Stardust Telepath – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

Clashing Seaside

Episode 4 of Stardust Telapath begins with Haruno leading Yu and Umika to an underground secret base in the lighthouse. As the trio cleans up the base, Haruno reveals her grandfather was the lighthouse’s keeper. She had lost the key in the past but promised Umika and Yu they were welcome to play here as much as they’d like. The trio discuss their operation to defeat Matataki in the bottle rocket contest and plan to go shopping with each other tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, Umika’s sister, Hona, does Umika’s hair for her. Umika meets up with Yu and Haruno and they shop around for supplies. Afterward, the girls explore different establishments for fun. Umika notices a poster of a childhood mecha anime classic that reminds her of Matataki. She tells the others that Matataki loved this anime and shows her a rocket design she crafted. Meanwhile, Matataki builds her rocket in her garage, determined to defeat Umika so she can be rid of herself and the others. 

Yu and Haruno interview Umika and Matataki playfully before their match. Matataki asks them to stop and confronts Umika about their duel’s rules. After several launches, Matataki defeats Umika by using black powder with her rocket. She notes how the rules didn’t state anything against it. Yu and Matataki argue about cheating for a bit. Matataki asks Umika to speak her mind about her loss. Umika tells Matataki that her goggles look awesome, hopes she can see her again at school, and says she had fun despite losing. 

Umika and Yu head to class the next day and learn Matataki is there too. Matataki places her goggles on Umika’s head and says she’ll play along with their rocket-building shenanigans. The episode closes with Umika smiling at her. 

The Episode Review

By and large, this was a wholesome and cheery episode of Stardust Telepath. Despite losing her duel against Matataki, Umika showed Matataki great sportsmanship, surprising her. This was a nice way of executing this universal theme as it will surely hit home with many viewers who’ve endured a great loss during a high-stakes competition. 

Moreover, it was nice to learn more about Haruno’s past with her grandfather and the lighthouse. However, it’ll make viewers question the validity of Yu’s statement about being an alien. You’d think she’d know everything there is to understand about the lighthouse considering she claims it to be her home in prior episodes. 

Despite this weird fact, it was nice seeing Haruno be willing to share this sacred area with her friends. It shows how selfless and caring she is toward them. This is another emotion fans can take away after watching this episode. On top of giving fans some joyful imagery of Umika and her friends traveling to stores and arcades together, this chapter was brimming with serenity. I’m looking forward to seeing what Matataki adds to the mix as we get closer to our girls’ goals of building their ideal rocket.