Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today is a good day: the sky is clear, the sun is shining, and we’re checking in on the continuing misadventures of Momo and Shamiko. Yes, it’s time for The Demon Girl Next Door, which most recently offered up a refreshingly low-stakes zoo trip. After all the propulsive and fantastical drama of season two’s first half, it was lovely to see Demon Girl return to the core dynamic of Momo and Shamiko at rest, still battling with their personal anxieties, but doing their best to improve for each other.

Frankly, it seems like the show has largely elaborated its underlying “what demons and magical girls represent” metaphor at this point, leading me to suspect future drama will lean more into the show’s character relationships and comedy. Ogura’s intimidating appearance at the end of last episode seems to support that guess, promising an episode of chaotic science and questionable ethics to come. Let’s see what the gang is up to in a fresh episode of The Demon Girl Next Door!

Episode 9

Ahaha, we open on Shamiko immediately bringing up the special attack that she opened last episode with, as if she forgot what she was talking about for the entirety of the zoo trip. It feels like even the production itself is getting too distracted by romance to remember our heroes’ official mission. I know summer dates are fun, but you gotta stick to your training, Shamiko!

“Look up ‘Bai Ze’ if you want to know more.” Demon Girl now actively assigning us homework to figure out its secondary characters’ deals. Though I appreciate how it’s leaning on more uncommon creatures from Chinese mythology, rather than the usual procession of kappas and tengus and whatnots you tend to get in these “mythical creatures live among us” scenarios

Unlike the innocent Shamiko, a lifetime of persecution by magical girls means Lico still maintains a certain distrust of Momo. A tidy bit of worldbuilding to have magical girls and shrine maidens essentially be equivalent identities, thereby expanding the reach of the show’s big metaphor

“Pitch-Black Feelings!! Darkness Peach Returns!!” DARKNESS PEAAACH, god what a perfectly silly title

And she sure doesn’t take any time returning! Momo wakes up feeling weird, her familiar growls at her, and then she immediately transforms into Darkness Peach. Guess she’s still suffering those lingering effects Lico mentioned

I love Momo’s awkward expressions after this accidental transformation, as well as the implication that her transformation basically comes with its own theme music that can be heard from Shamiko’s apartment

Excellent meme-ready image of Shamiko doing a galaxy brain Nyoro~n face. Do the kids still recognize the Nyoro~n face? Don’t answer that, I don’t want to know

“So can I go ahead and rub your tummy?” “You’re going to have to save that for later!” Hot damn you two. That is an incredibly forward request, Shamiko, and that is very far from a veto, Momo!

Momo reveals that she can’t currently regulate the amount of magical energy she’s putting out, meaning she’s shattering glasses and whatnot by deploying too much force

Nice heart-to-heart between the two of them outside, as Shamiko confesses she regrets how Momo’s transformation has incurred all these long-term side effects, and Momo replies that she herself has no regrets about her decision, so Shamiko shouldn’t worry. Great to see all this honesty from the two of them; from a point where their insecurities prevented honest communication and thus pushed them apart, they’re now confident enough to declare their feelings without hesitation, and thereby learn that they’re far more in sync than they realized

As the two of them begin to deal with substantive mutual problems like Momo’s current condition, that honesty will be all the more vital. If you can’t share your weaknesses, you’ll never make each other stronger

Shamiko has got it so bad this episode. As Momo monologues about their next steps, Shamiko can only ponder what would happen if she pulled the frilly strings on Momo’s outfit

It’s tragically refreshing to see this: flirtatious behavior between two characters who are actually into each other. Normally in anime, “flirting” is just one-sided harassment from lecherous assholes

Both Darkness Peach and Magical Mikan! This season’s crew actually animated some excellent bank transformations, and goddamnit they’re gonna use ‘em

Shamiko continues to put her magical spear to delightfully mundane use, this time summoning a plastic claw arm to tug Lilith out of a tree

With all other avenues of support exhausted, the team decide they must summon Ogura to fix Momo

Ogura proposes that Momo’s transformation was prompted by negative emotions – jealousy, paranoia, greed, etc. Pretty much exactly how it works in Madoka Magica, though here it seems less of an inevitability than a reflection of how public condemnation or personal insecurities can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe you are a monster, you might actually become one, at least in the eyes of society (or according to the magical-demon system, as the metaphor goes)

Ogura recommends a difficult treatment plan: have Momo vent her negative feelings. Well Momo, now even the show’s magical embellishments are demanding you embrace greater honesty

And so Momo admits to the embarrassing truth: all the disruptions during the zoo trip prevented her from enjoying Shamiko’s lunch. It’s okay to have petty feelings, Momo!

I like how this admission curves this increasingly magic lore-driven conflict back into the realm of personal conflict and healthy dialogue. Fixing her with magical lasers would make this whole scenario into meaningless make-conflict, but forcing her to admit her frustrations makes it personal growth

And this swings us back around to Shamiko’s initial embarrassment over her allegedly unimpressive first bento attempt. To solve this problem, both our heroines must show the other a part of themselves they are embarrassed by

“One problem, I can’t hold my chopsticks.” Oh sure, Momo. Might as well make the most of this opportunity and have Shamiko hand feed you

“You’re going to need to be quick to regulate any chaotic emotions from here on out.” Translation: you need to tell your girlfriend how you really feel more often

Ogura recommends Sakura Chiyoda’s secret spring for restoring Momo’s energy (after first emerging from the attic like some kind of domestic cryptid)

She brings as much chaotic energy as possible to her description of this cave’s genesis. I imagine Ogura is somewhat annoyed that this show is mostly a metaphoric vehicle for stories of personal growth, rather than a full-on celebration of supernatural madness

She’s even handling the deciphering of Sakuya Chiyoda’s notes – basically taking care of all the narrative busywork so our heroines can go on zoo dates

And so our leads end up on an impromptu second date, this time with no meddling companions. I like the use of this long held shot of the mountains as they approach, essentially resetting the tempo for this peaceful excursion after Ogura’s high-energy appearance

In perfectly Sakura Chiyoda fashion, she left a bunch of boobytraps around the spring just for the fun of it

Momo has gotten so much more expressive. These boobytraps serve as an excellent opportunity to revel in her new breadth of emotions, plus it’s also just really funny seeing Momo step on rakes

Shamiko transforms for battle, runs away, and hides up a tree. Yeah, that’s our Shadow Mistress

And Shamiko wins her first demonic battle! Quite definitively, too; her Whatchamacallit Rod continues to impress, this time offering a fair imitation of Mikan’s crossbow

Momo smiles for her, happy to see Shamiko taking pride in this well-earned victory. You’ve earned that confidence, Shamiko!

Once again, Shamiko simply cannot keep her horniness under control while asking Momo what she’ll be wearing into the spring

The spring itself does nothing until Momo gets annoyed with Shamiko. Stating her true feelings causes her strength to return

And Done

And so our magical journey continues! With Momo and Shamiko’s zoo trip unceremoniously invaded by the café gang, this quest to restore Momo’s nature and energy actually turned out to be exactly the date our leads were hoping for, complete with homemade bento and lots of endearing personal moments. Having risen above her insecurities to at least a moderate extent, Shamiko is proving herself to be a horny gremlin of incalculable power, while Momo’s attunement to the dark side is now forcing her to acknowledge and share her own less charitable instincts. The two feel more confident and fully themselves by the episode, and their mutual affection is shining through all the more intensely for it. Good luck, girls!

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