Houkago Saikoro Club Episode 11: A whole new game

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Once again, we’re back with Midori’s game. I don’t mean that in a disparaging way. I actually think the progress that she makes in this episode is cool, and her background contextualizes her game quite well. It feels a bit weird that next week’s episode is the last one. I wonder where it will go. The end of the episode almost suggests a return to Miki’s insecurities.

To Midori’s credit, she definitely takes the criticism in this episode much better than before. It’s not like she was overly rude about it in the previous iteration, but she was clearly shying away from it. I also liked how this episode uses the game as a window into her past, since it would make sense that she would base the game on an experience she felt was important.

I think this episode initially comes off with a typical message of creating something you’re happy with rather than catering to an audience. However, I think it does more to approach the importance of gameplay through strategy. It sounds like the real issue with Midori’s first game was that she was restricting paths to victory. As a result, people tended to fall on the same approach to playing the game.

The strength of the final iteration seemed to come from giving the players more ways to play the game. That’s why the conversation on strategy arises, since the girls are now able to come up with numerous unique playstyles.

Asi I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I have an issue with Emmy’s character. It’s great that she’s supportive of Midori throughout the episode, but she still seems way too perfect. She knows exactly what Midori’s thinking, and she doesn’t seem to be wrong at any point. There’s something off-putting about that.