Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR

Episode 7

Do you know what sucks? Party planning. It's stressful, chaotic, often unpredictable, and has the magical ability to suck the fun out of whatever festivities you're setting up until getting the damn thing done becomes a source of relief rather than actual enjoyment. Any meeting that involves more than like five people should if at all possible, be left to a professional. That way you, the person throwing the party, don't drive yourself insane trying to arrange catering and seating and getting your neighbors with the karaoke machine to answer text messages promptly.

Such is the lesson Yohane learns this week, as she's entrusted with throwing a get-together to help her new friends bond as the potential saviors from whatever doom awaits Numazu. Yeah, sure, she also learns an important lesson about being vulnerable with the people who care about her rather than putting up a front, and that failure is something she can learn from rather than being terrified of. However, I like to think our heroine's greatest takeaway from all of this is that she needs to hire a professional planner for her eventual double wedding with Mari and Riko.

Yet, as stressful as this is for Yohane, the episode's titular Girls' Night provides a lot of welcome humor from the rest of the cast, fleshing out their personalities and dynamics now that the whole of Aqours is together again. There are some nice bits of characterization like Riko and Mari clinging to each other's company because they're both awful with strangers, and there are no pets to hang out with instead of talking. It turns out Ruby can somehow take on a human-sized form, which they never actually explain, and I hope they never do – it's funnier that way. There's even some fun meta-humor like the dessert-making groups being split up by the characters' school year from Sunshine!!, providing those starving Chika/Riko shippers the tiniest of crumbs to sustain them. Personally, my favorite detail is Hanamaru taking a bite of straight-baking chocolate like it's nothing. Keep an eye on that one, girls, she's hiding something unhinged.

Of course, the meat is still about Yohane's personal development, and there's a lot of good stuff here. On top of the stress and responsibility of putting this whole shindig together, Dia suddenly drops the idea of performing for the town's summer festival on her, which sends our heroine spiraling. Sure, on paper, it's basically what she's wanted from the beginning – a stage to finally show off her talent to the townspeople, and a chance to truly impress them. Yet the irony is that having it thrust upon her turns this from something Yohane wants into something that's expected of her, and that flips the little switch for her brain to start injecting cortisol into her nervous system with the force of a fire hose. Suddenly all the attention from her friends becomes a smothering blanket of anxiety – something that only the equally introverted Riko and Mari notice before it's too late. That's a solid character moment for the pair and a sign that this version of Aqours will maintain its dynamic despite the gang being back together.

The resolution is sweet too, assuring Yohane that her friends like her for who she is, foibles and failings included, and that she can be open with them when she needs help or feels overwhelmed. It's a simple, but invaluable lesson to internalize, and it allows her to forge a stronger and more honest connection with the people in her life when she doesn't feel like their affection must be earned. Though the closing moments also add even more ominous foreshadowing around Lailaps, and as previously stated: I will personally fist-fight somebody at Sunrise if they kill this big, wonderful dog. Do not test me.

I'd also be remiss not to mention the direction for this episode. Previous episodes have looked plenty solid, delivering their strongest moments during the musical numbers, but this one maintains a unique playfulness, especially during the first half. The stylized backgrounds to highlight each character's personality are a nice touch that makes their individual scenes pop, and there are some uncharacteristic (for this franchise) moments of cartoon-y abstraction. It settles into a more typical groove later on, but those touches go a long way in maintaining the energy and tonal shifts through Yohane's initial conflict. I'm a little sad we didn't go harder on the hijinks – Sunshine especially had a great knack for slapstick comedy, and there's not as much as you'd expect from the episode's setup. Still, this is a fun outing that, more importantly, furthers Yohane's journey in a way relatable and memorable. If we have to sacrifice some chaos for the sake of that, I'm happy to make the tradeoff.

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Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.