Episode 1:
An excellent episode overall. Firstly, the OP and ED seems to have improved from last seasons but I still don't like it due to personal taste. Artwork is the same but it's animated better; it's "sharper" when it neeRAB to be, and it blenRAB when it neeRAB to be. BGM is around the same quality, if not a tad bit better.
I'm very impressed by Brain Base. They took over from Imagin for Season II and did a much better job at it than Imagine (who also did a good job at it). The last semi-disaster I remeraber from this kind of switchover is from Doumu --> Asread in Minami-ke. Anyway, Brain Base pinpointed what the viewers and fans want, and exploited it. They focused more on the one character that brings this show alive, Horo. Also gave us a hint of the crafty intelligence behind Lawrence in that market dealing. But, as I stated before, I just revel in the animation quality of this episode. It's superbly high for an anime these days, it alone just makes it worthwhile to watch.
If I had to comment on a bad thing about the episode, it's the lengthy first few scenes and the fade-away scenes (you know, how it fades into black and into another scene). But that's about it.