Kurumi is not overrated
I didn't get a chance to complain about this in the last thread so here we go.
The 3D models they swap to whenever there is an air battle suck big time. They are always posed so stiffly, minimally different from the model's default A-pose. Their legs should be dangling since they are suspended by their CR units but they just look like they are half-crouching in mid-air. It looks like hot garbage.
When they are at distance and not the main focus, they actually do blend in well. But because they use it so often for such close shots, it becomes even more obvious in shots they might have otherwise blended into.
While season 3 did have some trouble staying on model and it got a lot of flak for it's animation, I think season 4 is definitely worse. The over-reliance on CG in what should have been the season's best looking shots leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Also remember, this season was delayed all the way from Fall 2021 too, if this is what we got with a delay I can't imagine what it would have looked like in the Fall.
This is the first episode in what feels like a long time where some genuine hijinks occurred with Shido tickling Kotori, that moment felt like Date A LIve in a way a lot of this season hasn't.
I'm not the biggest fan of Kurumi but it was nice to see an episode dedicated to her and it sets up an amount of intrigue with Kurumi's ultimate goal, Shido's odd headache, and DEM's newly spurned confidence and attack. Could make for a nice epic finish to the season.

her thinking.."what the fuck, this bitch wants to kill me?"
ahahaha, before she didn't even appear outside the ship, now she appears in ALL PLACES WITH THE SPIRITS more in her face than that just writing on her forehead "hi I'm the first spirit"'
I don't even know what to say....there are so many characters in one place that they just look at each other's faces and "uhm...ok...are you ok?"
tohka reduced to a mere spectator, the others too...
I don't give a damn about kurumi, she comes and goes whenever she wants, whatever
but this scene that appears to kurumi with the other 3D clones and them laughing like imbeciles was for laughs, it's a good thing they didn't fight, because 2 3d dolls fighting would be torture...