Episode 8 was the weakest so far, and not just because of the animation. It was wasted on very weak comedy. Chasing after stolen underwear? My-Hime did a stupid episode all about that too, and it didn't work back in 2004 either. I can get past Sheryl coming to school as long as they mostly keep away from more wacky high school hijinks like what went on in that episode.
Nine was quite good. The ending was never in doubt, we all knew Michael wasn't going to miss his shot the second time. Still, it was a very nice character piece and a refreshing change from the constant focus on Alto and how he relates to Ranka and Sheryl. I thought Michael's compulsion to vindicate his sister through his own abilities was very human and understandable. His vulnerability and sensitivity about that was quite a change from the normally confident, wise-cracking guy we've seen up until now. If we get to see other sides to characters like this more often, the series will be better for it.