the match’s winner. After some gentle persuasion by Kojiro, Kirino, and Sayako, Tamaki accepts the offer.

Ishibashi explodes from the very start of the match and uses his size advantage to pressure her. Tama is pushed down but is quick to get back on her feet. Their shinai clash again and the two fight on a level much higher than what was seen in the practice matches. Tamaki connects on a one handed head strike, but Kojiro overrules the call because he deems the contact too light. His call upsets Tama as they begin the next set. Tama delivers a stronger one handed strike which gets an unanimous point from Nakata and Kojiro. Ishibashi finally gets serious and assumes the ascension stance for the next set. Upon seeing it Tama is reminded of her mother and goes into a daze. Ishibashi realizes that Tama has lost her concentration and decides to end the match.

Ishibashi informs Kojiro that they will be going out for sushi later, and Kojiro is absolutely ecstatic. Kirino brings a box full of fried katsu to share with everyone after the match and they all dig in. Ishibashi watches all of them and thinks back to his high school dojo-buster days.

At home, Tama opens up the present from Kojiro only to discover that it is an anime on an outdated video format from the early 80′s. Meanwhile, Ishibashi treats Kojiro to dinner at a revolving sushi bar. Kojiro is dismayed and angered when he finds out that the deal is null and void because Ishibashi’s father no longer owns a sushi restaurant. In addition, Ishibashi is a kendo teacher at two schools, so Kojiro still had the stipulation to defeat a second team as well. To wrap up the episode, all of the Muroe girls are enjoying some much needed R & R in their downtime.

We are given the complete details of Kojiro’s strategy to place Tamaki first and last in the match. Since her identity is obscured by the kendo gear for the first match, she is an easy shoe-in to fight again. He also instructs her to only use half of her strength, with Nakata knowing full well that even half of her total strength is still overkill.

Tamaki easily takes the first victory for the team and scores two easy points. After the match, Tamaki sneaks away, and Kojiro makes up a lame excuse for her sudden departure. Miya and a depressed Asakawa begin their match. Before Miya can fight at full strength however, Dan leaves to go to the bathroom. Evil Miya easily dominates her opponent with a berserk barrage of swings, but her form is sloppy and none of the attacks are valid. The momentum shifts when Asakawa receives a phone message apology from her boyfriend. With renewed vigor, Asakawa easily lays the smack down on Miya and bolts out after the match.

Meanwhile, Tama kills some time and has a snack break as she waits to make her return. Saya faces off against Nishiyama who scores a hit on her. Saya becomes frustrated but calms herself as she remembers Tama’s footwork training and evens the score. Neither girl is able to claim victory so their match is considered a draw. Tamaki returns and is introduced as Bureiba by the fidgety Kojiro. No one is fooled by the obvious lie, but the Machido team doesn’t seem to mind anyway.

Kirino faces Ando in the penultimate match. Ando’s dirty tricks make Kirino stumble a bit, but the vigilant Kirino bounces back and attains a flawless victory. Tamaki and Yoko square off in the final match. Despite her boasting, Yoko is helpless as the humble Tama forces her to eat her words. Tama dominates Yoko and gets another easy victory for her team. Muroe walks away from the match with three wins, one draw, and one loss. In a surprise turn of events, Machido’s kendo teacher exchanges greetings and introduces himself to Tamaki as Kenzaburo Ishibashi as he requests a match with the skilled girl.

Apparently everyone around Kojiro can hear his inner monologues much to his surprise. Hmmm. I really thought that the practice match was going to be a lot closer than how it ended. A very lopsided victory in favor of Muroe. Tamaki = broken. She could probably fight an entire kendo team at once and win.

The kendo club has really become the talk of the school as the episode begins. Kojiro’s senpai tells him via the cell phone that the practice match will be moved up to next week. Nakata and Dan overhear and misunderstand the conversation as a financial problem. He informs everyone that the practice match has been moved to next week despite the fact that they are short one member, but he has a trick or two up his sleeve.

The club gets back to practicing, and Sayako volunteers to spar with Tamaki. Saya tells Tama to give it her all. Tama obliges with the request and easily defeats Saya with a headshot and sends her senpai into despair. Kojiro and his senpai simultaneously write down their respective match order rosters for the sake of plot convenience. We are introduced to Machido High’s girls that have clashing personalities with the Muroe High girls. They have the meganekko team-captain Harada, the slacker Asakawa, the cowardly Nishiyama, the underhanded Miya-like Ando, and the tomboyish Yoko.

Both Kojiro and his senpai try to comprehend the other’s strategy as they decide on their match positions. Muroe’s lineup consists of Tama, Miya, Saya, and Kirino. When the team resumes their practice again, Kojiro spars with Tama and tells her that the club has a secret member that will come when the club is in trouble. He tells her that the final member in the lineup will be the hero of justice, Blade Braver.

Kojiro’s senpai still ruminates about his defeat at their High School tournament and the coveted trophy. His daydream is interrupted by Machido’s kendo captain, Harada, and they wrangle up their kendo girls for the match. The senpai tells Kojiro on the phone that he and his team will be late. Kojiro takes a catnap and tells Tama to practice with everyone in the meantime. Tama gives everyone (mostly for the viewers’ sake) a comprehensive lesson on the basic footwork involved in a kendo match. The Machido team finally arrive a few hours late after a food fuel up and getting lost along the way. At long last the match begins as Tama and Harada square off against each other.

Maybe it’s just me, but there was way too much filler taking up time to delay the match to the next episode. I like how Kojiro will probably sneak Tamaki into both the fifth and first matches for an unfair advantage. Next episode, Tama and Harada!

Sayako becomes flustered with herself as she tries writing a story about her encounter with Miya in the previous episode. The next day at kendo practice, Kojiro is busy training Dan and Miya on basic drills. He assigns Kirino to work with Miya who in turn delgates the duty to Tamaki. Tamaki accepts and teaches Miya some basic principles while Kojiro-sensei and Kirino discuss Sayako’s past antics in the club. Apparently Sayako has always been a wild card with amazing athletic ability but would leave for days at a time when she became upset due to some sort of misunderstanding. Kirino even admits that given more time, Sayako could easily surpass her in skill.

As Tamaki and Nakata continue to work with Miya and Dan respectively, they are forced to evacuate the dojo when Kojiro sets off an insect bomb in the backroom. Due to the practice ending early for the day, Kojiro orders Miya to come in early the next morning for more practice. Meanwhile at Machido High’s kendo club, we get a glimpse of a very active kendo club under the tutelage of Kojiro’s senpai. The teacher rounds up his group of rowdy, snarky girls and chooses five of them for the match with Kojiro’s girls. That evening, Kirino sends a text message to Sayako inviting her to come to practice. Sayako replies back in a rather lengthy, dramatic message that she will show up tomorrow.

The next morning at school, Miya “warmly” greets Kojiro, but he sees through her facade and tells her that she doesn’t have to put up her nice girl act. Miya gets changed in the back while thinking to herself that she only joined the club to be with Dan. Kojiro decides that Miya will practice her strikes with Kirino as a human target. A very tired looking Sayako shows up at the door with bags under her eyes. Upon seeing her, Miya freaks out and runs to the back before they can be formally introduced. Anyway, Sayako’s new dream is to be a rock star so she stayed up all night playing the guitar, thus explaining the bags under her eyes.

Tama, Nakata, and Dan come in to to kendo club and are introduced to Sayako who thinks that the freshmen are absolutely adorable. Miya comes back out in full armor and introduces herself to Sayako very awkwardly. Shortly afterwards, Miya begins her striking practice with Kirino. Miya soon realizes that the enjoys she enjoys hitting people and Dark Miya comes out. As soon as Kirino sees the black aura she is just as soon barraged by a berserk Miya’s onslaught. Kojiro quickly breaks them up and the other members become deathly afraid of Miya’s dark side, except for Dan who remains blissfully ignorant of it.

After the practice is over, Kojiro confronts Miya about ignoring Sayako the whole time. Miya tells him the story of their encounter the previous day and Kojiro tells her to apologize wholeheartedly. Kojiro tells her about the typical hero shows where the main character does what they do because they have the courage to do the right thing. This convinces Miya to do it, and she marches down to Sayako’s class. She surprises Sayako with her appearance but apologizes nonetheless. As Miya leaves the classroom, Sayako returns the bokken that fell into the river. Miya then requests a sparring match with Sayako. Later at practice, Sayako is utterly traumatized at Miya’s brutal barrage of attacks as the rest of the team stands by idly. The closing scene shows the bokken sitting in the backroom with Miya’s and Dan’s names etched onto it.

This episode was really just about Sayako coming back to the team and the resolution to the dispute between Miya and her. Dark Miya really isn’t a separate entity but is a real part of herself that she was probably repressing for Dan’s sake. We still have yet to see the last member, but it looks like the next episode will focus on more training and a confrontation between Tamaki and the captain of the rival team.