English Dub Review: The Shiunji Family Children “Now’s the Time”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Minami’s distractions catch up to her in the lead-up to her inter-highs.

Our Take:
The former siblings certainly have a lot on their plate regarding the drama that unfolded last week.  With Kotono determined to win Arata’s heart, it’s clear that all bets are off in deciding who will be the eldest son’s official girlfriend.  However, this week’s episode shows that this so-called “love war” is the least of their concerns.  “Now’s the Time” kicks off the season’s mini-arc, which consists of Minami facing her greatest challenge besides the shocking revelation: the inter-highs.  The episode briefly showcases the aftermath of Kotono’s confession, which made the girls speechless.  Unsurprisingly, that includes Minami as she’s preparing for the tennis inter-highs, but that’s not the only reason she’s feeling on edge.
With the inter-highs approaching, Minami is facing much pressure in leading her team to victory, so much so that she’s hiding her injury from her other teammates.  But there’s actually another reason for her determination.  Minami was inspired by her tennis ally, Hinata, to pursue her love of tennis despite being name-called by the other students behind her back.  As a result, she strives to do whatever possible to show Hinata her gratitude, even if it means winning the inter-highs despite the risk of injuring herself further.  Unfortunately, despite her determination, Minami wound up disappearing on the day of the finals, which concerned the other siblings.
“Now’s the Time” still contains plenty of moments involving Arata resisting the temptation from his “sisters”, especially Minami when he volunteered to train her for the competition.  Of course, Banri also joined in the action as well, as usual.  Fortunately, the episode followed the blueprints of “For Now” by focusing more on the show’s traditional character drama and charm rather than its incest humor.  Even with its fan service sprinkled all over, these episodes are where the show works best when it emphasizes the sibling dynamic.