Shin no Nakama – S2 12 (Fin) – We Can Be Heroes

In a battle of pure swordsmanship, Red has Van’s number, as demonstrated by the ease with which he’s able to parry and counter Van’s thrusts, but also kind of embarrass the kid by bopping him on the back and head with his bronze sword. Van is operating on emotion and adrenaline; never a good thing when you’re up against Red, a zen master by comparison!

When Lav sees her boy is getting schooled, she tries to intervene, but gets a slash to the cheek from Rit, who won’t let her interfere. Lav in turn shatters her tiny faerie avatar and shows her true form as a massive magenta lightning-wreathed calamity, and she is pissed off, but when Rit is outclassed, Ruti steps in and puts the Calamity down, showing she’s still got the Hero goods and then some.

Van decides to turn what was supposed to be a fight with bronze swords into a free-for-all by casting lightning on Red, which shatters his sword, and has him at the edge of being KO’d. But Red is playing dead, allowing Van to come in and use his Healing Hands: Reflect, at which point Van unleashes Ruti’s power through the charm she lent him, which takes Van down.

Van accuses Red of cheating, but it was he who used magic first, everything after that was fair game. As Van stews in his blood, sweat, and tears, Red tells him that the emotion that made him waver was disappointment, something he’d never experienced. He passes out and comes to in one of Undine’s huts. Both he and Lav are bound, but he’s calm. The instincts of his Hero’s Blessing have returned to him.

Red asks Rit to take Lav outside so he and Van can talk mano-a-mano. Red explains to Van that his emotional turmoil caused his Blessing to go berserk. But he also makes clear to Van that a hero isn’t made by a Blessing, but by someone who wants to be a hero, and strives to act like one every day.

Red believes Van has what it takes to be a true hero, but he won’t become one until he learns more about the ways of the world while accepting his emotions are part of him and trusting in his friends. After beating the villain out of him, Red has given Van a way forward: the right way.

When Van emerges from the hut free of the root bonds, Lavender is worried Red did something awful to him, but he’s fine. Not only that, Van does something totally unbidden that Lavender has never experienced: He thanks her for always being by his side. She blushes, smiles softly, and tells him the pleasure has been all hers.

Van proceeds to apologize properly to Esta, Albert, and Cardinal Ljubo (who was healed from his wound and is mostly pissed the nurses won’t let him drink or smoke). No one has to tell him to do this, he wants to, because he sees the error of his past ways. As Red said, these aren’t just members of his party, but his friends, and with their help, and Lavender’s he’ll become a stronger, better hero.

Lavender is a little worried about what Red might’ve said to Van to change him so much in so short a time, but all it takes is Rit asking if she doesn’t like this new Van anymore for Lav to insist that on the contrary, she’s never loved him more.

And while she also insists she hates Red, she also procures a pure blue sapphire for him to make a ring for Rit, as thanks for him looking after Van. Hey guys, I like Van and Lavender now. They’re a couple of real sweeties! Just … ya know, don’t get Lav mad.

Once the ring is made by his Dwarf friends in town, Red spares no detail in crafting the perfect romantic evening. When his preparations are complete he calls Rit, and the foley work exquisitely places us in that room with him as we hear her footsteps above him, then going down the stairs. The moment Rit knows what’s up, tears start to fill her eyes as Red gets on one knee and asks her to marry him.

The answer, of course, is yes, and she even thinks she should be the one asking him. He didn’t need to do this whole song and dance, and a simple bronze ring would have been sufficient. But Red wanted to show her how much he loved her, and also treat her like the princess she is. It’s the most romantic moment of Spring 2024, and it was a Goddamn Tearjerker!

At the reception to follow, everyone extends their best wishes to the happy couple, with Ruti also adding that “she’ll be next”—presumably, she wants to marry Red too, but if you ask me, she should be marrying Tisse. Mr. Crawly Wawly can officiate.

Van and Lavender are also there to join in the celebration, as Van seems to be starting his education in the ways of the world by actually opening his eyes to the joys of the slow life. He’d love it if Red could join his party, but Red is where he belongs: by Rit’s side, in the sleepy town of Zoltan. No doubt they’ll be there until they’re old and wrinkly.

CERTIFIED GODDAMN TEARJERKER

 

Shin no Nakama – S2 11 – The Wavering Hero

The truce with Van doesn’t last long, as he refuses to leave Zoltan. He’s also going through what he believes to be a necessary trial: he’s no longer getting impulses from his Hero’s Blessing. When Albert heads into the woods to save a little girl, she’s with Kukururu, a tiny fay dragon that means no harm. So of course when Van shows up he wants to kill it.

Albert won’t let him, and even though he knows he’s no match for the Hero, he still does everything he can to delay him from taking an innocent life. Before Albert becomes that person, Esta interrupts the battle, positively teeming with rage against Van for hurting the man she’s fallen for. She knocks off his armor and beats the shit out of him.

Lavender prepares to intervene, but she’s interrupted by Undine. But Lavender even looks down on a water archfay, considering her no match for her. Yet before she can unleash an attack with her full power behind it, she’s very nearly sliced in two … by Ruti, from several hundred yards away in the woods. With his most loyal followed wounded and his armor wrecked, Van retreats, but is now excited to have his primary target in sight.

He returns to town and stabs Cardinal Ljubo, declaring he’ll kill anyone and destroy everything if that’s what it takes to defeat Ruti. Back in the Undine’s domain, Albert will make a full recovery, but Esta is still surprised that her love for him made her anger take over for the first time in her life. Red assures her that her emotions have nothing to do with her Blessing, but come from her heart, and he’s glad when she says she won’t cast her feelings for Albert aside.

Rit, Tisse, Yarandrala and Danan join Red, Ruti, and Esta in preparation to take on Van as a team. Undine warns them that Lavender is no slouch either, but a calamity, the last of the mythical archfay Ketu, an avatar of terrible power and destruction. But Red isn’t worried. In fact he believe they have a weaker target in a wavering, lost Van than the earlier one who was so certain in his faith.

Van takes the bait and lets himself and Lavender get trapped on an island surrounded by a multi-layer barrier set up by Undine, Yarandrala, and Esta. Van tosses a bronze sword Van’s way and challenges him to a one-on-one duel in which they’ll fight until one of them falls. No doubt Van will be talking a lot during the fight to come, further confusing Van and throwing him off balance.

Meanwhile, Rit won’t let anyone get in the way of her love, and neither will Lavender. Van’s “belief” that Lord Demis has tasked him with killing the previous Hero in order to become a true one is nothing but a shot in the dark from a boy who, bereft of any other guidance or moral compass, has chosen to focus all of his effort on Ruti.

But even if Van was more powerful than her (I’d estimate they’re about equal), he’s in much worse shape mentally, and she’s got a lot more friends—her real Hero’s Party. She has a Big Brother who isn’t about to lose to a petulant whelp who’d rather burn the world to the ground than face his doubts. It should be a fun battle!

Shin no Nakama – S2 10 – A Quest with the Guide

Lavender thinks Esta has betrayed the Hero, but that’s just her interpretation of events. Esta herself has an explanation for why she visited with Rit and Red that’s reasonable to Van, while Ljubo doesn’t even understand why he was woken up so early. As satisfying as it might be to beat the everloving shit out of Van, it’s pointless. They have to try to defeat him with words.

To that end, Rit introduces Red to Van and his party, and she is so sincere in her deep and undying love for him, even someone as prickly as Lavender can’t help but be moved. Red also uses his status as the former Guide of the previous Hero, and the fact he’s still living his life after his role was completed, serves to keep the rhetorically unskilled Van at bay.

Red ultimately gets a chance to interact with Van in his natural habitat of the battlefield, only they’re on the same side this time, fighting a horde of horrific but fairly weak sea bogies. Van is actually open to at least hearing if not following the advice of one who is the Guide in the eyes of the Almighty Demis. Red expertly shows Van in small but compelling ways how he’s coming up short of being the best Hero he can be, or a “finished product.”

When the battle turns into a search for a child the bogies abducted in a cavern, Van’s shortcomings are again exposed, as he’s terrible at tracking and way too loud with his clanging armor to be stealthy. Fortunately, that doesn’t end up mattering against the relatively weak bogies. Van is the one to locate the little girl who was taken, and Lavender is such a possessive little twerp she gets mad at the traumatized child for clinging to Van!

Van insists to the parents that “no thanks is necessary” as he was only doing his duty as Hero to defeat evil. Even the tearful smiling face of the little girl doesn’t seem to move him, though at least he doesn’t repeat that thanks aren’t necessary like a robot, nor does he dig into why this happy family isn’t out on the battlefield fighting. So I guess that’s progress? If nothing else, Red has given Van a lot to think about.

Back at Red’s place, Esta is depressed for having failed so completely to get Van or Lavender to ever listen to advice, only for Red and Rit to get through to them in just one quest. That’s when Albert cheers her up with maximum-power words of encouragement that can’t help but make her blush.

Their cute back-and-forth is an echo of Red and Rit’s usual schtick, and I love how they of all people say “that’s enough sweetness for one day.” And while I still don’t expect Van or Lavender to stop sucking anytime soon, but I appreciate Red and Rit’s non-violent efforts to at least mitigate their suckiness.

Shin no Nakama – S2 09 – What Love’s Got to Do With It

The gang has a meeting to discuss Chaos Reignsborough’s Blue Boy, specifically how they’re going to go about protecting Ruti and Zoltan from his hyper-zealous, destructive whims. Tisse provides well-drawn portraits of Van, Lavender, and Ljubo. Ruti declares that Van’s world is tiny, allowing him to trust his beliefs without conditions.

Van will disguise himself and reach out to Ljubo, but Lavender is the problem. Mystorm warned to Yarandrala that despite her tiny cute fairy appearance, she’s actually an extremely powerful monster they should a avoid a direct fight with. Rit decides she’ll try talking to Lavender, since both of them are madly in love.

Red sees Tisse out on the deck looking troubled. Her issue is not just that he’s powerful, but also a “terrifying human being.” She just can’t fathom how different he is from Ruti, despite them both being bona fide heroes. Red lays it out: Ruti is an indomitable hero, while Van seeks to be an invincible one.

Van is also little more than his blessing, which he levels up with everything he’s got. Ruti is more than her blessing, thanks in no small part to her brother’s careful guidance, and love. Tisse is glad Ruti had someone like Red, and now understands better what a disadvantage Van has.

After a tense introduction in a dark alley, Rit manages to get to Lavender’s tender side by basically baring her heart to her. She doesn’t want to talk about anything with her but love, and once Lavender can tell she’s sincere, learning that Rit gave up everything to be with her love, she’s happy to drink mead with her.

While they’re able to find common ground through the love they have for their partners, Lavender disagrees with Rit fundamentally on one thing: the ability for love to grow or change. Ever since she met Van, Lavender has been all-in on her love. It’s a feeling she’d destroy the world to preserve, and never wants it to change.

It’s hearing this that makes Rit realize Lavender’s love is not only one-sided, but entirely selfish on Lavender’s part. She doesn’t really care about Van’s feelings, which, if we’re honest, he doesn’t really have, since his world and his almighty are his entire world. Lavender is, at best, a tool to help him carry out the will of Demis, like everyone else. She’s only “special” insofar as she’s completely loyal to him.

Rit is wise not to bring up the contradictions or limits in Lavender’s love, but does warn her that at some point she’ll have to choose between Van changing and Van dying. If that time comes, Lavender promises she’ll simply die with Van. When Rit asks Lavender to ask Van to leave Zoltan, she refuses, and Rit doesn’t push the matter. Instead, they toast one more mug of mead to hopefully having more peaceful talks like this.

While Rit must by design wear her heart on her sleeve and exhibit extreme honesty with an entity like Lavender who could quickly sniff out her lies, Red takes a different approach with Ljubo, one that exploits Ljubo’s vices, specifically money (which he wasn’t born into) and gambling.

Red, slumped over, hooded, and with a purple face tattoo, goads Ljubo into betting on a fat dragon that ends up winning and earning him a bunch of cash. There’s no better way for him to ingratiate himself to the cardinal than by lining his pockets.

With Ljubo’s lust for gold sated for the day, Red shows him where he can spend some of his winnings on some quality wine and seafood. Yarandrala in an anachronistic bartender’s uniform assists Red with this, and Ljubo is impressed that a backwater like Zoltan has such good fare.

With his pockets and belly full and a nice buzz from the wine, Ljubo is sufficiently prepared to hear Red out. Here, Red weaves the story of ancient elven ruins around Zoltan being full of advanced biological weapons. Some are monster form like the dead Ogre King he shows Ljubo. And some have human form – like the girl Van fought.

Red tells Ljubo that the girl is the ultimate elven weapon to be used against the demon army. If Van fights her, and either or both of them die in the ensuing mayhem, it will be a huge blow to mankind. Ljubo agrees, and vows to recommend to Van that he give up on fighting the girl. That said, Van’s obedience cannot be guaranteed.

The bottom line is that Red, Rit, Ruti & Co. don’t want to kill Van if they don’t have to. They want a peaceful solution, and that may require them to deceive Van. That’s a risky prospect, especially with Lavender discovering that Esta and her new Squire seem to be friendly with the apothecary who fought Van.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – 20 – All’s Fair in Love and War

As I expected, Ehre was wrong to scoff at Fern’s “basic” spell. When that spell is launched at her hundreds of times in the space of a few seconds, so rapidly that Ehre can’t keep up and eventually runs out of mana for her defensive power, well then there’s nothing really wrong with basic, is there?

Decidedly more evenly matched, at least at first, is the battle between Übel and Wirbel. Übel spams an attack that cuts anything from any angle, but only within a five-meter radius. Wirbel uses a binding spell, but he must continue to look at his target. He’d rather Übel gave him the bird and left, but she came for a fight to the death, and isn’t running.

Übel asks Wirbel if he’s ever killed women and children, and we see that he’s at least been in battles between nations where women and children are pressed into battle, a dark part of this world we, like Fern, have been sheltered from. But asking about his past buys Übel just enough time for Fern to come to her rescue.

When Wirbel asks about Ehre, Fern says she killed her without the slightest hesitation or tell. Wirbel has no reason to disbelieve someone strong enough to walk away from a fight with Ehre, so he declares defeat (since one of his group members was killed) and walks off.

He then finds Ehre unconscious but very much alive, and gathers her up, as well as their third member, who was defeated by Übel and Fern’s third member (making use of a clone to deceive him). Ehre admits Wirbel is a pretty nice guy, and even remembers him saving her village, which is why she’s even there on his back.

He assures her he doesn’t fight the demons out of kindness, but simply because he promised a girl he loved back when he was five years old; a girl whose face and name he can no longer recall.

That brings us to the confrontation between Frieren and Denken’s groups. Laufen uses her high-speed spell (which Frieren identifies as a specific folk spell) to steal their Stille, while Richter and Denken confront them. Richter is fine with killing Lawine and Kanne, but Denken, who actually knows who Frieren is, would rather he didn’t.

Frieren doesn’t believe it’s worth killing to receive the “mere title” of first-class mage. But Richter insists that it isn’t just a title. We finally catch a glimpse of the yellow-haired elf in the first cour’s OP: her name is Serie, and she’s a “living grimoire” who knows every spell in human history.

To become a first-class mage is to gain the privilege to ask for any one spell of their choosing, and that spell will be bestowed upon them by Serie. Because mages are by and large human, and thus easily corrupted by power, most modern first-class mages are “monsters who barely seem human.”

In that regard, Richter certainly has the makings of a modern major mage general, as he’s A-OK with killing two girls even though he only needs to put them to sleep. Denken once again tells Richter that there’ll be no killing. He believes he only needs three hours to “crush” Frieren, so asks Richter to look after the children until then.

Richter raises himself, Lawine, and Kanne high above the forest on a pillar of earth, separating them from Denken and Frieren. Throughout this entire encounter, at no point has Frieren expressed surprise or concern, nor has she budged an inch.

hen they’re alone and Denken points his staff at her, she calmly points her staff at him. He says “the young are too hot-blooded,” referring to Richter, but to an immortal elf like Frieren, Denken might as well be talking about himself. The only reason I can see him being a match for Frieren is if she goes easy on him.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – 19 – Mana in the Water

As Frieren sits by the fire, her party-mates fast asleep, she recalls another fire long ago when Heiter told Himmel to be himself, rather than pretend he’s not afraid. Eisen’s hands would shake and he never denied his fear, something his student Stark inherited.

Fern, who was partnered with fellow third-class Ubel and second-class Land, have already successfully captured a Stille. Fern is relieved they’ll pass the test, but the other two mages warn that the true fight has just begun: now that they have a bird, others will try to steal it.

Those others don’t include Frieren’s party. She intends to nab one fair and square, but all previous attempts failed miserably. With a thousand years of strategies to draw from, Frieren comes up with a clever plan that utilizes Lawine and Kanne’s specific magical talents.

The episode presents their plan in action, in parts from the POV of other parties, before explaining it verbally, a move I really liked because it puts us in the same shoes as the other parties. The plan starts out big and loud, with Lawine freezing the entire central lake, ensuring no Stille will ever come near it.

That means the Stilles will seek out other, smaller bodies of water to drink from. Kanne has most of them covered by placing a small amount of her mana (typically only enough for a Still to detect). This narrows the sources of the birds’ water, but also the opportunities for other parties to catch birds.

Fern, Ubel, and Land are ambushed by a party composed of Wirbel (the war veteran), Ehre, a fellow second-class, and Scharf, a third-class. Magical attacks crackle and pop as they fly furiously through the air, and at no point does Fern panic, despite her opponent Ehre being a class above her. Nor does Ubel, who relishes fighting, care that she got Wirbel. If we’re honest both of them should be ranked higher than third.

Speaking of under-ranked mages, Denken seems a lot more powerful than second-class would suggest, and his younger party-mates Laufen (third) and Richter (second), no slouches themselves, defer to his considerable judgment. Like Frieren, he’s patient. Unlike Frieren, he’s cold. No actions will be taken—even taking down a party of dead mages from the trees—that aren’t necessary to the success of their mission.

Denken and Frieren represent mages who’ve reached an age and level of experience where they understand that it’s just as important to know how to go small than to go big. Frieren sits beside a pond with no mana in it, suppressing her mana to the point it’s visualized as an aura shrinking into her body.

The young ladies think her mana is gone, but just as Denken sensed the miniscule amount of mana in the ponds, Frieren can sense even more miniscule amounts. To her, it’s a lot of mana! At the same time, she suppresses it enough that a Stille perches on her shoulder, allowing her to cast a miniature version of the binding spell she used to save Kanne.

Frieren was sure to use as little mana as possible, but it was still enough for Denken to detect. That’s when he goes into field general mode. Laufen vanishes like ninja, and reappears right behind Frieren, Lawine, and Kanne. The latter two might have trouble with Laufen, but I have full confidence in Frieren’s ability to protect them.

As Ehre continues her fight with Fern, she’s tickled by Fern’s use of basic-as-hell attack and defense spells. It feels to Ehre like she’s fighting her grandfather. It’s the first time I really considered that Fern’s style is not only old-fashioned, but downright ancient. It’s also cool that the newer mages have branched out with their own individual styles.

It also reminds me that Fern is a fuckin’ badass. I remember earlier in her training when her hands trembled and she hesitated. This Fern, trained by the mage that helped bring down the Demon King, is someone special, but also bit of a relic to some, nay most other mages in the larger world.

And God bless Fern flexing in the most deadpan matter-of-fact way imaginable: by saying her master taught her that basic spells were “enough to defeat mages of this era.” If anyone knows about mages of many eras, it’s Frieren, who is walking talking history.

Fern can sense that Ehre is actually stronger than Wirbel, but Ehre warns her mana isn’t the only measure of a mage. Just as Denken mentioned how no amount of mana will serve a mage who cannot win hearts. Wirbel’s no doubt won a few in his many battles.

That experience and charisma makes him that much more dangerous, but I’m putting my rhetorical coin on the retro-af Frieren and Fern both holding their own in the trials to come, proving that old spells are the best spells.

Mushoku Tensei II – 12 (Fin) – A Pair from Buena

No More Fancy Talk

Now that Rudy knows Silent Fitz is Sylphiette, he feels like a fool for not realizing it so much sooner. Quite right, so he should! But in his defense, the Sylphie he knew was a crybaby who clung to him, and is now more levelheaded and looks out for others—including him. That said, “Fitz” could also be an airhead, and had just the cutest, prettiest shy smile.

Rudy could see Sylphiette shining through the anachronistic shades. He didn’t fall in love with Fitz, but the fine person Sylphie had become. He wastes no time replying to her confession with one of his own: he loves her too. Just like that, Sylphie the crybaby emerges anew…but they’re tears not of frustration, but unbridled joy.

As we know from her enthusiastic presentation to Ariel and Luke, Sylphie is ready, willing, and eager to become a woman, and for Rudy to make her one. Unfortunately, while his tent briefly pitches, it just as quickly falls again.

On the Mend

Rudy prostrates himself and formally apologizes to Sylphie, but unlike Sara she takes it well. He may not be able to get it up tonight, but obviously she still loves him. Rudy needed to hear from her that both these things were true. Instead of get it on, they get cozy under a blanket by the fire, and talk, like they should have done a year ago.

Sylphie recounts how she attacked Paul after Rudy left with Ghislaine, then vowed to become strong enough to protect him, as he had protected her. They walk home, holding hands, on an absolutely gorgeous winter dawn, the sprawling wilderness matching their mutual love in its majestic vastness.

She was shocked when he said “Nice to meet you,” he apologizes, but said she should have said something sooner. She admits she probably should have, but couldn’t work up the courage. He then apologizes for taking a year to realize it.

After a year of hiding who she is, Sylphie is now so open and honest, thanking Rudy for being alive. Recall, there was a time after Eris left that he didn’t want to be. But now not only is there life below Rudy’s belt, but a great weight has been lifted: Sylphie is not only alive and alright, but she’s a total badass who loves him dearly.

A Greyrat After All

When Sylphie makes her report to Princess Ariel and Luke, we get a shot of her from outside looking into the window of the room, and she’s clearly giddily describing what went down. But because it doesn’t have the happy ending she expected, and learns Rudy came to Ranoa to cure his impotence, Ariel almost treats it as a failure.

But Luke, now showing he’s every bit a Greyrat, corrects the princess: “There are times when a man can’t help it”. He readily empathizes with Rudy’s plight, as it finally explains why the guy has been so docile and “diffident”, something that pissed Luke off to no end. It all makes sense to him now! I loved this sudden emergence of True Luke the Wingman, as well as Ariel’s reaction to it!

Rudy didn’t fail to make love to Sylphie out of choice, they just need a little help. Luke offers to provide that help, and in what must’ve been an intentionally double entendre-laced exchange, he warns Sylphie if she’s truly ready to accept the cure “even if it may prove hard on” her. She replies that she “can take it.”

THE Subtle Art of Seduction

When Luke returns from his errand, Ariel is trying to teach Sylphie how to exert her feminine wiles, but Luke splashes cold water on that notion, as he says Sylphie “lacks the figure for feminine wiles.” He explains that Greyrat men throughout history have been drawn to buxom women, and as an example, he feels no attraction at all for Sylphie.

Both comments are rude as hell, and Sylphie’s reactions are pure gold. I’m almost ready to throw Luke back to the wolves, but he comes bearing a gift, and not just any gift, the single most valuable thing he possesses. It’s something you’d expect a Greyrat man to treasure, as well: a powerful aphrodisiac potion from Fittoa.

What had been his retirement/emergency fund, he offers to Sylphie without hesitation, out of thanks for saving his life so many times. He warns her that any man who drinks it will “lose control”, and she may be wise to drink some herself if she fears she “can’t keep up.” I love how stern and serious Luke is talking about doing the nasty; he’s in top Greyrat form.

Just as Rudy didn’t hesitate to return his feelings for Sylphie, she doesn’t hesitate to give making love another try, as she comes to his door with strong wine and snacks and the aphrodisiac in her pocket. Once she enters she locks his door and makes clear she intends to spend the night with him. She then sees that she’s already inspired him to craft a new statuette of her.

A Rudy Awakening

Sylphie toasts to the two of them, a pair from Buena in Fittoa reunited. Rudy toasts to the future, which makes Sylphie blush, but she then proceeds to reminisce about the past. When he sees her drink is too strong for her taste, he adds hot water to dilute the booze. She recalls that when they first met she had just been pelted with mud, and he cleaned her off with hot water. Then, as now, he was there to comfort her.

With the past discussed with warmth, the time then comes to deal with the present state of things. Sylphie produces the vial and explains what it’s for, and again Rudy doesn’t hesitate. He gulps some down, and its effect is almost immediate.

As such, Sylphie quickly begins disrobing, telling him once it kicks in, he doesn’t have to hold back. She then drinks some, lets him draw her close. She can feel him, and whispers in his ear that he’s free to “dig in.” So he does. All in all, it’s very tastefully done.

I’m Right hEre.

As Sylphie lies expectantly on the bed, the scene ends with her in mid-sound, followed by Rudy waking up the next morning. Sylphie isn’t lying next to him, and the only sign she was there is a small bloodstain on the sheets. It’s the second time a woman he slept with left him something red behind, and for a few rough moments, Rudy seems primed to fall back into despair.

This series and this season has kicked Rudy in the balls many times, but this thankfully is not one of them. Instead, it cuts him a break. Sylphie returns, explaining she only dressed and left so she could thank Ariel and Luke for all their help as soon as she could. Rudy, suffused with emotion and tears falling from his eyes, embraces Sylphie and repeats her name over and over.

She comforts him with the words that again, he needed to hear and only she could say: There, there. I’m right here. She is there, and she’s not going anywhere. What’s more, when Rudy’s hand travels to her chest, he realizes it wasn’t just the aphrodisiac, which he’d seen once before in Roa. That was just for last night. Sylphie herself has cured him, by being there.

Farewell to Fitz

Later that day, Rudeus comes before Princess Ariel and Luke, properly bows in the manner befitting his noble upbringing, and formally introduces himself. He declares that because Arial and Luke aided Sylphie in curing his illness, he stands ready to assist them in any way. He is at their disposal.

When Luke asks why the change of heart, Rudy makes clear he’d rather stay clear of power struggles in Asura, if his beloved is caught in one that changes things. And this, my friends, is the genius of Princess Ariel. An elite mage in Sylphie fell into her lap, but it wasn’t merely good fortune that kept her there. She befriended Sylphie and supported her every step of the way, which led to her to bringing another elite mage in Rudy to her cause.

That said, Ariel makes clear her affairs can wait until Rudy has resolved his own. To her, that doesn’t simply mean him finding all his family members lost in the teleportation. So she asks him plainly what he intends to do. Will he continue his search and leave Sylphie behind? Of course not! With clear eyes and unprecedented resolve, Rudeus Greyrat declares that he’ll marry Slyphie. Luke’s reaction is priceless; Sylphie’s is for the ages.

Ariel then proclaims that “Sylphiette Greyrat” no longer needs to dress and present as a man; she is free to embrace her femininity. The princess holds out a hand, and Sylphie removes her shades and returns them. Ariel makes clear she’ll be making use of Rudy’s reputation, but that he’s free to use her name as well. It’s 100% win-win, and a finally shades-less Slyphie stands proudly beside her husband-to-be and thanks the princess for everything.

I feel I have to thank Mushoku Tensei as well. This season wasn’t without its cruelties and cul-de-sacs, it’s false starts and follies. But it stuck the motherfucking landing. There were no more rugs to pull out from under us, Rudy, or Sylphie.

Instead, it checked off some vital boxes with grand flourish and a proverbial golden quill filled with the finest ink. Rudy and Sylphie are reunited. Rudy is cured. Every moment they shared the screen, my heart melted. Ten out of ten finale, no notes, and I can’t freakin’ wait for Part Two.

RABUJOI WORLD HERITAGE LIST

Masamune-kun’s Revenge R – 12 (Fin) – C’est pour le mieux

By dumping Masamune so Yoshino can have her shot, Aki is trying to be a good friend, as well as a more self-sufficient person, making a passable tea rice bowl for herself when Yoshino is out on a date. But even when her stomach is full, it’s evident that she’s still wanting for something…or someone.

It doesn’t help matters that when the new spring term comes around, everyone’s in Class 3-E except for Aki and Masamune, who are in Class 3-A together. Kanetsugu has also decided to start wearing the girls’ uniform, while Yoshino and Neko bury the hatchet. A new year means old feuds die.

Aki is flustered by the fact Masamune sits right in front of her, and talks to her so casually she can’t help but think of when they were dating, which were happy times for her. Heck, Masamune still visits her in the storeroom to deliver a special new bread variety from the school store.

Aki understandably wants to know what Masamune’s deal is, but before he understands what she’s asking, Yoshino swoops in, gloms onto Masamune’s arm, and drags him out of the storeroom. Aki resents them flaunting their romance in front of her, but outside Yoshino ominously tells Masamune “Not yet. Just a little longer.”

Something is clearly Up with a Capital U, but Aki doesn’t suspect anything, or she wouldn’t go to a salon for the classic post-breakup haircut. Her shorter locks are adorable as all get out, but Yoshino freaks out when she see them. Aki makes clear she didn’t think she could get over Masamune without some kind of big change.

Yoshino pounds on Aki with her fists, then urges Aki to head back to school, where Masamune is waiting and will explain everything. Once there, Aki can’t find Masamune anywhere, but does find a letter addressed to her in his handwriting. Assuming it’s some kind of revenge, when she finally spots him outside, she’s poised to give him the mother of all talking-tos.

As she runs out to him, he runs up to her, resulting in them switching places. They do this once more—a nifty microcosm of their relationship thus far—before he finally manages to grab her arm, sending them both to the hallway floor. When a distraught Aki tells her to have all the fun he likes with Yoshino, Masamune unloads a bombshell: he and Yoshino aren’t dating.

He was happy when “Shisho” came all the way to Shinshu to see him and tell him she loved him, but he couldn’t return her feelings. He loved someone else. It’s only since all of the lies and misunderstandings have been cleared up that he realizes his feelings for her never changed from that day he gave her a bouquet in a dazzling field of flowers.

When Aki finally opens the letter, it simply asks if she’ll be his girlfriend. He asks her out loud, just to be clear. She tells him no…her answer isn’t no. More than once, she asks him if he’s sure he’s okay with her, but she’s the only one he’s okay with. She’s the reason he’s who he is, and the only one he could work so hard for.

It’s here, on the floor, at sunset, when the rich, beautiful, huge brat and the self-centered, self-obsessed, selfish egoist stare into each others’ eyes and then seal their intention to date again with a real, honest-to-God kiss. As far as we see, Masamune doesn’t get any hives. He even seems to introduce a bit of tongue into the kiss, but Aki ain’t havin’ it!

Fast forward to the post-culture festival bonfire. Last year both Masamune and Aki were pursued by many a girl and guy for the right to dance with them, but tonight they dance with each other. Neko and Yoshino commiserate, with Yoshino clarifying that Masamune didn’t get hives because he felt safe with his “Master.”

As for Aki and Masamune, their spirited quasi-adversarial dynamic lives on even as they’re an official couple, with each of them able to make the other blush with a word or gesture. Masamune isn’t taking the Cruel Princess’ hand for revenge, but out of respect. And as Aki takes his hand, it feels like all’s right in the world. Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but our lovebirds are beyond that, for romance is a dish best served warm.

Mushoku Tensei II – 11 – According to Plan

The cat was out of the bag last week: Rudy knows Fitz is a woman. Now all that needed to happen was for Fitz to acknowledge that, and get Rudy to finally remember her as Sylphiette. When Ariel and Luke learn that Rudy has no intention of revealing her true identity to anyone else, they take it upon themselves to facilitate this much-needed development.

When Ariel asks if there are any strong memories she has with Rudy, Sylphie mentions when they bathed together and Rudy undressed her. When asked what kind of relationship she seeks with Rudy, Sylphie doesn’t hold back, telling her she’s perfectly fine having lots and lots of kids with him. She’s positively giddy at the mere prospect of finally getting Rudy to realize who she is.

Ariel discusses the plan Sylphie is to carry out. First she gets Rudy to agree to go on a one-on-one side-quest together. Then she borrows his staff and quietly makes it rain enough that Rudy can’t part the clouds, at least not without his staff. Rudy suggests they take shelter in a nearby cave. Everything is going off without a hitch for Sylphie.

When she sits shivering in the cave by the fire, Rudy offers to avert his gaze so she can change out of her cold, wet clothes. But Sylphie tells him she needs him to undress her. He tells her that he knows she’s a woman. She says she knows, but she wants him to undress her anyway. He removes her coat, her shirt, her pants, her gloves…and finally, her shades.

Once Rudy gets his best look yet at “Fitz’s” face, combined with the state of undress they’re in, he realizes that he’s looking at Sylphiette. She confirms that she is indeed Sylphie, and that she’s been waiting a long, long time to tell him that. Now that she has, she doesn’t hold back in declaring her undying love for Rudy, and demands that he never leave her side again.

Needless to say, this is a long time coming, and Sylphie’s unbridled joy at finally being remembered by Rudy is matched only by my own. Sylphie is such a good person that you can’t help but root for her to get everything she desires, even if someone like Rudy isn’t quite deserving of someone like her. A huge weight has been lifted on this season and the series at large: Rudy and Sylphie are reunited at last, and I couldn’t be happier.

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World – 11 – Bringing Guns to a Spear Fight

Though she can transport herself and Captain out of danger, Mitsuha doesn’t want to abandon the innocent refugees to be slaughtered by monsters. So Captain holds off the horde with bullets along enough to teleport home, grab all the firestarter paste, newspaper, and fireworks she can, and uses it to burn/blast away the remaining monsters and their human handler.

With the refugees saved and able to cross the river, Mitsuha and Captain return to the mercs’ base, where she dons a custom-made “battle gown” and delivers a stirring speech to rally the sixty men who will have to go up against 20,000 imperial soldiers and unknown number of monsters under their control. Captain is impressed by her ability to agitate, while she admits to no one that she borrowed the speech from a manga.

She teleports the entire mercenary contingent into the palace courtyard, then has the motorcade split off to defend the various gates. The cityfolk see the dawn light hit Mitsuha just right, and the legend of the “Messenger of Lightning” really starts to take off. Then Mitsuha has the enemy envoy wounded and takes out all the veteran soldiers and monster handlers, leaving the imperial army in disarray.

Their commander celebrates when their groundbreaking Wyvern Squaron arrives, and Mitsuha sweats her first drop of sweat. However, the Captain and his men have the skies covered thanks to their own personal “God”, an old half-track with twin 20mm anti-aircraft cannons. It once saved their asses in a past battle, and here it tears the wyverns to ribbons. Technically speaking, this show’s ambition is undermined by its limited production values; there’s an awful lot of panning across still frames.

It’s looking like it’s going to be a walk in the park for Mitsuha and her hastily mustered squadron of battle-tested mercs. But then a massive dragon starts stomping through the trees, and all of a sudden it’s looking like they may take some losses. The episode ends with this cliffhanger, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the big guy gets his ass kicked by Colette, Mitsuha’s freakishly strong first friend in this world who is worried about Mitsuha’s safety.

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World – 10 – Shift in Priorities

While we saw goblins on the march last week, things start out far more casually this week, as Mitsuha attends a cookout back on Earth held by the military contractor Wolf Fang. She brings a brace of antlered rabbits which are a big hit, but I had a feeling their presene would cause trouble once somebody snapped a photo.

The trouble doesn’t have anything to do with cross-world contamination, but a war swiftly brewing in the isekai. The king asks Mitsuha to take Princess Sabine to a neighboring country for her protection, but Mitsuha refuses, as doing so would expose her general store to the imminent invasion. Instead, she considers taking Sabine to Earth where she’ll be safe for sure.

When Mitsuha returns to the palace, a full-on war council is in progress, and her old friend Alexis von Bozes is in attendance on behalf of his father. When a herald attempts to assassinate the marquis in charge of the defense, Mitsuha dives into the line of fire, but so does Alexis. She gets a bolt to the arm, but he gets one in the shoulder and one in the gut.

That escalated quickly! Suddenly this is a show not about how much fun Mitsuha has making friends and earning retirement gold, but keeping herself and those friends and allies safe from an increasingly volatile situation. She transports Alexis to Wolf Fang, who has a surgeon on staff who fixes them up.

Then she asks the Captain if he’ll agree to a job defending a kingdom in another world. When the Captain bristles at what sounds like nonsense, Mitsuha tries to run him over with his own Humvee. When he opens the door to protest, she transports the two of them and the truck to the isekai.

There, she and the Captain see that the situation has already deteriorated, and a wagon train of refugees are at risk of being slaughtered by goblins. She pays the Captain a gold coin on the spot, and they work to protect the wagons as they try to cross a flooded river.

They find that the goblins don’t go down easily, so I imagine they’ll need to headshot and/or blow them up to cease their advance. Needless to say, they’re going to need reinforcements from Earth.

This will cost Mitsuha dearly; likely all the money she’s saved up from her store and consultations. Maybe the king will reimburse her. But either way, funding her cozy retirement is no longer her top priority. The lands and people she’s come to care about are in danger, so no expense will be spared in helping them out. I look forward to the effort.

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World – 09 – Restaurant: Possible

Alina comes to Mitsuha’s store requesting a consultation: Her family’s modest restaurant is under attack from a wealthier rival after Alina rejected his son’s advances (she only has eyes for her dad’s handsome apprentice). Mitsuha is happy for another consultation gig, so she takes the job on, while Princess Sabine mimics her every move.

The plan is 3-pronged: get the restaurant back up and running under the current staff, recoup the losses from the days it was closed, and thwart and deter any further attempts at sabotage from the competition. Mitsuha asks Alina’s dad to ditch the usual master-apprentice process and directly teach his apprentice and daughter how to make the necessary dishes.

Mitsuha also employs the maids who were her first customers to spread word that Paradise Restaurant is the only one in town that serves the vaunted “Yamano Cuisine.” She even hires the mercs Grit and Ilse to wait tables, something they’re all too happy to do after getting burned out from hunting. When the owner of the rival restaurant shows his face, Mitsuha is ready.

The rival owner rolls in with two royal guards in tow and with charges of wrongdoing, accusing Paradise of serving counterfeit Yamano cuisine. He’s brought Mitsuha’s apprentice, Mr. Marcel, to judge the quality of the food, a decision that ends up blowing up in his face when Mitsuha emerges from the kitchen and within minutes Marcel is in the kitchen helping out!

Before the rival owner can make any more objections to a situation already well out of his control, both the entire Bozes family and the King and Chancellor arrive at the restaurant; the former because they heard Yamano’s cuisine was being served, the latter because Sabine is working there.

The rival owner is arrested on suspicion of arranging the assault of Alina’s dad, and all’s well that ends well. Mitusha even enlists the king’s help matchmaking so Alina can get with the apprentice. She only makes a single gold coin, but considers it worth it because she had fun with her new friends. 80,000 gold may be the destination, but she’s enjoying the journey!

Summertime Render – 22 – Red-Eye

Ushio returns better than ever, and demonstrates how her hair-blades can erase Shide’s armor, leaving his inner body vulnerable. But while Shinpei appreciates her enthusiasm, Shadow Mio stops her from charging in, then transmits the careful plan Shinpei has set up. We get a little flashback to the morgue where Toki explains how they can use Guil to hide Haine’s handprint, making it impossible to track him.

Shinpei shoots himself while holding Ushio’s hands, creating a tenth loop inside Guil, who is in Hiruko’s Cave. They know Haine and Shide—both Shides—will find out soon enough where they are and what they’re up to, so they use the festival fireworks to blast through the mud barrier Haine created to get to where her main body is located. Shin’s team is truly humming like a well-oiled machine.

The closer they get to the main body, the louder and harsher Haine’s transmitting signal is to the ears of Shadows. Since he’s now hosting Ryuunosuke, that signal is particularly excruciating for Shinpei, but Ushio manages to help him by transmitting her signal at the same wavelength, neutralizing Haine’s. While Shide attacks Ushio (who uses her hair as a shield), Sou manages to ambush Haine (in her Shinpei form) and pins her, not with a shadow nailgun, but with the original she was unable to sense.

But while both of Haine’s inner bodies are killed and Haine’s body is sliced in half, it’s apparently not over. Ushio turns around to reveal she now has a red right eye like Haine’s, and Shin has one too. Shide reappears, ready to start some shit, and Shinpei has to ask himself: is he freakin’ immortal?

Even the best laid plans in this intricate chess game of feints and diversions are bound to face some setbacks, and the fact that killing Shide and Haine didn’t kill them is…problematic, to say the least. Not sure what they can do about that, especially with all their moves in this plan exhausted and no more loops to make a new plan.