Rokujouma No Shinryakusha

You know what they say about a property that is hot and in demand. It’s all about location, location and nothing but location! How bad do you want it that you won’t have others with the same interest to have it? Rokujouma No Shinryakusha may not be about people at each other’s throats over some piece of property but it gets pretty close. Because there is this room in some apartment that everyone from all parties involved would love to get their hands on. There is something about this room. It’s not like it is sitting on prime land or something. It’s not like its located right smack in some hot location whatsoever. It’s not like there is some historical or monetary value either. Nobody is giving way. Nobody is giving up. The standoff continues. So when you have an ordinary high school student, a ghost, a magical girl, an intergalactic princess and an underground priestess fighting over a room, it could be something much deeper than what it seems.

Episode 1
Koutarou Satomi is glad to have found an apartment with cheap monthly rentals and no other sort of deposits. Corona Apartments is run by Shizuka Kasagi who is the same age as him. While doing some excavation job with his friend, Kenji Matsudaira AKA Makkenji, he believes the apartment is haunted, the reason why it is cheap. Even so, Koutarou won’t give it up as he doesn’t want to financially burden his dad. A misstep causes Koutarou to fall into a caved in ground. He sees some altar and some goddess who claims to have waited endless days and nights to see him. Once they reach out to each other, Koutarou finds himself in hospital and only a little bandage patch on his head as injury. At school, he is eager to join the knitting club whom Harumi Sakuraba is the president. When he returns home, he sees this girl in his room eagerly to spook him away. She is surprised he can see and touch her. After he kicks her out, he is shocked to see her walking through the door! Sanae Higashihongan is a ghost and wants him to leave this room because she claims it is hers. Not a chance! She starts throwing things but thankfully all those sacred items and charms Koutarou’s grandma sent him keeps her at bay. Suddenly a magical girl, Yurika Nijino crashes in. Clumsy and ditzy, she warns this room has the potential of attracting evil magical girls due to some large magic and wants them to get away from here. They kick her out and resume their bout. But since she is crying annoyingly outside, they call it a truce and let this cosplayer in. Then out from the ground comes a busty miko priestess, Kiriha Kurano and her haniwa doll familiars, Karama and Korama. She is and earthling. No, not planet Earth. She’s from the underground tribe. Because this room is located on some important shrine, she wants him to vacate it so she can rebuild it. Here are a bunch of gold bars as compensation. Koutarou agrees to this deal! Anybody is set for life with this generous amount. Till Kiriha decides to put her next plan of Earth invasion forward! The deal is off! He won’t hand her this room. In that case, she starts seducing him. Can he resist the temptation?

The lights then go out. What now? Out comes from a futuristic portal is some alien princess warrior, Theiamillia Gre Fortorthe or Theia for short. Because Koutarou accidentally got his hands over her little boobs and then mention there is nothing to feel, she gets insulted and calls forth her Blue Knight to blast everything! Kiriha’s barriers did well to protect but how long can they last from those lasers? Then, Sanae flips up her skirt to reveal her bear print panties. She is so mad that she orders Blue Knight to transform into its final mode for ultimate annihilation! Till her servant-cum-adviser, Ruthkhania Nye Pardomshiha AKA Ruth lectures her about treaty violation and bringing shame upon her mother’s name. Little princess gives up. And now Shizuka comes in. She is appalled to see the room in a big mess. She blows her top and beats up everyone! Clearly she is the strongest and the one with most authority and power, right? Let this be a warning if they ever do this again, she’ll make them really regret it. Learning that all of them want to have this room, she tells them to settle it peacefully or else she will give them find eternal peace right now. Better do what she says if you know what is good for you. She makes them sign a treaty called Corona Treaty.

Episode 2
Everyone explains why they want this room. Including Theia who is undergoing trial to claim her empire’s throne. She must have people in a randomly chosen territory swear loyalty to her. And everyone believes Yurika just wants to have some cosplay party… It is suggested that they divide the room into 6 equal parts with the sixth one being neutral. They will play games 5 times a day and each has a turn to pick what they want to play. As each space they own correspond to points, the loser will have to give the winner some of their points and the one ending up losing all their points will be out of the race to claim the room. Yurika thought she is best in playing trumps but she loses badly. In the end, Yurika is the biggest space loser while Kiriha is in the lead. Kiriha and Theia have their place to return to. Yurika? She sleeps in his closet! Koutarou seems to be able to sleep through all that ghastly noise Sanae makes. He thinks she was trying to wake him up since he is late for school. She flusters a little thinking she just sent him off to school. Kiriha sends her dolls to spy on him at school and since he mentions he needs to relax more, when he comes home she acts like his housewife and makes delicious dinner. Sanae wants to posses Koutarou so she can taste it. Why him? She doesn’t want to owe others since they have a truce. He is ready for the possession and it seems she is just hugging on to his back. WTF. And nobody cares about poor Yurika… Since she’s such a pitiful state, might as well invite her to join in.

As they play more games, Yurika continues to lose more space. First casualty? Kiriha and Theia are suspicious with each other as they have been nice to Koutarou like as though they have something planned up their sleeves. If invading rooms wasn’t enough, here comes to girls invading Koutarou’s high school! They are transfer students in his class! Except maybe for Sanae who is just hanging around him like a ghost. While Kiriha, Theia and Ruth do well in blending and acting, Yurika is the same typical loser self. Theia and Ruth run into a bunch of delinquents but some girls take them away. This gives Theia an idea. Yurika gets a letter from Koutarou to meet. She thinks he finally believes her. When she gets there, a group of girls surround her. They have heard from Koutarou and they call her their comrade. They are fellow cosplayers! NOOOOO!!!! Koutarou, you meanie! He isn’t regretting a bit because this would mean Yurika will be out of the picture. Ironically despite being tired, Yurika makes a comeback in her trump card games and regains most of her lost space. Theia then throws a tantrum that she is bored because they’re always playing the same trump cards whenever it’s Yurika’s turn. Since now it is Kiriha’s turn, she suggests an obstacle course sanctioned by the school. Koutarou and Theia get fired up and from their maniacal laughter, they think they are invincible in stamina and endurance.

Episode 3
Koutarou is going to confess to Sakuraba… Please go out with him… For the obstacle race! Disappointed? As club members race in pairs and to be fair to Sanae, she can pick anyone to represent her. She picks Koutarou. Kiriha has joined the track and field club. She has her dolls scout for anybody stronger and faster and to prepare the funds too. Theia has subdued the delinquents under her. All hail to the princess! Ruth detects unidentified scouts doing reconnaissance on the school grounds so Theia orders them to be intercepted. Blue Knight versus Karama and Korama. Their big battle of science and magic end up taking each other out. On race day, the moment it starts, a pile of students seem to purposely trip to block the path. Seems they have been bought by Kiriha as she makes a great lead. The rest won’t be cowed and climb over the human wall to resume the race. Koutarou steps over several guys for that. Yurika and Sakuraba are probably propping up the back of the pack. As they meet, Yurika is being pessimistic and about to give in. Till Sakuraba gives her some words of encouragement to go on. They make friends and run together. At the balancing beam obstacle, the guys who stepped on want some revenge. They think Makkenji did it and go after him. As they fall off the beam, a bomb explodes! Seems Theia and the delinquent boss planted mines around! And when everybody starts falling off… The biggest boom ever! Sakuraba suddenly collapses. Yurika panics but uses every ounce of her magical girl power (and some hero in her vision) to heal her back to normal. Koutarou is in the lead but passes out on the final obstacle. This allows Theia and Kiriha to catch up. In the scavenger hunt, they are to find each other’s bra size. The battle for the busts begins. At this rate it will be a draw. Yurika and Sakuraba arrive. Yurika believes she has lost because she needs to find a friend. Sakuraba points out one is standing right next to her. In exchange, she needs to help her bring hers: A fellow club member. And so, Yurika, Sakuraba and unconscious Koutarou cross the finish line to win the race. Thus this means in the match for the room, Koutarou, Yurika and Sanae won while Kiriha and Theia the losers. All is not fine yet because mad Shizuka is going to teach Theia a lesson for putting mines in the obstacle! Likewise, Makkenji and the guys have a bone to pick with Koutarou. The run for the duo continues…

Episode 4
Ruth wins the grand prize for a trip for 6 at some shady shopping district raffles. Guess who are the usual suspects coming on this trip? But even if you count in Shizuka, there are 7 of them. Does this mean Yurika will be left out? Kiriha believes they still can go because Sanae is a ghost and nobody but them can see her. After shopping for swimsuits (I’m not sure if Kiriha is intimidating everyone by showing off her assets), they head to the beach inn. So rundown… Furthermore, the room that everyone will be cramping in is the same size as the room in Corona Apartments. It’s like they’ve never left home, eh? Shizuka has brought lots of old stuffs left behind from someone from Corona Apartments (Sanae?). At the beach, Koutarou bumps into those Yurika’s cosplay club members. They note it is a coincidence that Sakuraba is here too because she has a villa here. When all the girls are ready to show off their swimsuit to Koutarou, that guy ignores them because his eyes are fixated on Sakuraba in a lovely white summer gown. And so all the jealous girls go bury him in the sand while they play in the beach. However seeing Sakuraba lending her umbrella to give Koutarou’s head some head makes them even more jealous. Time to play smash the watermelon. A watermelon right next to his head. Oh God. Do they really want to kill him? Suddenly a pair of shady MIBs (from the shopping district) tries to kidnap Sanae and Theia. The lolicons are quickly intercepted and got buried in the sand. Tide is coming… As the girls soak in the hotspring, Theia further explains her reason to get that room because in a way to help protect her mom. Sanae’s goal is something similar too. She hopes to wait for her parents’ return in that room. Yurika adds to her story that she owes somebody her life, the reason she needs that room. That person risked their life to save her and thus she is acting like a magical girl for that person. In short, nobody is going to give up getting that room. That night, Koutarou toss and turns and accidentally hugs Ruth. However he thinks she is some beetle and this pisses her off. He is made to apologize but because he continues ranting about beetles, Ruth takes it as an insult he likes beetles more than her! He is kicked out of the room and as he strolls along the shores, he talks to Kiriha. Sanae tries to surprise Koutarou but the charms he is wearing zap her. She takes it as a sign he hates her and thus wants her out of the room. Their relationship takes a turn for the worse as she continues sulking. Their argument escalates when they are reminded they are enemies for the room. Sanae runs away. Fly away, rather.

Episode 5
As Sanae sulks alone at the beach, she is captured by those MIBs. They are ghost hunters and with the help of a ghost lady, they are going to sell Sanae. Yurika sees this and feels the need to get help. Unfortunately her cosplay friends kidnap her. Sanae refuses to be sold but the ghost lady asks if there is any place she can call home. Corona Apartments. But do those people really want her? Because who wants to live with a ghost? Why do humans sell charms? Ghosts and humans can never live together. So convincing her words that Sanae falls into depression believing her. Koutarou is looking for Sanae but bumps into Sakuraba and talks to her about the problem. As he is in a dilemma, she then says that even though they are in the same club, they are strangers. She asks did he come all the way here to look for a stranger. Koutarou remembers all the times they spent together and knows the answer. He continues looking but finds Yurika being tied up like a roast pig. He learns what she saw. Too bad saving Sanae takes more priority than saving her from her cosplay mates! Koutarou tells the other girls and with some ghost locater in Shizuka’s junk and the dolls’ scanning help, they track Sanae’s location. The ghost lady continues to put in more depressing thoughts in Sanae’s mind that humans and ghosts are enemies. She understands how she feels because she went through the process of waiting for someone she cared a long time ago but was betrayed.

Koutarou and co barge into some abandoned mansion and fight their way through the traps to reach where Sanae is. The ghost hunters don’t think they’re breaking any law. Any law states that it’s a crime to kidnap ghosts? But the laws of Earth don’t really apply to aliens and underground people, right? Furthermore, Sanae is like family. The ghost hunters set loose their ghost familiars to keep them at bay. Because Sanae continues to believe them after seeing how hard they are fighting for her, the ghost lady gets upset thinking she too will betray her. She summons all the ghost familiars to combine into a giant phantom and is devours Sanae. Koutarou notices a charm he can use and strikes through the phantom. Yurika who happened to escape from her cosplay fanatics arrive in time to amplify Koutarou’s charm. Wouldn’t this charm kill Sanae too? He knows she isn’t a weak ghost and his won’t hurt her. He throws it through the phantom, dissipating it and saving Sanae. The charm falls into her hands and it doesn’t hurt because it is a charm for family safety. She remembers the times spent together and starts crying. They may be enemies but still much more. The other girls accuse Koutarou of making her cry. Kiriha rounds up the ghost hunters. In the aftermath, Sanae happily haunts Koutarou. They’re enemies, right? Oh, she’s wearing the charm too.

Episode 6
Koutarou desperately pleads from the girls for their help to write a play for the cultural festival. Makkenji is in the theatre club and they have no idea what to do this year. He even teased Koutarou had no talent in something like this and thus the challenge. Of course the girls won’t be doing it for free. He will offer his space points for those who participate and even more if their script is chosen. The girls agree to do so as they have their reasons. Because Yurika is helping to take care of a club member’s pet rhinoceros beetle, this irks Koutarou a lot because you know what will happen when Ruth finds out about it, right? They have to hide it whenever Ruth is around. Even at night, Yurika bugs Koutarou because the beetle is making sounds like a cockroach and she couldn’t sleep. Just for this once, he lets her sleep in his room and leaves the beetle in the closet. A month later, the theatre club chooses Theia’s script as the best. Because this sci-fi romance flick, The Silver Princess and the Blue Knight are based on the great legends that their people adore especially the former being her mother. Koutarou and Yurika are the biggest sulkers… Theia also helps out in the casting and although she is fine with Makkenji casted as Blue Knight, she will not compromise the role of Silver Knight. Koutarou has brought in Sakuraba just for that role. He helps her out although she has a hard time trying to get into the role as she doesn’t understand her character’s feelings. Theia seems to be in trouble with some huge bundle and it turns out to be props. When Koutarou helps her out, he reminds her so much like Blue Knight. Sakuraba’s acting takes a turn for the worst and Theia is furious about the quality of the portrayal. Koutarou thinks she is just tired from her first rehearsal and suggests temporarily taking over Makkenji’s role to lessen the effect as she has been practising with him. They can slowly put Makkenji back in when she is more familiar. With Koutarou in that role, Sakuraba’s acting is top notch so much so Theia almost sees the real legend unfolding before her eyes. Kiriha then suggests Koutarou to swap roles with Makkenji. It’s just faster that way. Since everyone has no objections, it’s on. Koutarou couldn’t believe he just landed himself a harder role.

Episode 7
Theia gets tough trying to nail in the finer points of being a knight to Koutarou who amazingly posses the same physiques as Blue Knight. He heard Theia and Ruth talking about some space-time quake disturbance. They believe another Fortorthean ship appeared near this planet and could be from Calriossa Daora Fortorthe AKA Clan. She is second crown princess of the empire and you can tell they always butt heads. But how sure are they it is her? They suspect it might be her signature stealth ship, Rougetsu. While Yurika and Sanae are feeding the beetle, Ruth sees it. Thankfully she doesn’t know what a beetle looks like… As Koutarou continues to rehearse with Sakuraba, Theia and Kiriha feel watching Koutarou reminds them of something similar. It’s like that guy said the same thing before. A light drops on Theia but Koutarou saves her in time. Theia is concerned when he sustains light injuries and confuses him with Blue Knight. The rest of the other girls are told about Clan. But Theia thinks something is off because if Clan was trying to get rid of her, she wouldn’t leave any evidence behind. If their home world gets word of this she will automatically be excised from her right to the throne. Everyone works hard for the festival. One night, Yurika and Ruth watch a tokusatsu TV show that uses beetles as its theme. It is then Ruth realizes what a rhinoceros beetle looks like. She is going to kill it! Yurika runs away with it with her life and hides in the school’s gym storeroom. Ruth returns to normal when she sees Koutarou acting out like Blue Knight on stage.

Suddenly Clan appears before them. Seems she has been taking her time to build weapons with materials from this planet, which doesn’t violate whatever rule. She challenges Theia to fight her. Koutarou feels something is wrong. He recognizes as one of the mysterious club members bumming around. She was hiding her existence but why risk it now? Then he realizes it. She is trying to provoke Theia into using her weapon. Because all the while she has been setting up traps in the gym that if a weapon is activated, a bomb will go off. Koutarou manages to make Theia shut her Blue Knight off and push her away from the explosion. Koutarou then becomes like the real Blue Knight before Theia’s eyes as he takes on Clan. Although his sword is believed to be a replica, however it shines brightly like the real deal. With Sanae flipping up Clan’s skirt (kitty print panties?), Koutarou is able to break through her barrier. Clan then summons Rougetsu to attack him. However she forgot about the trap she set and almost exploded herself. In the aftermath of the explosion, Clan got away but Theia won’t go after her. Koutarou feels sorry the sword broke but since he still doesn’t understand what a spirit of a knight is, this upsets Theia and she is going to train him all over again. Reliving hell, isn’t he? Clan is hiding in the nearby gym storage and as a sore loser she won’t accept this loss. She is about to counterattack when Yurika drops on her. Well, well. What an unlikely heroine. Unaware what is happening, Yurika casts some spell on her and pretends nothing happened. The festival went out without a hitch and Clan is reported to have returned home. When Koutarou is asleep, Theia conducts the ritual of knighting him to allow him to bear the title of Blue Knight.

Episode 8
Maki Aika, another magical girl has found Yurika and will get her revenge. Nobody still believes Yurika is a real magical girl. What a great back story! Yeah… When Maki becomes a transfer student in Koutarou’s class, Yurika is glad to see her and introduces her as the evil magical girl! WTF?! Aren’t they supposed to be enemies? Of course they think she’s got a real friend who is willing to play along with her story. Maki then confronts Yurika about her underhanded tactics and great planning to keep her at bay. I think dumb Yurika never planned all that… Maki mentions about their feud centuries ago and since her wound she got from Nana, Yurika’s predecessor has healed, they’re going to settle it for real this time. For a start, she joins the cosplay club. Later Sakuraba meets up with Yurika and it seems she wants to get closer to Koutarou! For real?! Yes, she is serious! Yurika suggests she go on a date and they can start with a group date. When Yurika returns home, she is devastated to see everyone holding a welcoming party for Maki. She tries to convince everyone to kick her out but I guess nobody believes her. For that moment, Koutarou saw the seriousness in her eyes and is about to talk to her but Makkenji comes in with lots of rhinoceros beetle themed snacks. Oh God. Ruth going berserk! So while they calm her down, nobody is going to listen to Yurika. She talks to Sakuraba about it and she advises her if she wants to convince everyone, do it with actions and not words. Next day Yurika leaves for her inevitable battle with Maki at some abandoned building. At the same time, Maki confronts Sakuraba. Kiriha’s dolls report that they saw Yurika leaving in her cosplay outfit. Skipping school for this? Something is wrong. Koutarou will find her and with Sanae’s help to trace her scent, they enter a building laced with some barrier. Sanae wasn’t able to enter but with Koutarou tugging her hand, she manages to. They see the battle raging on as Maki believes Koutarou to be some evolved mage with a ghost familiar. Maki throws her magic at Yurika but Koutarou saves her. This surprises Maki because that great light of his nullified her magic and he did it without a staff or incantation. Maki then summons Sakuraba who is under her control. As hostage, they can’t do anything reckless. She throws all the stones at them so Yurika creates a magic shield to protect them. Now you believe she is a real magical girl? They are about to attack her simultaneously but Maki aims her magic at Sakuraba. Yurika teleports before her and once she gets hit, she turns unconscious.

Episode 9
Yurika starts to emit some light and in turn temporarily turns Sakuraba in that goddess and gives Koutarou a sword. Maki is forced to flee after tasting his power and believes if she wants to defeat him, she must obtain that power from that room. Sakuraba wakes up fine but doesn’t have memories of what happened after Yurika fell. Yurika too wakes up and nothing much serious. Meanwhile the play on Silver Knight and Blue Knight was popular enough to warrant a sequel. Thus Theia has been working on the script to further the plot but gets flustered about thinking if they ever kissed. Because she might need to guide him how to do it. Really? Maki is back at that room as she analyzes the magic here. She believes this is the power source for his sword and is going to control it to gain advantage. Yurika explains her real back story. She was attacked by a beast and Nana saved her. She became her apprentice although Nana forbade her to fight so she helped out with preparing meals and research. Eight months ago, Yurika become hostage to a dark magical group that Maki belongs. Nana released all her magic to defeat Maki and co but once she does that, she is no longer able to use magic. She did it to protect her. The staff and outfit Yurika dons belong to her. Yurika needs to do what Nana was supposed to do. As he carries her back, he is starting to believe she is a magical girl. It’s not that he didn’t want to believe, he wanted to think of her as a normal girl. He wanted her to be a normal classmate and can go through things without anything major happening. Perhaps a normal classmate with an abnormal fetish for cosplay. He thinks fighting doesn’t suit her.

Once Maki absorbs some of the magic in the room that she believes is also part of the magic kingdom, Koutarou and Yurika barge in to fight her. Herald all the ‘awesome’ magical girl terms and incantation in this power battle. Maki is able to maximise her magic and defeat them. Before she lands the last blow, Kiriha’s magic stops her. The other girls are here too. Seems Yurika has made a hole in the barrier to let them through. Theia orders Blue Knight to rain down laser beams on her as Maki have a hard time defending herself. Now she is going to unleash the main cannon for her. Isn’t this going too far even if Theia wants to punish Maki for hurting her knight? Is she willing to destroy Corona Apartments for that? Speaking of which, it is messed up and Shizuka is real mad. Who is the culprit? Maki. Faster than a speeding bullet, Shizuka beats up Maki before she can even react! Oh sh*t. You don’t mess with the dorm lady! No chance of winning, Maki unleashes some magic that allows her to escape. But the most frustrating point is that everyone lost their recent memories. This means they think Yurika is an obsessed cosplayer! Maki returns to her dark group to report about Yurika having allies and that they must be wary of Koutarou. They praise her for deciphering the magic code in that room and did her best when they couldn’t act yet. Maki is sad that she had to sacrifice her staff in exchange for their memories. She is given another mission to gather more info without attracting attention. Maki now has a personal grudge on Koutarou and vows to take him down herself. Sakuraba goes out on a group date with Yurika, Koutarou and Makkenji. Koutarou notices Yurika feeling down. She reveals that just when she thought people finally understood her, she is back to square one again. What will it takes to make him believe she is a magical girl? She doesn’t need to do anything. After witnessing how she saved Sakuraba (although he can’t remember when), he doesn’t care if she is a magical girl or cosplayer. He knows she is a good person who helps others. So when she says she is a magical girl, that is good enough for him. But he would prefer her to be a cosplayer as he is worried about her using her magic. Because sun and rainbows suit her. But who should he consider her now? His classmate and freeloader living in his room.

Episode 10
A group of teens of the Sun Squad are just idling around. Some wondering if this job has its purpose while some remain hopeful. Suddenly an emergency alert from Professor Roppongi that the earth people have begun their invasion! Kiriha asks the gang to help her out in some local hero show. Theia wants in since it would mean giving more knight training to Koutarou for the sequel. Oh, the trauma… But since Sakuraba is also roped in, I guess all is not that bad. With Ruth as the host, Koutarou is one of the bad guys and takes Sakuraba as hostage. The kids can tell Sakuraba has that happy look on her face… Suddenly the Sun Squad drops in. How come all of them are wearing red? Budget constraints? So much so this pisses off Koutarou as he tells them off! Even the kids agree! As the show continues, the Sun Squad wonders if there was a mistake since this was just a hero show and not an invasion. At the backstage, they start to ponder who those Sun Squad guys are. Couldn’t be from the neighbourhood association. Cosplay club? Nah. They wouldn’t make such a crucial mistake. It could be the volunteers of the cleaning squad who have been helping out in lots of events. On the way back, they see Kiriha and her fellow priestesses sweeping the streets. Sanae is alerted because she thinks her friends have come to invade Earth. So how do you invade the surface via sweeping?

That night, Kiriha reports her status to her chief who is also her dad. Seems Plan A of being welcomed in the neighbourhood after participating in various activities is going on smoothly but Plan B is behind schedule since that room in Corona Apartments is being targeted by many parties. Daddy also reports the unrest of radicals especially Tayuma Shijima. They are advocating using brute force and thus the need to advance Plan B. Looks like Kiriha will have to take that room by force. He also suggests for her to return and get married to solidify their base and grow their influence on the radicals. However she can’t. Not just yet. Koutarou notices Sakuraba looking happy. I know she’s happy being next to him during the hero show… She also says that she is happy to help out and that she felt like being part of the neighbourhood. This rings something to Koutarou. As he heads home, he joins Kiriha doing her shopping around the neighbourhood and observes that everyone is friendly with her. Then he asks her if she is really planning to invade Earth. Because it is like she’s trying to become part of this town. She’s too kind to be an invader. What if it’s to gain their trust? He thinks she doesn’t want him to trust her. She requests for his time no his day off. And as the duo head off to town, the rest of the other girls become really suspicious because it looks like they are a couple on a date. Do I smell jealousy rearing its ugly head? Except for Shizuka who has work, the rest are going to tail them. Meanwhile the Sun Squad are left to wonder if that invasion was false alert when Roppongi sounds the alert again. It’s for real this time because the signals are much stronger!

Episode 11
Kiriha brings Koutarou to an amusement park where she once patron 10 years ago with a guy she loves. They sit several rides as this brings back nostalgic memories to her while the quartet follow them real closely. Then Ruth seemingly goes missing because there is a hero show with the rhinoceros beetle theme! Oh no… She barges into the show to whack everyone! Thankfully one of the heroes is Shizuka (her part time job) and she is able to fend Ruth’s attacks. In the Ferris Wheel, Kiriha explains everything. She got into a fight with her dad 10 years ago and ran away from home. At the same time she lost her mother. That’s where she met that guy she used to call onii-chan at this park. She cannot remember his name or face but is about her age now back then. They had lots of memories here. Then she was taken back underground and hasn’t seen him since. When there are plans to invade the surface, she volunteered to be commander in hopes she could find him. Of course she was in a catch-22 situation. If she had successfully taken that room, a war would erupt. This would give credit to radicals to advocate military action. She didn’t want to drag this town where she met him into a war. If she foregoes invasion of that room, the radicals will take action on their own. That’s why she can’t win or lose that room and Koutarou must maintain control over that room till she achieves peaceful invasion of this town. Koutarou is glad things are cleared and still notes she is too kind to be an invader. Ruth wakes up without any memories (please don’t remind her what happened) probably thanks to the help of the dolls putting a stop to her rampage.

As Kiriha is about to ride a roller coaster she loves, an earthquake occurs. Not your usual earthquake because a subterranean submarine pops up from the ground. They are the underground radicals led by Tayuma. Looks like this guy wants to start a war by sacrificing her and telling the chief she was betrayed and killed by surface dwellers. He summons his giant golem to fight, Jack-O. He is going to destroy everything when Koutarou lands a punch on his face. He tells him off this is a place where people make memories. He won’t be able to invade if he doesn’t understand that. Kiriha understands. That’s why she is trying to merge the surface with this town. It’s not about weapons but about the mind and heart. Tayuma is unconcerned and beats him up. Thankfully backup help of the other girls arrive. Tayuma turns Jack-O into its other form. Multiple mini clones? During the smoke bomb trap, Sanae latches onto Koutarou so he can see where Tayuma is and subdue him. Surrender? Not quite. He is going to sacrifice everything just for war and sets Jack-O to explode. Now, if you’re wondering why Yurika has been missing all the while, it is because she has been using her magic to protect this entire amusement park. So when Jack-O explodes, no damage was to its surrounding. Unsung hero she is. Tayuma still doesn’t give in so Kiriha knocks her out. She detests violence but will resort to it to protect those she cares. In the aftermath, the submarine returns and Kiriha knows the government will find a way to cover this up as their existence is known to them. Kiriha laments she’ll have to go on that roller coaster ride another time. However Koutarou thinks she should go with that guy she loves. In fact, he is willing to help her find him. They’re friends, right? Finally, if you’re wondering why the Sun Squad are no show, they’re nitpicking several details like the same coloured suit and they don’t believe Roppongi. Yeah. The invasion signal’s gone…

Episode 12
Christmas is coming soon. As usual, the girls talk about it. The romance, the presents, the cake, etc. Seems Koutarou has his own plans. Sakuraba catches him working part time in town for extra cash and helps out. The other girls find out and because he is being secretive about it, Makkenji thinks he must be saving up to go date a girl. So they confront him about it and he doesn’t reveal much. Kiriha jumps the gun saying that they are going on a date together on Christmas. However everyone is sharp enough to know it’s a lie. Yeah. Been with each other for quite a while. Of course Koutarou’s plan is to throw a surprise party for everyone at his knitting club’s room. He makes preparations with Sakuraba and since there is short of manpower, he enlists Makkenji’s help and hopes he would keep it a secret from the other girls but get them to come when the time is right. Suddenly Sakuraba informs Koutarou of a big problem. Other clubs are partying hard in the clubroom. They somehow got permission for this. She suggests holding it back in his room. Great idea. Seems this is plan has been setup by Shizuka and Makkenji too. As Koutarou rushes back, he thinks back how he met those invading girls the first time and how much they have grown since. Once he steps into his room, the girls pop a surprise Christmas party for him! Surprise! Seems they have figured out his real plan a long time ago not because Makkenji betrayed him but rather they asked him first to help out. Shizuka was responsible for bringing those other club guys into the clubroom and she got a little help from Sakuraba. It’s like Koutarou is the only one left out in the cold, eh? Everyone had a fun little Christmas party as Koutarou notes that everyone successfully invaded his heart. As Koutarou walks Sakuraba home, he gives her a present. A handmade knitted scarf. I’m not sure if this is for real or they’re just acting out as the play because in a different light, Sakuraba looks a bit like the Silver Princess as she hands her knight a sword (a little present) that he shall use to protect her life from enemies. We hear the goddess’ voice telling us Koutarou hasn’t remembered yet but it is okay since he has places to go and people to meet. Then after the endless days and night, they can meet again. Koutarou and the gang practice and work hard for the play and they’re confident they’re going to make this one great.

Room Raiders!
Well, I guess that pretty rounds it up. I am not sure if I should call the plot lost or anything because in the end I am not really sure where this is heading. It started off fine introducing us to all the parties trying to claim the room for themselves. Soon that will be casted aside and the series shifts quickly into focusing on the girls and their issues in which Koutarou will have a hand in it. Since it is double episodes per girl, that already takes up 2/3 of the series. Finally it ends with a lukewarm Christmas episode where everybody gets together and it just ends without resolving anything. Hardly exciting but I suppose perhaps there is nothing to resolve. Because nobody is making a big fuss in claiming the room anymore. It’s like everybody is happy sharing it and having fun times together. I think this is the best solution. I mean just like Koutarou pointed out, instead of invading the room, the hearts have been invaded and when you have that conquered, everything is somewhat resolved. So can you not say that this ending (if this is what it seems now) is the best solution?

There is something about Koutarou that would make you think and ponder who this dude really is. Because it is like he is connected to all the invader girls one way or another. It is like as though he could transcend time and space as a certain main character in each of the girl’s life has a very similar resemblance to Koutarou. From Blue Knight to Kiriha’s first love. They look and sound suspiciously the same. Then he seems to possess some sort of mysterious power especially that white light that he emits during times of emergency. So who is he actually? Curious. Is it because he could display such powers after that archaeology accident? Once the series starts moving, quickly we forget about that goddess meeting thingy and even though it doesn’t seem to have any great bearings on the series overall, something tells me that it will play a major role and revelation as it progresses. Well, if we get another season, that is. So as far as of now, Koutarou may be just an ordinary high school student and despite his initial vehement stance of not allowing anyone to claim this room, I suppose that just like any other guys, he has a nice side and it would be bad if the sole guy kicks out girls, right?

There are romance and harem factors involved but from the pacing of the story, it feels that it isn’t quite there yet. As we can tell that all our invader girls in their own ways take a liking for Koutarou because, well, he is such a nice guy after all despite all that rivalry. Because if they don’t really care, they wouldn’t have minded so much when Koutarou seemingly accompanied Kiriha on their ‘date’. Following like stalkers with the goal of ‘preventing something shameful from happening’ tells a lot. Therefore the romance department in some ways feel lacking and leaves more to be desired. Theia can be a classic tsundere and that scene of her being bothered about the kiss even though it is just a play proves otherwise. Yurika might claim Koutarou has Sakuraba but that feels like an excuse to cover up her own feelings. Same case I feel for Ruth since it’s like she’s using betraying as a knight of Theia as an excuse. Then there is Sanae who is more sisterly but it feels it could go beyond that. Kiriha is the boldest of them all if you consider the race to Koutarou’s heart but she could be substituting him as her past lover. Or is it? I won’t discount Shizuka too but the way they interact with each other feels more like in the friend zone. Of course Sakuraba will always be the girl occupying Koutarou’s heart (and the biggest source of jealousy for the other girls) but since they are both somewhat shy in expressing their feelings directly to each other, this might take a while to happen. Therefore in view of all this with nothing set yet, that’s why you have the harem factor, no?

It is nice to see the invader girls each have a couple of episodes in focus although I thought it would be nicer to have one on Shizuka and Sakuraba too. I mean, Shizuka may not be part of the invading ‘contest’ but she is like family and if I should say one of the ‘harem girls’ too, don’t you think? As the landlord, I consider her as the most powerful one even though ironically she doesn’t have super powers or high tech weapons. Just her bare fists and martial arts. You’d be dead getting hit by one of her powerful punches or kicks. Same case for Sakuraba, only difference is that she doesn’t stay in Corona Apartments. Something got me thinking that she might be that goddess in disguise despite her meek behaviour. You know, watching over him and stuffs like that. My guts tell me that having a crush on him is just superficial. On the surface. Her gentleness could be just a facade. Feels that it could be deeper than that. Or maybe it is just me being paranoid and thinking too much.

Sanae feels like the closest to Koutarou because, well, she is always clinging on to him just to experience certain senses like taste. Sometimes the way she clings on to Koutarou makes her look like a tree hugger. Or a koala bear! Yikes! Among the invader girls, Koutarou isn’t directly involved in Sanae’s back story. It could be something to do with her grandma’s charms or something like that but even her own story isn’t much explored compared to the rest. Also, unlike the rest, she has no ‘natural enemies’. Because we certainly haven’t heard the last of Clan, Maki and Tayuma. My guess is that with Koutarou defeating them, they hold personal grudges on him and will find ways to get their revenge. But for now, we see them laying low and just observing till the right moment comes for them to strike again. These antagonists also have interesting backgrounds that are likely to drive, develop and further the plot of each of the girls. So don’t count them out yet.

Although overall still bratty, Theia has grown to be less the more she spends time with Koutarou. Heck, even that guy did mention in the end that he would gladly become her servant! And I think they start respecting each other because if you noticed, Koutarou has stopped calling that degrading nickname of ‘Tulip’ (because she looked like a big flower when Sanae first flipped up and tied up her skirt) and addressed her by her real name. Something about her just screams about the typical stereotype of a flat chest holier-than-thou tsundere. If you can’t help thinking about Zero No Tsukaima’s Louise each time you look at Theia, I don’t blame you. There is something about Ruth and rhinoceros beetles. Yeah. It feels like a running joke that she will automatically go into berserk mode trying to kill them all with a swatter. And when she calms down, she will have no recollection of her rampaging mode.

Kiriha feels like the slyest one among the pack. Because she is the calmest and most composed among the pack, it is hard to figure out what she thinks. Cutting a nice busty figure and with loads of gold, she can snag any guy she wants. Miko priestess is an added bonus for those having such fetish. Her actions prove that you don’t necessarily need to resort to violence for invasion. The best way to win over people and ‘subdue’ them is to win their hearts. Although this method may take a very long time and thus does not sit well for impatient people who wants to be a hero now. Her pair of haniwa dolls is cute enough to be the series’ mascot and could have stolen the limelight if they had more screen time.

Yurika seems to be the clown of the pack and the one whom everyone loves to rebuke and rebuff. Sometimes it makes her like a bully victim and I can’t help feel bad and sympathise for her. Of course we all know from the unofficial pecking order she ranks the lowest and thus prone to such misfortunes and sometimes acts like a retard. Despite all that, Yurika proves to be an unsung hero and have saved the gang on a handful of occasions and in real times of need. Thus she is not all that useless. Just that nobody knows or acknowledges her. And there is this running joke that her crazy cosplay fellows would kidnap her just to make her cosplay something… It is tough being a real magical girl, isn’t it?

Thus the interactions between the characters provide much of the comedy (mainly in the general/common arcs) as well as the drama parts (arcs on the girls). One of my favourite parts is the next episode preview whereby we sometimes see the gang engaging in some little game. Be it volleyball or pirate pop up game, it seems Yurika is always the one who bears the brunt of misfortune. I’m starting to believe it is her destiny… Art and drawing feels decent and no complaints from me while watching the series. The animation is consistent too and if the art style seems pretty familiar, it is because this anime was done by Silver Link who also did Baka To Test To Shoukanjuu, Cube x Cursed x Curious, Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya, Tayutama, Seikoku No Dragonar, Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankenai Yo Ne and Nourin among others.

Voice acting is also okay with Yuuichi Nakamura as Koutarou, Yukari Tamura as Clan and Saori Hayami as Ruth (damn, I thought it was Mamiko Noto at first) being recognizable seiyuus. Aoi Yuuki is also recognizable as Korama but I didn’t realize it was Ayana Taketatsu as Karama. Heck, I couldn’t even differentiate which doll is which. Perhaps the only one sounding a bit different in the sense not your typical high pitched squeaky girl is Yurika who is voiced by Nichika Omori (her only other role at this point is Mori Rikimaru of Nobunaga Concerto). I don’t want to go so far to point out Yurika sounds like a retard… Oops… The main casts are relatively new seiyuus like Eri Suzuki as Sanae (Yuu in Ryuugajou Nanana No Maizoukin), Masumi Tazawa as Kiriha, Maria Naganawa as Theia (currently her only other role is a small one in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Baby Zombie – pun not intended) and Akari Kitou doing her debut as Maki. Others include Aya Suzaki as Shizuka (Mako in Kill La Kill), Megumi Takamoto as Sakuraba (Charlotte in Unbreakable Machine Doll), Tatsuhisa Suzuki as Makkenji (Yuuji in Baka To Test To Shoukanjuu) and Houchu Ohtsuka as Tayuma (Shiro in Arakawa Under The Bridge).

Kokkan Win-Win Mujouken is the opening theme by Heart Invader, which is basically a group consisting of the female invader quartet of Masumi Tazawa, Maria Naganawa, Eri Suzuki and Nichika Omori. Sounds like a generic all-girl group anime pop. But there is something about the ending theme that attracts me. Is it that jazzy and seemingly nostalgic style of the song? Is it that disco beat and faint samba tune? Is it the enigmatic and dramatic feel of this piece? I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. But I seem to like it. Koi Wa Milk Tea is sung by Petit Milady, which is actually a singing unit consisting of Ayana Taketatsu and Aoi Yuuki (so it is the haniwa dolls’ turn to sing this time?). They aren’t formed recently just to sing for this series as they have sung for a couple of anime themes as well like Toaru Hikuushi E No Koiuta and Yugioh Zexal Second. Hearing the full length of this song for the first time, I thought I heard Yukari Tamura’s voice covering it! I guess these girls can sound pretty close if they make that lower voice (as opposed to Yukari Tamura’s trademark cute squeaky voice). Especially Ayana Taketatsu. Maybe I need to get my ears cleaned.

So people, bear in mind that if you are in a tussle for a valuable piece of space, the best way is always diplomacy and ultimately sharing is the next big thing in the way of life. Because there are so many video sharing sites, social media sites and whatever sharing business out there connecting the world and making it smaller. It’s considered bad and rude to hog everything to yourself, right? Like they say, no man is an island. The more the merrier. Sharing is caring. You know, all that load of crap. But of course there are some things that can’t be shared. Like your utmost affection for your one and only true love. No prizes for guessing what will happen if you decide to share the love. That’s why most of us can only dream of only a harem. And lucky guys like Koutarou get to have it in the form of several anime tropes of a ghost, magical girl, intergalactic princess and underground priestess. All he needs now is a maid to complete the line-up ;p.