The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!

Episode 17

I'm sad to say that it took me three times to make episode 17, “The Great Jahy Can't Sleep…” stick but… that's just kind of where the show is this week, and has been for the bulk of November. Jahy Stan or not, it's been stuck in a rut: but don't worry, The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! is down, but it's certainly not out. Episode 17 offers enough meat to get me hungry for next week's episode, even if it's… kinda the same old same old.

That said, there's some pretty solid vibes from the moment we see Druj. It's not enough to declare Jahy's slump over, but… it's enough to promise a few good laughs, and maybe even a good guffaw. At base, episode 17 initially echoes a lot of the previous few weeks: Druj and Jingu are still fiercely fighting for Jahy's feelings. Jingu continues to be the most haphazard human to human. Jahy gets caught in the middle of things, all while trying to make ends meet. It's well-treaded ground, funny enough, and doesn't exactly get stale but also… just doesn't feel fresh. And truth be told, Druj and Jingu's fight feels paperthin: I'm more interested in the Dark Lord and seeing her get screentime, which she gets none of this week.

The front half of this episode kind of like two-day old leftovers: they're still solid enough. No fuzz, still safe, nothing suspicious, enough taste to remind you of the first meal. But… they're also a bit dried out: maybe the aluminum didn't get placed back on the casserole dish just so. Maybe someone accidentally left the ziplock bag open just a smidge. There's something… not so enticing there, you know? That's episode 17, and it's… well, it is what it is, though it's certainly not enough to make me dislike the show.

What ultimately makes this episode interesting isn't Druj and Jingu, who are… fairly okay and funny enough: it's Jahy and the title, once it kicks in because if there's one thing that's hilarious, it's not being able to get enough sleep plots. You see, Jahy can't sleep because her futon is the worst futon to ever futon: it's about as thick as a saltine cracker, with grunge for days. Pig Pen from Charlie Brown's got nothing on this stank bed, and the Dark Realm's number two is tired of it.

Thus, we return to the department store for more shopping with Jahy, and it's absolutely hilarious. This is what I live for: Jahy navigating the mundane human realm step by step. Jahy falling asleep on a brand new, high-quality futon, which is followed by her impulse buying said futon and almost immediately… having it spoiled for her. It's that particular kind of set-up and follow-through that makes the back half of this episode repetitively funny, and reminds me of the potential of The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!. And like I said at the start: this is kind of what got me hungry for next week's episode, and really, is why The Great Jahy still is pretty great.

Episode 17 is a mixed back: the front half feels like a loaf of bread that's been left unsealed, and the back half feels like a fresh loaf that's still warm. Whether we're talking about Jahy getting dressed up in various outfits to her struggling through her day to day life, this series still has so much to offer, and honestly, even in its weakest weeks, has still wrangled a chuckle out of me. As a comedy, that definitely feels like the series gets a hanamaru and a gold star.

As always, there's a good amount I didn't mention: Jahy's on-going character growth, the growth of her friendships with the landlord and her manager, and the general sense of community. Oh, and Jahy brutally getting whapped by her landlord in her sleep, which is pretty funny body comedy. All of that kind of meshes together into comedy stew in the end, demonstrating that The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! still has its comedic chops as we start the slow rise to the last few episodes of this truly charming series.

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The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.