Though the scene was definitely overkill, that dead dog (mafia style) near the beginning of this episode certainly set a much darker tone for this series, which is certainly an improvement considering the lackluster opener. As this episode would later go on to explain, it appears that many of young Sion’s problems are due to him being the son of a noble father who married a commoner. This, in turn, gives Sion the motivation to want to overturn the current order of the world due its corruption, etc, etc. While I certainly understand Sion’s motivation to become king, he better not continue blabbing on about his past and the corrupt way of the world, otherwise he may start entering Suzaku Kururugi territory. That type of behavior would be enough for me to drop this show just out of principle.
A sunrise is a perfect time to flirt.
We flash forward some unknown number of years (though still before the start of episode 1) and Sion is attending a magic academy that trains social rejects to become sacrificial red shirts for the Roland Empire. He eventually befriends, through his irritable charm, a young recruit by the name of Kiefer Knolles and, through blackmail, Ryner so they will join his team for the upcoming exams. After they pass the exams with flying colors, Sion asks Ryner to help him overthrow the kingdom. Ryner, in his typical fashion, burns Sion, citing his laziness. Following a brief moment of male bonding, the two are attacked by NINJAs!
After Ryner unceremoniously leaves him to deal with the ninjas by himself, Ferris eventually comes out of nowhere to save Sion. Indebted to Ferris, Sion is obligated to bring her a special order of Dango and the two then discuss why people are trying to kill him. After he explains his past to Ferris, she tells him she will find out who was trying to kill him, as long as she gets more Dango for herself and her young sister, Iris. The episode ends on a pretty ominous note, as we learn that Sion’s team, Ryner and Kiefer included, are walking right into a trap. Additionally, it seems as though Kiefer is likely a spy, given how she tried to keep Ryner from going to fight. That and the pieces of knowledge Ferris and Iris obtained after interrogating whoever was trying to kill Sion.
Ryner is a pretty popular guy.
As previously mentioned, this episode was a definite improvement over the first, which makes you wonder why they didn’t decide to start with this episode. That aside, there are still a few things that I am wondering about going forward. It would seem that Ferris’ brother is a pretty important individual, but I am still wondering what his motives are for keeping Sion alive. On that same issue, it seems as though Ferris is fairly afraid of her brother as she does whatever he demands.
Peace and love.
One moment that caught really caught my attention was how Ferris referred to Sion as a dog right after she saved him. While the comedy that resulted from this was interesting enough, it seemed more than just a coincidence that she referred to him as a dog after the opening sequence prominently featured a dead one, but then again it’s probably nothing. Sion aside, it seems that Ryner and Ferris have both had troubled childhoods. While with Ferris this is nothing more than conjecture (though her appearance in the ED would seem to give this opinion some credibility), it is evident that Ryner clearly had a less than perfect childhood in a militaristic quasi-orphanage. As the series progresses, the main character’s similar pasts may be something that binds them together, even if they don’t always see eye to eye.
She could torture me any day.
While this episode put its predecessor to shame, there are still a few things I don’t like about the series. First, Ryner’s character seems to be pretty one-dimensional at the current moment. I get that he is supposed to be lazy and that was his excuse for rejecting Sion’s offer, but there has to be more to this guy. Another possible mark against this series is the potential for overusing Ryner’s Alpha Stigma as the reason the world shuns him. While this is isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for me in regards to this series, I’ve just sort of become numb to that kind of plot device. Thank you, Naruto.
Keeping the end of Episode 1 in mind, along with how this episode ended, it looks like the next episode will finally have the epic carnage I’ve been waiting for. Also looking forward to the first meeting between Ryner and Ferris, as it doesn’t seem the two of them have met yet.
I wonder if eating that much dango is good for you.
I thought this episode was vastly superior to the first one, which just jumped around between different plot lines and was a rather unfocused. This episode had a solid plot and also worked in some political elements that reminded me of LoGH in a way. The name is silly, but this episode alone has piqued my interest enough to continue to follow it. At this point, the series has a lot of potential, but I’m also wary of some cliches that can arise, especially the Alpha Stigma thing as you pointed out. (I hope the name isn’t indicative of its plot purpose…)
Oh god, the Suzaku route. It’s not terrible to want to work things out by using the government, but every character ends up being a stubborn pig head of a person. Flynn did it, Suzaku did it, etc. It just makes me want to punch them in the face. There’s such a thing as balance. :/
I guess I should correct myself on this point. It seems like Sion has plans on overthrowing the government/kingdom instead of working within the system. Its just the way he complains about the way things are and how he wants to change them reminds me of Suzaku.
Ah, so Chaotic Good rather than full on Lawful Good. That’s quite a bit more bearable. I can see where you might be put off by it though, if he’s particularly vocal about it.