Episode 06 –
Well, this episode had some rather interesting twists. There were two major focal points to the episode here, one being Safu, and the other involving Shion and Nezumi. As of now, you can get a very vague idea of the direction this series is taking, especially if you consider the conflict between Shion and Nezumi. While the conflict between Shion and Nezumi was a bit awkward, the bits involving Safu had much more impact. I guess Safu is just a rather abnormal anime female lead, especially considering the traditional “weak minded” setup of female characters.
The one thing that’s refreshing about Safu is that she isn’t some random weak-minded simpleton who just waits around and hopes for something good to happen. No, she’s the type of person who analyzes a situation, takes control of her own feelings, and goes out of her way to get things done. Even in the current situation, with her grandmother passing away and Shion disappearing, she has no intentions of just sitting around and mourning. Her initiative and resolve is a stark contrast to Shion’s rather idealistic rhetoric, where Shion says a lot but hasn’t done anything yet.
On the Shion and Nezumi side of things, I’m finding the pure “black and white” portrayal of their relationship kind of forced. I mean, while Shion is a naive, idealistic boy, by the same token Nezumi is a overtly stoic, one-track-mind guy. He seems to believe the notion that “you’re with us, or against us”, and doesn’t acknowledge gray areas and ambiguous positions. That in itself is a critical flaw, and will probably come back to hurt Nezumi later on. As for Shion, at least there are signs that he’s finally going to do something. Though whether it’ll be soon enough to help out Safu, I guess we can’t say.
No.6, as of now, seems to be setting up a rather intricate situation between Shion, his mother, Nezumi, Safu, and the city itself. Everything is being slowly put into place, from the cliffhanger with Safu being taken away, to Nezumi hiding some secrets from Shion, and the killer bees withdrawing from hibernation. Everything is setting up a foundation for a rather big conflict that’ll implode later on in the series. With us being past the halfway point for this series, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Overall Enjoyment: 3.6/5
Screenshots are later in the post.
Distant Paradise 
I would say “refreshing” is exactly the right word for Safu. I like Shion a lot and Nezumi a little, but together they can be a bit much if they’re all we get. Safu is no-nonsense, focused and a little reckless. She’s a necessary change of pace for this series.
I actually like Safu more than both Shion and Nezumi combined. Her characterization just lets her steal the limelight, and best of all, she doesn’t really annoy me with the typical nonsense we see in typical main heroines in anime.
Aside from that, as you said Safu does indeed seem to be one of those that pushes the plot right along. I guess it’s her sense of urgency and wanting to get something accomplished that has an influence on the pacing here.
The turn of events this episode do make me worried though, she might not get involved again until the end of the series (which would be a complete shame).