English Dub Review: The Shiunji Family Children “So Then”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
The kids hit up their dad’s summer villa in Karuizawa for a chill holiday, but things heat up for Arata!

Our Take:
Considering the drama we experienced that shook up the Shiunji siblings, we could all use a relaxing vacation to wash away those troubles.  Fortunately, the Shiunji family had been thinking the same thing, as they decided to spend their holiday break at a summer villa in Karuizawa.  However, from Arata’s perspective, this supposed “chilling” vacation is anything but relaxing, especially when two of his “siblings” are now affectionate towards him.
One such case is Ouka, who kissed Arata on the lips in the previous episode, resulting in him getting extremely fidgety whenever she’s around him.  Honestly, I’m surprised that Ouka didn’t catch Arata’s cold when she kissed him during this episode.  I’m assuming that she did and immediately got better before their holiday trip.  If that’s not enough for poor Arata, he also winds up on a bonding trip with Minami to Karuizawa’s famous flower garden.  This destination did seem out of left field considering Minami’s athleticism, but all the clues point out that they were on a “date,” including Minami’s comments about getting married and falling in love with someone.  Of course, by “someone,” I mean Arata.
After getting me comfortable with the familial bond, “So Then” takes the series back to its clichéd and occasionally discomforting rom-com routine, with Arata’s sisters flirting with him.  I mean, that’s basically what the series is all about, right?  Out of context incest flirting?  Fortunately, amid the tropes it’s bringing back, the episode highlighted a somewhat interesting plot element involving the characters’ actual origins.  This element was brought up by Shion, who organized the trip to Karuizawa to find the site of his birth parents.  This raises questions about the origins of the other sisters, which I find more intriguing than the episode’s “flirting twin” routine.  But considering that we’re wrapping up the season next week, I highly doubt we’ll get those answers in the finale.