Ben-To 7:
I'm getting kind of tired of talking about how glorious this show is. But every time I think the show can't get any more glorious, it manages to top itself. The whole show is mainly about shockingly well-animated fight sequences and fanservice already, so what's special about a pool episode? Well, since this show is ABOUT fighting and fanservice, in order to make a pool episode stand out from the regular fighting and fanservice, they need to dramatically increase the awesomeness of the fight sequence by having it IN the pool, and they need to have a swimsuit literally explode off a girl's chest in the middle of the fight! SUCH UNBELIEVABLE GENIOUS!
Also, a random girl voiced by Kana Hanazawa has made cameos in this episode and a previous one. I think she's supposed to be relevant later, but every time she says something I have a :cajun moment. Also, the Ice Witch in a swimsuit. :cajun x 10^100
The show itself is remarkably well-directed and animated, especially considering it can't have had that big a budget. The work put into the fight sequences in each episode is very impressive, especially when you consider how this show is basically Ikkitousen with lunch boxes. Ikkitousen had some pretty crummy fight animation by comparison.
The director has snuck in some very interesting framing and camera angles as well, and I'm not even talking about Sato's male gaze. I've noticed several interesting shots, one from underwater inside a bowl of ramen, one where the character speaking is out of focus in the background and her face is shown inside glasses in the foreground, one where the character is out of sight and you see just her reflection on the polished floor speaking. Whoever the director is, he clearly is putting some artistic touch on a show that by all rights should have no artistic merit whatsoever.
The whole thing feels like the staff are giving it their all, something you might not expect from an unknown studio only recently founded by former Gonzo staff. Contrast that with how everything J.C. Staff does feels half-assed and there's just no comparison. There's a lot to be said for :effort when it comes to producing a mass-media product, and this show certainly shows the :effort put into it in the surprisingly good and entertaining result.