Celestial Method

Episode 8

Do you remember being little and having someone tell you that you had to try something new? Chances are, your reaction was along the lines of, “I'll try it, but I won't like it!” That's essentially Shione through most of this episode. Now that Nonoka has a better understanding of why the other girl has been so cold (and a little cruel), she's determined to try and make things right. So she and Yuzuki enlist Koharu and Souta to work on a group project for the upcoming festival...and they rope Shione into joining. Nonoka's reasoning is that if she can't see a meteor shower with Shione, she can create one with her, and so the group's project is a “planetarium,” a lamp that projects an image of the night sky. At first Shione is reluctant to participate, dragging along muttering her dissatisfaction. But by the end of the episode she comes to realize that Nonoka is doing this for her, and we start to see a shift in her attitude that has been far too long in coming. It's rewarding and one of the best moments of the season when she and Nonoka finally start to connect...which makes the ending all the more frustrating. Yes, roadblocks have to be thrown in to make a story interesting, but couldn't we have at least a little smooth sailing first?

Apparently not, and that seems to go double if you're poor Souta. The token male of Celestial Method keeps getting knocked on his ass (literally in this episode), getting roped into working while the girls go off and do something, nearly getting burned to a crisp by Yuzuki, and generally drawing the short straw every time there's an opportunity. It's no wonder he wants to study abroad! At this point I'm kind of wondering at his inclusion in the main cast of characters, because he's really feeling like the least developed and kind of unnecessary to the resolution of the plot.

Speaking of plot, it looks like people are finally starting to take Noel seriously when she says that she's the saucer. Yes, she's told Nonoka that before and we all just assumed that she believed her because she didn't say anything to the contrary, but what if she was just humoring a cute little girl? In any case, it seems to truly hit her this week, and with Shione also coming to accept the girl's statement, it looks like there's a bit of a shake-up in the way everyone views our favorite blue-haired child. What does that have to do with Shione's words and actions at the end of the episode? Is she going to like Noel less now, or is there some sinister something that she hasn't told us about? It had better be something major, because taking back one of the most satisfying moments of the entire series for a dumb reason would be something of a travesty.

In any event, Celestial Method has upped its pace, and while there's still plenty of slice-of-life moments this time, there's also more of a feeling that everything has a purpose. With the kids mostly on the same page now, the story has gotten much more enjoyable, and I hope that it maintains this increased pace and more likable cast as it moves into its endgame.

Rating: B

Celestial Method is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rebecca Silverman teaches college and writes ANN's manga review column RTO.