On to the actual write-up then.
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Episode 23:
Labyrinth

An episode filled with Tamao and Miyuki! Making this Strawberry Panic fan a happy camper. :) This is also the episode where we will have to say goodbye to the Conspiracy of Suzumi Tamao. The dialogue exchange between Miyuki and Tamao in this episode makes it too difficult to maintain that theory anymore. That said, everything is still open to analytical thinking. ;)
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Episode Highlights:

**) Miyuki reverting back to her cold and calculating MSCP persona. All we are missing is fist clenching, Shion-picture punching, and various other cliches to make this more endearing. Yes, endearing. It is endearing because it is refreshing to see a determined female character with a steely will.

**) Amane confirms that she is entering the Etoile elections. Gee, who would have thought that?

**) Chikaru entertaining her minions with puppets… and confirmation that Lulim is not sending out any representatives for the Etoile elections. Truly the School of Cuddles. A place where there are no conflicts and only bundles of love.

**) Miyuki making Tamao all flustered when she invaded her room and played hardball with Nagisa. A niggling snark at the back of my head makes me think that Miyuki just wants Shizuma for herself and intends to break all bonds between Shizuma and Nagisa.

**) Nagisa goes emo again and boo-hoo-ly runs out of the dorms. Tamao goes to the lake where she recited poetry to Nagisa, but Nagisa is nowhere to be found. As it turns out, Nagisa was at the tree where she first met Shizuma. Initial foreshadowing for a Shizuma & Nagisa ending.

**) Nagisa goes to the Greenhouse and finds Shizuma there, where Shizuma more or less tells Nagisa to forget about her. Nagisa of course, does not take this well and leaves the Greenhouse; while Shizuma probably went emo again and started smashing flower pots.

**) Chikaru comforting Nagisa by the lake. Sweet moment, and once again proving that Chikaru is the ONLY person that Tamao cannot sneak upon. Contrast this with the previous episode where Tamao interrupted Kagome. Dun-dun dun-dun!

**) Shizuma going emo and wrecking the room. I never knew pillow bashing could be so emo until I watched this scene. Oh, and no emo scene is complete without the complimentary blood flowing from one’s hand.

**) Please… PLEASE! Make me a happy camper! I want a Tamao & Nagisa ending!

**) You know, back in my Ep20 entry, when I jokingly talked about falling off a horse being the only way for a Hikari & Yaya ending, I never expected it to really happen. Does this mean I have the same cheesy wavelength as the scriptwriters?

That said… good grief. Talk about overdramatic. It could have been even more over the top, but what we already got is damn corny. To put it one way, “WE. GET. THE. POINT. ALREADY.”

**) What on Gaia’s good green Earth is Miyuki doing to Tamao and Nagisa in the Ep21 preview? o.O; Taking her dominating role a bit too seriously? The banter exchanged between Tamao and Nagisa was sweet too, with Tamao showing off the romantic side of her.

**) Ending eyecatch for this episode is Chikaru comforting Nagisa.
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Random Thoughts:

..) Tamao stayed up the whole night waiting for Nagisa? ;.;

..) “I AM THE LAW!” - Miyuki.

..) “Spica’s the Poison, and I’m the Cure.” - Miyuki

..) Badly needs a Gundam parody like what KGNE did.

Miyuki: “SHION!”
Shion: “MIYUKI!”

..) Episode 18 had dramatic crashing waves… episode 23 has dramatic gushing wind.

..) I have this awful, awful feeling that it will not be a Tamao & Nagisa ending. I am mentally preparing myself for the end.
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Cheers, and thanks for reading. :) Onwards to Episode 24!