It's only natural that we finally get an episode that makes good use of Kozue's multiple personalities. While I feel it's a gimmick best used sparingly (which, thankfully, happens to be the show's philosophy thus far), this was simply too much fun.

I was especially happy to see Nanako once again, as she's been missing in action for quite some time. Kozue is too cute for words to begin with, but Nanako? Sweet Jumpin' Jesus! Once again, I applaud Shiratori and his incredible self-control. Clearly, he has trained under a great master.

Even Chiyuri's presence was appreciated this time around. I still think she's the least interesting of Kozue's parade o' personalities, but she does good work.

Mahoraba has so much heart. So many wonderful little moments.

To be honest, I never considered the possibility that Tama-chan and Kozue's friendship was anything more than, well, just that. Granted, you can interpret Tama-chan's childhood confession any way you wish, but it seemed awfully sincere to me. Perhaps I'm just weak to this sort of thing.

Get lost, Shiratori!

I didn't quite realize until now just how large a cast this show has. But, it seemed like someone was missing, yo?

Natsume is the best personality yet - even despite having little real personality to speak of.

Instead of wasting his time learning card tricks, Shiratori should have jumped her behind the bushes. I figure that would have gotten her to say something. Or perhaps she would have simply rolled over and accepted it. It's a win-win situation.

You're a good man, Shiratori-san.

Of course, Tama-chan probably beat him to it.

I had almost forgotten about Kozue's busted head.

Shiratori's story droppings took up entirely too much time - which is a shame, as Kozue was particularly cute this episode. What does she see in the dork?

And, yes, now knowing that her parents are indeed dead, my previous thoughts seem a bit crass, all joking aside. Oh well. Ten bucks says her yet to be introduced homicidal maniac personality poisoned them, chopped up their bodies, and dissolved the remains in pickle brine. Suppai!

I figure Kozue found the real treasure of Narutaki-sou a long, long time ago. It's the only way to explain how she pays property tax on the place, seeing as none of the tenants have jobs or pay rent.

Of course, considering the rapid rate of inflation that afflicted Japan leading up to the oil crisis in the 1970s, any amount of money left behind by Kozue's ancestors immediately following the war would have been of little value by the time she was old enough to discover it. Perhaps her great-grandfather invested in heavy industries in his later years, and Kozue's parents cashed out to play the real estate speculation game during the Bubble, amassing some serious yen prior to the market crash of the early 90s.

This raises an interesting question, however: what of Kozue's parents? The show suggests they're dead, but if so, one would think it would have been explicitly mentioned at some point. Yet, they're clearly missing in action. Perhaps they got caught up in the intoxicating atmosphere of the Bubble, and did something illegal? Perhaps they're in prison?

If so, their assets would have been either frozen or seized, so for Kozue to have continued access to said funds (and maintain ownership of Narutaki-sou), it would have been necessary to stash them in an overseas account - or, better yet, laundered through a shell corporation. Obviously, such would require great expertise and connections within the world of organized crime. So, this leads to only one reasonable conclusion...

Kozue is a Yakuza boss.

He's touched, I'm sure.

Tama-chan looked, um, a little different in a swimsuit. Pray tell, what else is the girl hiding?

I like Momono, so this was a fun episode. Finally getting some backstory makes her seem less a one trick pony, too.

Her pseudo-confession was a tad surprising, however. I guess this is the closest Mahoraba will ever come to being a true "harem" show. After all, I don't expect Tama-chan or Sayoko to throw themselves upon Shiratori any time soon.

Lots of great Sayoko moments this time around. She may be more amusing than Tama-chan, to be honest. Just don't tell Tama-chan I said that.

Oh, and this could use further exploration. Someone hire glasses girl as a scenario writer. Quick!

This wasn't nearly as funny as I expected it to be. It would have been better watching Shiratori squirm in front of Kozue, not Chiyuri. Speaking of which, what's with Chiyuri? Obviously, she's a cosplay fanatic, but is that all? Weird.

Oh, she wants him. She wants him bad.

I know people like to rag on Shiratori for being such a spineless wimp, but I don't think it's all that bad. After all, he's still a pretty likable guy. And, besides, it would seem the purpose of the show is to eventually deliver him from being such a pushover. If he was burning with passion all the time, we'd have no story.

Every second Tama-chan appears on screen is a moment of pure bliss. Tama-chan is Zen.

I rather like Asami-chan. Sure, she's your typical sunshine and rainbows schoolgirl character, but she's more cute than annoying. Plus, I admire her honesty.

Sayako, on the other hand, is kind of useless.

There weren't as many laughs this time around. It almost seemed as if this particular story required some serious stretching to fill an entire episode. Enjoyable, yes, but a bit on the slow side.

I wonder if the Alien 9 team is handling the animation for this show?

Kozue stays Kozue, Tama-chan stays Tama-chan, and Shiratori catches a glimpse of the Promised Land. I love these characters!

I'm kind of surprised it took three full episodes before the main characters all got proper introductions. How much time has passed in the show by now? A day? I assume this means the show will run for quite a few episodes.

Anyway, as much as I enjoy the multiple personality shtick, I hope we see more of "normal" Kozue in the future.

Tama-chan rocks my world! So does Momono, for that matter. Generally, it's the cast that makes these light romantic comedies work (or not). I'd say Mahoraba is off to a great start.

One question, though: since when do sprouts pop out of the ground within minutes of planting a seed? Has the pollution in Tokyo made the soil underneath Narutaki-sou freakishly fertile or something? Perhaps that's the real secret of the place: they're sitting upon a giant reservoir of raw sewage. Someone call Lois Gibbs!

Ever since I first started watching anime, I've had this strange attraction to stories that take place in aging Japanese apartment buildings. Sure, it's overly romanticized in most cases, but there's something about the setting I find appealing.

So, yeah, I think I'm going to like this show. There's an interesting mix of oddball characters, an adorable female lead, and a clever hook. Did I mention the adorable female lead? Honestly, I was sold the minute Kozue first appeared on screen.

Anyway, it's a JC Staff show, so everything looks great. The character designs are heavy on the cute and light on realism (it's a little hard to believe some of the characters are adults), but I can't complain. They look great. Especially Kozue. Did I mention Kozue yet?

I'm very much looking forward to more...of Kozue. Well, everyone else, too. But especially Kozue.