Reign of the Seven Spellblades – 13 – Frolick In the Forest

Years ago, Ophelia Salvadori was all alone, and she hated it. But one day a boy approached her, and rather than go crazy and try to ravage her due to her succubus pheromones, he’s not affected at all. Having passed his self-appointed test, he takes a shocked Ophelia’s hands in his and declares them friends.

It’s another reminder that while she was introduced as a two-dimensional villain, there’s a lot more to Ophelia, and there are tight-knit groups of friends in Beverly other than the Sword Roses. As Oliver, Nanao and Chela continue their descent through the second layer with Vera, we learn more about this strange place.

For one thing, the fake sun in the sky that never sets is a piece of ancient technology that cannot be replicated. I’m not sure if that nugget of info will ever be crucial to the plot, but it’s still neat. They also make use of Guy’s toolplants to build bridges and his delicious cakes to fill their bellies.

While they and the StuCo take different paths, we also see that Stacey is in the Labyrinth to retrieve her beloved Fay, with her fourth-year half-sister Lynette escorting her. Finally, Teresa is also lurking, and is extremely pleased when Oliver asks her to serve as an advance scout.

While Teresa takes care of quite a few magical beasts on her own, eventually Oliver’s party has to confront one. In this case, it’s a gorilla-type beast that has been wounded by the chimeras. Nanao calms her heart, gets right in the beast’s face, and asks nicely if they can pass without violence, and the beast lets them.

However, that beast is soon gruesomely beheaded by a giant mantis-like chimera with razor claws. Vera falls back and lets this be her underclassmen’s first big test. Oliver, Nanao and Chela work well as a unit, mixing up elemental spells in order to discern weak spots.

That said, the chimera is not only full of surprises, but surprises specifically designed by Ophelia to affect those looking for those weak spots. As a result when Oliver goes for the head, he’s met by a fusillade of spikes. Vera suddenly rushes in, worried that he might have been killed.

But alas, Oliver is fine; he used a chunk of the chimera’s own exoskeleton as an improvised shield. The three complete their takedown of the beast, and Chela is so happy they defeated it together she gives Oliver and Nanao a big ‘ol hug. With their first test passed, they continue their journey, cutting down any chimeras in their way.

While resting in a cave for the night, Vera asks Oliver why the he and the others are going to far to save Pete. Oliver recalls how the six of them were the ones who didn’t run away when the troll nearly crushed Katie. That includes Pete, which doubly impressed them because he’s so new to the magical world. He didn’t run away, so they won’t run away.

Vera legit admires what a beautiful friendship the Sword Roses have, but there’s something else piquing her curiosity: Oliver’s whole deal. She can buy both Chela (extraordinary family) and Nanao (extraordinary place), but she doesn’t understand how such a perfectly average and ordinary mage like Oliver is a match for both in combat.

Naturally, Oliver is coy, and Vera can sense she’s hit a sore spot and decides not to dwell on it. She needs Oliver and the others to be on top of their game both physically and mentally as the near the far more dangerous third layer. Meanwhile, Joseph is the first of the captured males to come to.

When he learns that Pete is currently a woman due to his Reversi status, he helps him in he only way he can (with most of his mana sucked away): by digging his hand into his own chest and pulling out three magic orbs he keeps there for emergencies. One is a bomb, another a smoke bomb, and a third a distress beacon.

Finally, because he’s relying on this “nobody” to save his life and the lives of the other captives, he does Pete the courtesy of asking for his name. Pete steels himself and gives it, with a resolve and determination that makes me confident that combined with all the outside forces nearing their location, this is all going to work out okay, and maybe Ophelia won’t have to die for that to happen.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades – 12 – Class Is in Session

Alvin, Carlos, and their fellow StuCo members Lesedi and Tim head down to the Labyrinth to rescue the students Ophelia has abducted. Alvin curses himself for not acting before things got out hand, and Carlos tells Alvin to take care of things should he screw up. The Sword Roses are to a person restless about not being able to do anything.

Nanao is actually the most pessimistic, as her battlefield experience tells her Pete only has a 2-in-10 chance of surviving. But before the Roses start fighting further, Chela says it’s time to get back to class. Oliver meets with Gwyn and Shannon, but while they’re planning to join the StuCo, their larger force cannot reveal itself yet.

Even Professor Garland, clearly one of the nicer teachers, tells Katie that faculty can only go to the Labyrinth to search after students are missing for eight days, and that she mustn’t rely on teachers to come to their aid every time. Kimberly is about exercising independence and self-reliance; it’s how strong mages are made.

Chela reports to Oliver that she unsuccessfully appealed to her father to help, as he told her the moment she can’t protect her own friends is the moment she never should have made them. More tough love. So Chela is determined to go down to the Labyrinth. Oliver won’t hear of her going alone.

Their talk is interrupted by Vera, who takes them to Katie, who has offered up her body to Vera for all the research she wants in exchange for her help. Oliver and Chela ain’t about to let that happen, but fortunately Vera is open to a compromise. She’ll accompany them to Ophelia’s lair on the third level of the Labyrinth, and even train them on the way.

In exchange, Katie will become her official research assistant, not subject. The deal is struck, but while Nanao prepared her bag for what she deemed the certainty of Oliver and Chela coming for her, Katie and Guy are simply not strong enough for that part of the Labyrinth, so there are some emotional parting scenes of them.

Vera leaves her pet Milihand in Katie’s care while she’s away, telling her that the hand is also the key to her research, should she not make it back. With that, she leads Chela, Oliver, and Nanao through the looking glass and into the Labyrinth.

In our check-in with a weakened Pete, he finds himself the only one not unconscious or restrained by a creepy red claw thingy. Still, he fains sleep when Ophelia stops by with her chewing gum walk, assuring her sleeping princes that as long as they stay asleep, it will only feel like a bad dream.

Unfortunately, Pete is not asleep. While on the first layer, Vera explains that Ophelia has Succubus lineage, and used her womb to create the chimeras who captured Pete and the others. She’s using their mana in order to create something even greater than a chimera; possibly something closer to her ancestors’ ideal of the perfect being. Vera & Co. stop by the workshop for some potions and find Marco is there, having been ignored by the Chimeras.

Vera makes clear that Ophelia only needs the vitality—i.e. mana—from males for her research. Nanao decides Vera trustworthy enough to tell her that Pete isn’t fully male, or at least not always male, which puts him in even greater danger than the other captives, because he’s in Ophelia’s way.

The StuCo seems to be holding their own on the second level, and even run into an upperclassman in Kevin Walker, who helps in his way by providing a detailed map of the third level.

When Vera’s group comes upon their first chimera just before the entrance to the second level, she shows rather than tells them the proper way to defeat one. They have to assess and know their enemy’s weaknesses, like the Chimera’s poor eyesight that gets worse the more tentacles they sprout. They have to keep moving and not let their foe get a bead on them.

And they must have a plan of action for taking it out: in this case, close-range lightning. Her threefold lessons lay out the three jobs a mage must do, but she makes clear three mages could each take one job. That may be true, but Chela (and Oliver) don’t want Nanao to take on the brunt of the danger. The three of them will each perform all three jobs, sharing the danger equally, all to get Pete back safe and sound.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades – 09 – A Second Heart, A Secret Base, and the Unforgettable Rose

After a detour to introduce Tullio Rossi, the focus returns to Pete’s new status as a Reversi. Oliver arrives home one night to find Pete in severe pain. He manages to correct his manaflow with a healing art, but warns Pete that he can’t keep his condition from the others forever.

He doesn’t, and tells everyone the next day, and unsurprisingly, everyone is not only fine, but incredibly supportive. I love these damn kids so much! Chela even demonstrates how women can use their wombs as a “second heart” to store vast quantities of mana. Pretty neat!

Whether Stacey Cornwallis makes use of her womb in this way in her duel with Pete, I don’t know, but one thing’s for certain: she has an axe to grind with Mister Reston. She didn’t like being shown up in her uncle Teddy’s class, and wants to beat him into submission.

And while she does dominate most of the match, Pete never gives up and keeps fighting to the end, almost scoring a hit when time runs out applying the training provided by Chela. Stacey resents her Chela siding with someone from a non-magical family, but even Tullio congratulates Pete for holding his own in the duel.

While hanging with her troll friend, Katie receives a scroll dropped from a crow familiar: to apologize for what she did to her, Vera Milligan is giving Katie her workshop on the first floor of the Labyrinth. Katie is super excited about the prospect of having a secret base, but Oliver and Michela are concerned.

Katie knows the Labyrinth is a dangerous place, but she has a dream of becoming a top researcher who can protect and support demi-humans. This is no lark; she’s serious about this, and one by one, everyone agrees to help her out, even Oliver…as long as they’re extra careful down there.

The group heads down to explore the Labyrinth together, and they come across butt-stabbing traps, strange creatures, a gourmet club that barbecues and eats said creatures, and a student who moonlights as an RPG-style food shop proprietor.

After buying some food for a little barbecue of their own, Katie finds the symbol on the wall indicating the concealed entrance, and opens it to reveal their new secret base, which she’s told is one of the better workshops on the first floor. The potential of the well-appointed space gets everyone excited.

They make a fire and cook their dinner in their new base, and it feels like camping, Chela in particular is extremely moved and emotional about how much fun she’s had and is having with her five new friends. So much so that she wants to give their group a name.

Nanao makes the first suggestion by having everyone cross their blades together in a circle. Called a “sword rose” where she’s from, it is a very powerful visual symbol of what a group of friends can achieve to hold on to the present, as warriors cannot think too much about the future.

Having made a new sword rose with her friends, Nanao nominates “Sword Roses” as the name of their coterie, which gets unanimous approval. It’s extremely adorable and endearing, so much so that I’m a little miffed that  the vibes are soured a bit after the end credits, when Stacey voices her intention to attack the Roses. That said, if this is a prelude to a Michela-focused storyline, I’m all for it.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades – 07 – For Pete’s Sake

It’s been four months since Professor Grenville disappeared in the Labyrinth. Headmistress Esmeralda gathers the faculty to ask if any of them are responsible. They aren’t, but they consider who might be. When asked what happens if it’s a student, Esme simply says they’ll suffer like any other culprit.

It’s clear Oliver is biding his time after finding the perfect opportunity to off one of the individuals on his list who betrayed and murdered his mother, so the show presents us with something entirely different and unexpected: One morning, after a dream where he transforms into a woman, Pete wakes up with breasts.

He—or rather they—keep it a secret both from their dorm-mate Oliver and from the rest of their friends, who pass it off as prickly Pete being particularly standoffish that day. The group has their first broom-riding class, and Nanao is worried that it won’t go well since she’s used to riding a horse.

Upon given access to the broomhouse, she learns that brooms are living magical creatures who choose their partners and allow them to fly with them. While Nanao proves quite popular with the friendly brooms due to her massive amount of mana, she ends up choosing a “bucking” broom, embracing the challenge as she did her trusty steed.

After speaking a few words declaring her intent to pair with it, the broom flies up into the air, and then straight into her hand. After a brief red glow, she and the broom are matched, and she flies into the sky for the first time. It is one of the most joyful moments of the show, and I loved watching Nanao as much as her proud friends. Also, that wild broom’s last rider? Oliver’s mom.

I should also mention that during broom class Chela encountered her cousin from a branch family, Stacey Cornwallis, but Stace brushes her off. Later at lunch, Chela’s father Theodore pops in and gives her a big hug. It’s nice to see Chela off balance for once! She and the others learn that Theo is their new substitute alchemy teacher in missing Grenville’s stead.

After alchemy, we sit in on the group’s first magical engineering class with Professor Forghieri, one of the people on Oliver’s list. He runs an unyielding class, which includes throwing them into the task of diffusing four magical trap boxes in 60 minutes or suffering whatever they contain. Oliver and Chela manage to diffuse three of the four, but the fourth opens to reveal vicious flying snake/eel creatures.

Pete, who has been suffering bouts of pain throughout the day, is right next to the box, but Oliver shields them, getting bit in the process. Also, Guy does a thing! Having grown up on a farm and being well-versed in these creatures, he douses himself in water and casts lightning on himself to knock them out.

After this ordeal, Oliver, who is aware that they’ve changed, requests a private chat with Pete in the conservatory. Pete confirms that they now possess a female anatomy, and Oliver tells them it’s because they’re a Reversi, someone who can switch back and forth between sexes.

From the get-go, Oliver takes care to describe this as an extremely rare gift, not a curse. He demonstrates how by telling Pete to cast a lightning spell, and to their shock (pun intended) they’re much better at that element as a woman than they were as a man.

The two are interrupted by Chris Whitlow, who tells Pete that Oliver told them everything he wanted to say, showing Oliver’s quality as a friend and a person. Chris offers Pete an invite for a gathering that night.

Pete is escorted to the first-level of the labyrinth by Oliver, as well as President Godfrey, who takes the opportunity to apologize for the incidents they’ve gotten caught up in. He’s been working hard to make Kimberly a safer place, but worries he hasn’t made enough headway. Oliver internally praises Godfrey as one of the good ones.

This is borne out when Godfrey grants them access to the gathering, which is full of students with sex-based magical traits such as Pete. In other words, this is this magical world’s version of the LGBTQ community. Three upperclassmen soon approach Pete and Oliver, whose stiff formality evokes laughter. They tell both Pete and Oliver that there’s no need to worry, they’re all friends here.

That’s when attention is directed to the stage, where Chris begins to sing in a gorgeous enchanted voice while Oliver’s brother Gwyn accompanies on the violin. Oliver notes that there’s no charm ability in Chris’ song, but it’s something simpler and more pure. And that’s what this part of the episode felt: simply pure, and beautiful.

Yes, Pete went through a sudden and immense change, but they’re not alone. Both Oliver and the many others like Pete are there to provide affirmation, support, friendship, and love. I especially appreciate Oliver being empathetic and kind even after he dropped his mask to kill Grenville. He’s a complex dude!

Pete and Oliver meet up with the others after the performance, and make up a white lie about magical training. I’m sure, when the time is right, Pete will tell the others (no doubt to prevent Guy from grabbing them as if they were still a dude). Even the reveal at the end of some sneering dude not happy about these friends being all buddy-buddy can ruin the lovely vibes of this episode. And like Oliver last week, Pete is suddenly much more interesting!

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai – 12 (Fin) – You Bring Me Peace

Aharen can tell that Ooshiro is shadowing her more than usual of late, so when Raidou parts ways with her after school, Aharen tells Ooshiro the score: she and Raidou aren’t going out. After training her mind and body to kill him, Ooshiro issues an official challenge…in Reversi. Ever since they were younger, Ooshiro has always treasured Aharen as a friend and the only person who told her she was cute. She isn’t about to let anyone hurt her.

The thing is, while Aharen isn’t going out with Raidou, it’s not because he rejected her. Turns out, her tears were only a result of her not being able to tell him her feelings. As soon as Raidou figures out what this Reversi challenge is really about, he rallies from behind to beat Ooshiro, then very publically declare that he likes Aharen…just as Aharen appears. Buoyed by his words, she finally declares that she likes him too, and Ishikawa and Satou spring forth from the bushes to join the celebration.

Aharen and Raidou confessing to one another and becoming an official couple is the best gift this cozy little show could give us, and it’s that much more gratifying how little the dynamic of the two changes now that the mystery of Aharen’s camping tears have been solved. Raidou still jumps to the strangest conclusions (mistaking Lupinus for Cassava), while Toubaru-sensei happens to witness their confessions and suffers an “eruption of esteem”.

Raidou’s worries about their relationship hitting a “cold spell” and needing spicing up turns out to be nothing, as Aharen invites him, Ooshiro, Ishikawa, Satou, Toubaru-sensei and Miyahara-sensei to a little tea party. She never imagined that her high school life would be so full of fun and happiness, and she wanted to show her gratitude.

She’s also anxious about second year and whether she’ll be alone in her new class, but Raidou assures her that both he and the others will always be there for her regardless. There’s no amount of “messing up” she can do to change that. While this was pretty much a pitch-perfect finale, I certainly wouldn’t mind a second cour of these two esteemed weirdoes down the road.

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai – 04 – Veritably Cordial

Raidou and Aharen’s closeness finally catches the attention of their poetry and prose teacher, Toubaru-sensei (Hana-Kana). But while at first glance they look like they’re flirting, upon subsequent glances she becomes entranced by their idyllic innocence as they gain her “veritable esteem”. Basically, they’re such good kids, the teacher gets a nosebleed.

When Raidou is a little slower than he’d want to be in handing Aharen a bottle of water when she’s choking on food, he decides that both of them need to be more expressive. While sharing a number of activities meant to elicit strong emotional responses means they’re growing closer as a couple, their faces remain veritable Noh masks to all but each other.

The pair transition from practicing more expressive faces to engaging in rap battles as the result of an inspirational trip to the CD store (something that I’m amazed is a thing that still exists in this age of Spotify and iTunes). Aharen is a natural, but Raidou needs to practice (which he does back at home, bemusing his sister and mom).

Raidou’s sister feels bad about being too harsh about his rapping, so gives her brother a fidget spinner as an apology. At school Aharen is oddly drawn to the device, and as soon as it’s in her tiny hand it barely stops spinning. She pulls of one slick trick after another, to the point Raidou worries she’s become addicted…only or Aharen to hand it back to him once she’s “spun it enough”.

The final segment involves Raidou and Aharen trying to relax in a park, but come afoul of a bunch of kids, including three boys who call her “King Aha” due to her spinner tricks. The girl of the group is worried about Aharen “seducing” her childhood friend, so challenges her to a Reversi duel. Raidou plays her first and loses completely, while Aharen simply lets her win. When the boys pick on the girl, she gets them to apologize.

After all that very non-relaxing excitement, Aharen looks very wan and hollowed-out by exhaustion. Luckily for her, her family dog Nui, a big Golden Retriever, doesn’t mind Aharen riding him home. It occurs to Raidou that the kids might’ve been on to something calling her “King”…she looks far more regal riding her dog than she has any right to be!

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai – 02 – XYZ

Raidou and Aharen’s rapport continues to be strong and easygoing, but while Aharen has distance and communication issues, Raidou has an overactive imagination. For instance, he imagines Aharen was in a street fight with some toughs, when she really just got something in her eye. I liked how difficult it was for Raidou to administer the drops, and how when he gets something in his eye, Aharen is quick to reciprocate—though like me, she sucks at administering eye drops!

Raidou’s imagination also runs wild concerning the constant feeling he and Aharen are being watched and followed. He looks back on all of the petty offenses he’s committed against people in his life (mostly against his little sister) and believes himself a “monster”, and thus deserving of a hitman after him. Dude is an absolute goof.

However, he’s downright normal compared to the one following them, Aharen’s towering childhood friend Ooshiro Mitsuki. She is protective of Aharen, whom she calls Reina, but also terrified of Raidou and so keeps her distance. Even when Aharen insists he’s neither scary nor a bad guy, Mitsuki can’t help but stick to her misconceptions. Also MAO voices Mitsuki in “Pecorine on caffeine” mode.

The next segment involves Aharen wearing a mask due to a mild cold, and thus not being able to properly notify Raidou that his fly is all the fuck open, revealing his pink strawberry print boxers. Let it be said that Aharen’s reaction to this is as amazing as her attempts to warn Raidou are ineffective. That said, she does come up with a lot of clever ways to block the sight of his crotch from others.

Even on the way home, after an exhausting day of failure, Aharen  positions herself in front of him to spare him embarrassment. When he finally determines that she’s been trying to get him to notice something, and sees the reflection of the two of them in the mirror, it seems like he finally gets it…only for him to wrongly assume Aharen got a haircut.

Next up is the first segment with just Aharen and Mitsuki. Even though Raidou is absent, Mitsuki is weary of getting too close to Aharen, since she’s worried she’ll be yelled at, scolded, or bopped on the head (again). That said, it’s raining, and Mitsuki keeps trying to clandestinely lend Aharen her umbrella, only for Aharen to believe the umbrella is cursed and locks it up in front of a hastily-built shrine. Ultimately Aharen shares her umbrella with Mitsuki, and uses the fact she’s within talking distance to thank her for watching over her.

The post-credits sequence is short but sweet, as Raidou breaks out the Reversi (AKA Othello) board and challenges Aharen to a match. He thinks he’s got a worthy opponent (he touts himself a “Raidou Family Champion”) when Aharen exerts the aura of a lion, but he ends up trouncing her. Then he gets her to admit she let him win, insists she fight him with everything he’s got, and then she trounces him…twice.

No Game No Life – 09

It’s rare for me to be as royally stumped as I was at the beginning of this episode, with regards to how things were going to sort themselves out. Sure, I had an inkling some kind of game was being played, but the manner and result of the game escaped me completely, disoriented as I was, like Shiro, by the sudden upheaval of reality.

Steph and Jibril quite reasonably assume Shiro lost and had her memories altered. But there was a very good reason why Sora spoke so clearly and deliberately to Shiro before vanishing into thin air a day and a half ago: he was providing her—and me—all the clues we would need to figure out what was going on and how to proceed. Slowly, but surely, we piece this impeccably-structured mystery back together.

“I believe in you.” Upon first meeting him, the young Shiro told the young Sora how “empty” he was. She didn’t mean it with malice, but because she made connections no one else could (or would). But there also happened to be some truth to it: there was indeed an emptiness in Sora’s existence, one that was filled upon meeting his sister.

“The two of us are always one.” But that void-filling went both ways: just as Sora’s name suggests an empty sky, Shiro’s denotes a similarly vast expanse of whiteness. Upon meeting each other, everything turns to the vivid color we’re used to when this show is in normal operations. What they have is beyond trust; beyond faith. So Sora knows he’ll be able to count on her not to let Steph and Jibril cut the game short with another.

“We’re bound by a promise.” Shiro thinks hard, even if she “blows out”, for while the pledges of Disboard are almost infinitely interpretative, there’s a canny inexpungibility to her bond with Sora, one the pledges can never completely overcome. Shiro searches her vast repository of memory, and recovers the knowledge that a day and a half ago, Sora challenged Kurami Zell to a perilous game of “Existence Othello.” Yikes!

“We’re not the heroes of a shounen manga.” In another memory Shiro recalls, Sora tells her “you don’t change yourself. You change how you do things.” This conundrum won’t be solved with brute force, or yelling, or by changing herself, but by looking things differently, which she achieves by having Jibril scan her room for magic and finding…lots.

“We always win a game before we start.” The game is still in progress, in that very room; Sora’s existence hasn’t disappeared. And it’s a game he would not have started had defeat been possible. Even when he’s on the cusp of defeat, he has faith Shiro will take over, using the last three white (=Shiro) stones he left her to turn the tide and soundly beat Kurami, returning Sora into physical being and ending the illusion.

“I’m going to get the last piece we need to bring over the Eastern Federation.” What’s most amazing about this whole epic ordeal is that it didn’t involve the Warbeasts at all, nor was the primary purpose of winning to defeat the adversary (again, this isn’t shounen). The “piece” he spoke of was Kurami Zell, along with her elf associate Feel.

She would never trust him the way Shiro did unless he could unpack the entire width ad breadth of his existence, which he did by intentionally losing right up until the end. The two demands of his choice he asked for as the reward for victory gives him his piece: restoring each others’ memories, but keeping copies of the ones they took from one another. I’m very much looking forward to the new Kurami he made.

When the “sky walk” is over and the dust settles, Sora and Shiro and Kurami and Feel collapse into two bawling heaps of exhaustion. The extreme nature of this game served to underline how important a united front against the Warbeasts was to Sora, and how seriously he takes them as an opponent. And all of this was hidden in his monologue last week.