Horimiya: Piece – 05 – Tea Is All We Have

First, let me start by declaring my love for the OP to Horimiya: Piece. Like the show it precedes, it’s sweet yet powerful, really underscoring how these are the salad days of these young folks. Speaking of green, it was established in the initial season of Horimiya that while Iura Shuu is bubbly and upbeat at school, he’s prickly and hostile at home.

His attitude only sours further when he learns a boy is calling his little sister Motoko. She’s furious when she learns he intercepted the call. Shuu may not be fully aware of it, but he shifts from “messing with his little sis for the heck of it” mode into “overprotective, interfering big brother” mode. I can’t help but concur with “Moto”: he needs to find a girlfriend.

Motoko is so cute as she prepares for her study session with Kitahara, unable to see it as just as study session even though she knows she shouldn’t get her hopes up. Her plans are ruined when Shuu comes home early.

When Kitahara arrives, he’s met by the sight of the Iura siblings pointing (replica) katanas at one another. But here’s the thing: between the way Shuu sheathes his blade and coldy welcomes him to his home, Kitahara is immediately enamored of Shuu, much to Moto’s chagrin.

Shuu insists that Moto and Kitahara study in the living room…while he’s also in there relaxing, but also ensuring only studying is going on. This is intolerable for Koto, who lets his brother have it after Kitahara leaves, cursing him for the fact that she looks so similar to him and thus isn’t cute enough to get Kitahara’s attention.

Shuu’s home demeanor leaks into his school days, as he tells his friends his sister thinks it’s his fault she’s not cute—something Kyouko immediately disputes. When he tells them that there’s a good chance that the boy Moto likes seems to like him instead, they’re at a bit of a loss.

One morning, Shuu is late for school, and Moto sends him off with toast in his mouth. He bumps into a girl, but instead of it being a meet-cute, it’s just Yuki, who has no interest in Shuu as a guy. They’re soon joined by Tooru and Izumi, who by odd coincidence also happen to be late for school.

When Sengoku greets them and applauds them for being early, it’s only then the four realize that this is the day they only have classes in the afternoon. In the morning, prospective students tour the high school—including Kitahara, from whom Shuu instinctively hides.

His cover is blown when both Remi and Kyouko call him by his family name of Iura, and Kitahara notices him. He asks the girls if Shuu has a girlfriend, and they respond with sympathy and stifled laughter. Shuu is ultimately saved by Yasuda-sensei, making it the first time he actually has cause to thank the guy.

When having lunch together, Shuu’s friends learn his sister is in the same class as the middle school boy they encountered. Kyouko puts the pieces together and realizes that was the boy who is enamored of Shuu. All eyes are on him, but it was never his intention to win Kitahara’s heart, only to mess with/protect his sister in a way only a big brother could.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades – 04 – Comrades In Arms

Thanks to her new senpai Vera, Katie is able to interact with the troll from the parade, and even work to gain its trust. But Vera can’t shield Katie from the barbs and snide comments from other students. Oliver and Nanao are preparing for an inevitable duel against Richard Andrews, but the bullying of Katie by their classmates becomes so bad that Oliver rises to their provocations and starts a fight. Nanao and Guy have his back.

Unfortunately we don’t get to see the bullies get their just desserts, but Oliver, Nanao, and Guy end up in detention cells. When Katie blames herself for not standing up to the bullies, Oliver rejects that; he started the fight, so this is his fault, not hers. She did nothing wrong.

Nevertheless, Chela notes that their little circle of friends is on an island now, with the rest of the first-years (mostly hoity-toity, anti-demi conservatives) hating their guts. This is confirmed when they’re led to the site of the duel with Andrews, and it’s a coliseum packed with hostile students.

Before their official duel begins, an “exhibition fight” commences, with Andrews demonstrating his prowess in the sword arts by slaughtering some kobolds (werewolf-like creatures). While our friends are disgusted by the spectacle, especially when handlers force a scared kobold to return to the arena, Nanao gives them a piece of her mind, calling the whole crowd scum. For this, she gets pelted by glass bottles.

When a Garuda, a high-level beast that Andrews didn’t at all expect to appear, appears, students are battered and bloodied in quick succession, to Andrews’ horror and panic. But it’s Nanao who finally stands up to the monster and crosses blades with it. She had no interest in fighting a rigged “duel” with Andrews, but this is a battle more her speed: one in which she must put her life on the line.

She does a decent job keeping up with the Garuda, the fact remains she alone is outmatched, so Oliver joins the battle…and quickly gets slashed across the midsection. When he retreats to heal himself, a cowering Andrews asks him how he and Nanao can fight the Garuda without fear. ‘

Oliver tells him he is scared, because he’s an ordinary person, but Nanao, a warrior, probably isn’t scared at all, so he needs to keep her from going too far and getting killed. As he gets up and returns to the arena, he tells Andrews that Nanao wanted to see how he fought too.

Back in action, Oliver tells Nanao he’ll give her an opening to make the kill, but things go a little pear-shaped. Oliver has to end up getting between Nanao and the Garuda, and very nearly meets his end, were it not for Richard Andrews, using his high-level wind magic to blast the Garuda away. It’s a triumphant moment, and I hope his new understanding of Oliver and Nanao will trickle down to the other privileged students.

This creates the opening Nanao needs, and she spares no voracity in beheading the Garuda. Once it finally falls defeated, Oliver is the first one to thank Richard, who admits that while he was scared of the Garuda, he was more scared of being seen as an embarrassment to his clan. Both Nanao and Oliver acknowledge the courage he showed by standing his ground, and when Oliver lends him a hand up, Andrews takes it.

From that point on, Richard is no longer Nanao and Oliver’s enemy, but they are all of them comrades-in-arms. Of course, Nanao was pretty badly slashed in her fight with the Garuda, so she needs to be patched up. But as Richard takes his leave, Chela also thanks her childhood friend, addressing him as Rick, and notes how long it’s been since she’s seen “how wonderful he can be”.

All’s well that ends well. I’m glad this wasn’t just as simple as the good guys beating the bad guys in a duel, but things going out of control and the good and bad guys working together to end the threat, resulting in a welcome face turn for Andrews.

As for the mysterious student who is loitering around the coliseum after everyone has left, I presume they’re the same person who sent Katie flying towards the troll, and perhaps the next significant threat to Oliver and his friends. The silver hair has me suspecting it’s Vera, which would certainly be a blow to Katie.