The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic – 13 (Fin) – Great Expectations

The best part of Wrong Way was its lovable, adorkable characters and their chemistry with one another, and finale leans into those strengths. Ken and Suzune meet with the fox girl Amako, who showed Ken a vision so he’d change that vision’s future. Because he and his friends survived, now he can help her mother. Doing so means traveling to Beastkin territory, which is quite far away. Ken wants to help if he can; he just needs to ask Rose and the King.

Meanwhile, Black Knight, whom we finally learned is named Felm, is having the same initial difficulties as Ken in adjusting to her new life with the Rescue Team and Rose as her captain. We know from her time with the demon army that Felm was a bit of a lazy brat who skated by on her magical talent, but that shit won’t fly. Ken gives her a diary like the one he used to help him process the hardship he went through. It’s here where I declare that I love Felm with all my heart and can’t get enough of her!

Amako is pretty cute herself—Suzune agrees, and would really like to scratch those fluffy ears sometime—but she’s not as fleshed out yet as Felm. That said, the king voices his gratitude to her for giving Ken a vision that ultimately motivated him to do what was needed to save the kingdom from demon invasion. In exchange, the final leg of Ken’s four-leg missive delivery journey will be her home in Beastkin Territory so he can heal her mother.

Just as she witnesses how powerful Ken and Rose are when they’re doing dodging training, Felm uses her sneaking affinity to learn that Ken will be leaving for parts unknown, and she’s clearly worried about that. When she tries to make a break for it (though not back to the demons), Rose catches her easily and immediately senses that Felm is worried about Ken.

Felm can tsundere all she likes; the fact of the matter is, when Ken says her name it makes her immeasurably happy. I for one wish she’d be joining his missive delivering mission, but there’s still much she has to learn that only Rose can teach her. She’ll be in good, if rough, hands.

Rose assures Felm that Ken will be just fine, and won’t be easily hurt by anyone. After all, he was trained by perhaps the most terrifyingly powerful human in the world, so anyone else—including the former Black Knight—is a cakewalk by comparison. Rose makes Ken more happy than he expected by telling him she expects great things from him.

So as she continues training Felm, he heads off with Suzune, Kazuki, the mage Welcie, the knights Aruku and Thomas, and of course, Amako. Hopefully we’ll get a second season that chronicles their travels, and above all gives us more Felm. There’s no such thing as too much Felm!

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic – 12 – Upright Demon Brigade

Back from his great victory, Ken is suddenly the toast of the town, as everyone in the market crowds around him. Needless to say he’s not used to this kind of adulation, but you can’t say his heroic deeds didn’t justify it! The way he managed to cancel out Black Knight’s magic also means she asks for him specifically as a condition of providing useful demon intel.

Suzune accompanies Ken, both to protect him—or at least be his meat shield, a line delivered perfectly—but Black Knight, back in her armor, is still in rough shape, since she bore the full brunt of his punches in battle. Ken goes into her cell to heal her, which means first melting away parts of her suit so he can make physical contact. Turns out she’s never felt anyone’s warm touch before, so Ken has a profound effect on her.

Speaking of punches, Rose doesn’t waste any time advancing Ken’s training to the next level: learning how to dodge her E. Honda-like supersonic punches. The ones he can’t dodge, he has to absorb, and her first one, in which she’s going easy on him, sends him flying and knocks him out to the point he comes to thinking he had a nightmare … only it’s reality.

Ken vents about his three days of fresh hell to the Black Knight (or BK), who is both clearly happy he’s there spending time with her and somewhat confused the man who defeated her so completely in battle is now just hanging out with her. I love this dynamic, and BK herself (again, voiced by Aoi Yuuki and sounding a lot like Maomao) is a total cutie.

It’s just like our kind best boy Ken to reach out to those he thinks are having trouble, even his ostensible enemy. Because she’s a demon, it felt a little foreboding when the king summoned Rose and we didn’t hear what about, and Ken even thought about the possibility of BK being executed. Turns out, Rose wants to reform BK into an “upright demon” and a member of the Rescue Team. That’s awesome, especially since BK totally has a crush on Ken!

Ken is informed by Rose that he, Suzune, and Kazuki (who is basically married to Celia now) are going to be dispatched to neighboring nations in order to deliver missives as key parts of a campaign to build alliances against the demons.

While in town buying some supplies, smiling at some smitten young lady fans of his, and bumping into Suzune, he spots the fox girl who showed him a bad future he was able to prevent. She doesn’t seem that miffed about being run up on and lifted into the air. In fact, she’d been meaning to speak to him about paying her back by saving her mother.

Vinland Saga S2 – 19 – A Dark Wood

When Ketil rallies all able-bodied men on the farm, bribing them by releasing them from their debts should they join him, he has about 350 men. Not bad, but not nearly good enough against what’s coming. Snake knows this, and makes sure his men know it too. If Ketil orders them to fight, they’ll fight. But if they fight, they’ll lose.

Leif and Thorfinn’s reunion was overshadowed by Arnheid being nearly killed by Ketil, but now that they’re together again, Thorfinn says he can’t leave when Arnheid is in this condition. Leif smiles, and is happy to see that Thorfinn is wearing “a better look on his face.” He’s changed, for the better. He’ll stay one more day, so see if Arnheid awakens.

The next morning, Canute’s ships launch some arrows at the ragtag soldiers on the beach, forcing a retreat before landing and setting up camp with the sea at their back. Canute sends a messenger with terms, not wanting to needlessly stain such good land with blood.

Snake has no compunctions about the men who serve under him. They’re all free to flee as they choose, only he, as the commander, is not able to run. He’ll fight, even in a losing effort, and give it his all. When they mention that not only do they have Thorgil, but Iron Fist Ketil, Snake smirks.

“Iron Fist Ketil” was his teacher and big brother figure who taught him how to be a warrior. Eventually they went their separate ways, but when Snake heard Ketil had bought a farm, the Ketil he met was a totally different person. This Ketil is nothing but a master bullshitter.

Even so, Snake’s men don’t feel right letting him go off into battle on his own, so they take up their arms and armor and follow him to the beach.  Ketil may have begun to buy his own bullshit, because he thinks having more than a 3-to-1 edge in manpower matters.

It doesn’t, not when the 100 men are the Jomsvikings and the King’s Guard, any one of whom could probably kill 50-100 of Ketil’s amateurs. Thorgil, a former King’s Guard, knows this, and he takes Olmar aside for some strategizing.

With Ketil engaged with Canute’s soldiers on the beach, the rest of the farm is deserted. This allows Leif, “Thorfinn”, Thorfinn, and Einar to carefully load Arnheid onto a cart and escape. They go as slow as possible so as not to make Arnheid’s injuries worse. But if she stays, she dies, so they’re taking her.

As the cart inevitably hits some bumps, Arnheid experiences a dream. She’s on a cart in a dark, gloomy, spooky forest, but she has no worries. Both of her children are asleep in her arm and her lap, and Gardar is driving the cart.

Gardar tells her they’ve been through a lot, but soon they’ll be reunited and out of these dark woods. Arnheid smiles, then spots a deer and a wolf together in the forest, representing Einar and Thorfinn. She says that even though they’re leaving, others are surviving in this place.

Gardar tells Arnheid to say her goodbyes before they exit the forest and enter the hereafter. So she opens her eyes and is conscious again. Einar is overjoyed, but it’s reasonable to assume the joy won’t last long. Arnheid is too badly hurt and the closest thing to a doctor, Pater, is locked in battle. Even so, a goodbye is better than nothing.

As Snake and Thorgil predicted, Ketil’s ragtag “soldiers” are nothing but fodder for Canute’s professional battle-hardened men. But at least for Thorgil, they didn’t have to be anything more than a diversion, allowing him and Olmar to slip around the battle.

Olmar ends up on an entirely different part of the beach. He’s resigned to the fact he’ll never be his brother…and that’s probably a good thing, as trying would only put him in an early grave. As for Thorgil, well…he’s having an absolute blast doing whatever the fuck he wants, and has himself a pretty decent chance of killing Canute.

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime – 24 (Fin)

Finally…a show that actually uses the word “fin” to end its run! Long story short: there’s no time jump and no marriage between Zen and Shirayuki. Instead, the road is paved and made smooth for such an eventuality down the road.

But that’s okay; a finite storybook ending would have run counter to the show’s M.O. to date: not leading us to the Happily Ever After, but the Happy Now, the part between Shirayuki and Zen first meeting and their marriage, a space that has contained multitudes of stories big and small.

When messengers from Tanbarun (Sakaki and Mihaya) arrive to present Shirayuki to bestow the tile of “Friend of the Crown” on behalf of Prince Raj, Izana can’t help but laugh at the strangeness, but I get the feeling with him it’s always better to be surprised and amused than bored or disappointed.

The fact another prince would go to such lengths to legitimize his friendship to Shirayuki provides more evidence to Izana that Shirayuki isn’t the “nobody” he worried would sully Zen’s name and station. The thing is, Shirayuki, like her new title, doesn’t fit in with everything that’s come before. Izana isn’t threatened by that potential for disruption; he’s intrigued.

After reading Raj’s cordial letter and being unable to sleep, Shirayuki walks the stately yet serene grounds of the castle (impressive architecture has always been one of this show’s many strong suits) and bumps into Obi, who’s known her long enough to know what she wants.

He fetches Zen for her, and the two share one of their steamier scenes together, as their kissing makes Shirayuki literally weak at the knees and unable to stand. That’s of no consequence, however, as Zen is happy to carry her to the highest, most private vantage point in the castle.

There, nobody officially proposes, but as I said, the bricks of the road to that outcome are fully laid and mortared for smooth travel. Shirayuki expresses her desire to remain by Zen’s side (indeed, asks if it’s really okay to do so), and Zen replies most emphatically in the affirmative.

Again, it’s not quite a proposal, or even an engagement, but these two aren’t quite doing things the usual way things are done in their world…and aren’t in a hurry to let conventions oppress them at this point. For now, they’ll keep on keeping on: Zen with his princely duties, Shirayuki with her court herbalism.

On this path of her choosing Shirayuki will continue to walk, with Zen and all her other friends by her side supporting her and being supported by her. When the times comes to do something official about the love she and Zen have for one another, they’ll surely know.

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime – 11

I was hoping something substantial would come of Zen’s stolen kiss in the watchtower last week (God, that just sounds romantic), rather than serving as a tease. I was hoping that kiss would start something that couldn’t be undone. This week, AnS’s penultimate episode, confirmed those hopes and then some with the loveliest, most upliftingly romantic outing of the show, that looked every bit as good as it felt to watch.

It starts off with a speechless, stunned Shirayuki. Zen’s warm words of concern and his kiss have lit a fire in her heart, one that burns with a brightness and heat she didn’t know was possible. She’s got it so bad, she finds it difficult to even look at Zen, which obviously causes him to worry. Fortunately for both, Zen must off to Kihal’s island to negotiate a deal for the messenger birds. As Zen’s absence makes her heart only grow fonder, Shirayuki has at least a little time to process her feelings and figure out how to form a proper response.

While away, Zen shows the island elder’s he’s not a shitstain like their Viscount and impresses some kids, but while Kihal seemed especially nervous to travel with Zen, the two are never alone, dashing any possibility of a side-romance. As for Obi, he not only takes up an interest in Shirayuki’s herbalism, but also wants to help sooth her heart, which he suspects is troubled by something Zen said or did.

He’s about to take her hand to comfort her when Zen re-appears, saying he’s right on schedule but still shocking both Shirayuki and me with the promptness of his return, just when Shirayuki was seeking someplace to think in solitude. Obi gives her one last assist by urging her to run into the forest. It turns out to be an assist for Zen as well, as he’s able to follow her into the forest to talk.

Once he actually gets her to stop running and look in his general direction, they simply walk around, enjoying the forest breezes, and end up in the same spot Zen once hung out with Atri; a place he’s been uneasy returning to since, but feels totally at ease thanks to Shirayuki’s presence.

The opportunity for Shirayuki to tell Zen how she feels is here, and she doesn’t waste it. She tells him she loves him in addition to him being very dear to him and wanting to be his strength; her concern is whether it’s really alright to feel that way and look that way at Zen, to which the answer is obvious, since we’re in Zen’s head as much as we’re in hers.

Just as he lit a fire in her heart, she did the same to him, and he finally knows that there is someone out there who truly needs him, and doesn’t just go along with his wishes because he’s the prince.

The lighting, the music, the close-ups, and the gentle, precise animation as the two lovers draw closer together and finally kiss again, making official what had been an informal truth for some time; it’s all superb. As for Hayami Saori, it’s her best scene since Hatoko’s Rant in InoBato, though truly, she’s been on a roll all Summer with her work as Shirayuki.

I also appreciate that the mutual confession is now taken care of with an episode to spare, in order to bask in the afterglow, so to speak. Hopefully, Shirayuki can avoid getting kidnapped one last time!

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime – 10

Shirayuki is finally herself again after recovering from Garack’s liquor prank, and by chance meets another beautiful young woman who, like herself, is committed to walk a path of her own choosing. This woman, Kihal Toghrul, has come to Wistal to ask Zen to weigh in on preserving a bird unique to her island’s culture which her new lord has decided to hunt for its gorgeous plumage.

Kihal, jaded by her dealings with Lord Brecker (a bit of a smirking dick), doesn’t think she’ll get anywhere with Zen, and indeed, Zen’s hands are tied as far as curtailing a lord’s activities on his own lands. However, Shirayuki backs Kihal up by mentioning the bird’s possible value to Clarines, with its potential to deliver messages faster than by horse.

A test is set up, which is almost immediately corrupted by Brecker, who tries to strike a deal in which he’ll support Shirayuki in secret if she helps kill the test, and locks her up in a room when she refuses. Brecker spews the typical “status is everything” monologue that Shirayuki’s heard before. Not one to take lip from old assholes, Shirayuki puts Brecker in his place before leaping out the window to the lake below to recover the bell Brecker tossed away.

The bird points out the location of the bell to Shirayuki, who grabs it and sends the bird back right on time for the test to be a success. It would have been even more successful were it not for Brecker’s callous meddling, which gets him arrested. (I’d point out Obi was pretty dang hands-off as her bodyguard this week, leaving her alone with Brecker and all).

When Zen rides to the watchtower and hears everything that happened from a guard, he races to the room where Shirayuki is resting and drying off. The arm injury she sustained from diving into the lake almost brings him to tears, and when she assures him she would never have hid it from him, he finally reaches a breaking point that was a long time coming, and kisses her; not on the hand or the forehead, but on the lips.

This is Zen acting on how he feels, and Shirayuki made it possible. This particular act was private, but whether it was a passionate impulse or a premeditated act of conviction, there’s no going back now. At least, I hope it isn’t laughed off, because I’m eager to see what happens if and when their relationship goes beyond mere friendship and mutual respect and into the realm of the romantic.