Spoilers for the episode follow.
Following a series of episodes detailing the lives of Kana’s crew, FLCL: Alternative takes a detour back into romance territory with a love story between Kana and basketball manager Sasaki. Although this romance has been brewing for awhile, the message feels like a bit of a retread of the earlier saga with Hijiri. Still, “Pit-a-Pat” has some amusing moments, like the over the top basketball game, and even introduces some hints at what Medical Mechanica may be planning for the final two episodes.
The love triangle begins when Kana sees Haruko – who is posing as the basketball team’s new coach – aggressively flirting with Sasaki. Given Haruko’s history of toying with protagonists’ emotions it’s obvious what Haruko is after, but she can’t seem to crack Kana who simply runs away when the scene becomes too much for her. In the previous series Haruko has always abused the protagonist’s N.O. summons to fend off Medical Mechanica’s fierce machines as she searches for the ever-elusive Atomsk, but in this more subdued action-lite take on FLCL it’s unclear what her end goal is. That uncertainty is a little worrying with two episodes left in Alternative, but I hope to see a different goal from Haruko in her third confrontation with Medical Mechanica.
Source: IGN.com FLCL: Alternative Episode 4 Review