「相克の使命」 (Futatsu no Shimei)
“Two Tasks”

No harem – or reverse harem in this case, I guess – is ever complete without a yandere! The one to join Tamaki’s list of possible suitors is quite the pretty one, much like the rest of his fellow comrades. He does possess an unpredictable and possibly violent aura though, which would make him a classic yandere: proclaiming their love whilst holding a chainsaw behind their backs. While certifiably crazy, the stereotype does tend to make a rather… vibrant addition to any medium their injected in, so I’m intrigued in seeing how the newcomer will spice up Tamaki’s life.

Her life really began to shift gears this episode however, with the revelation she hasn’t fully “awoken” as the Tamayori Princess and Aria’s crew seemingly getting serious, her life can’t be rainbows and flowers forever (the occasional demons aside, of course); thankfully Tamaki favors training to make herself stronger and trying her best instead of wallowing in self-pity. It’s a good trait to have and although I’m not sure how this will help, the progressive nature of her personality effectively endears her more to me as a character. It’s optimism that doesn’t stray into “sickeningly naive” territory and the sign of a will that doesn’t snap like a twig. From what Hiiro no Kakera has shown me so far, Tamaki is a dynamic heroine that may seem reckless at times, but possesses a desire to act rather than be sequestered behind her harem all the time. She does know when to stand back though, so she saves herself from becoming the thoughtless heroine that puts people around her in danger all the time because of her tendency to jump headfirst into the fray.

It’s Tamaki’s interactions with the guys that really sealed the deal for me in terms of her as a character, however. Due to the nature of otome games it’s difficult at times to create a colorful heroine that will retain their colors all throughout the game – with Hiiro no Kakera it’s doubly difficult since it’s a fantasy genre and already at the outset, it’s labeled its heroine as a “princess”, as someone who needs to be protected. In a game it’s easier to overlook the flaws, but in an anime, where the character is given spoken lines and is required to interact on screen with her male leads? Not so easy. Tamaki is vibrant but not overly so, and so far, she has been shown to actually speak her mind and communicate with her guardians whenever the need arises. In turn her guardians don’t treat her like a porcelain doll and they, too, involve her in serious matters and treat her like an equal. They acknowledge her desire to grow, and it’s that sort of equality I’m really growing to appreciate. Takuma tells her once to “depend on [them]” and another time that “he’ll help her as often as needed”, which made me giddy not only because it’s a huge leap forward in the romantic department, it’s acknowledgement they – he, Tamaki, and the rest of the guardians – are all in this together, as comrades and friends. Takuma is not giving Tamaki free reign to be a damsel and let him do everything for her; rather he’s offering his assistance. It’s a subtle, yet definite difference that not only makes the show much more entertaining to watch, but makes the whole romantic aspect of it more sensible and easy to understand. It’s a two-way street.

Takuma sure was speeding up that romantic train though, and I don’t know if it’s an accident that all the telling, important lines came from him – it could be a coincidence, but I won’t deny the shipper in me went into over-analyze mode. The show seems to be trying to shed some of the rosy light on Mahiro too though, which I’m not at all opposed to. He’s probably the second most featured guy after Takuma so it’s not insensible on the producers’ part to focus the romantic aspect on those two instead of trying to converge everyone’s routes together. Now that’s a mix and match I do not ever want to see.

Full-Size Images: 02, 05, 07, 09, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 21, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36, Preview 01

 

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8 Comments

  1. How come they don’t notice that Fiona looks like Vier? She’s not even trying to hide it! Argh, I mustn’t question logic in anime, I mustn’t question logic in anime [insert random keyboard smash].

    Stereoman
    1. Well you know- completely different carnation, hair AND eye color would actually be more than enough to fool most people even in real life. And give them some credit- I think some of them are already quite a bit suspicious of her. Actually, Suguru seemed suspicious of her even BEFORE he met Vier ;D

      Kizuna
  2. O chan is so cute. I couldnt resist and went to play the game, Show Spoiler ▼

    So there is no idea on how they want to end this (on relationships) or maybe have it open.

    KJacket
  3. As a person coming in fresh to the franchise it’s very engaging show for a reverse harem show. I’ve heard great things about the series, maybe after the show I’ll have to play the game. Kinda in game mode now as I’m also watching shining hearts but I just finished that game before the anime.

    The only thing that weird me out is how after the end credits the guys are looking forward to see me… I know they got to appeal to the girls but other than that loving the show.

    O-chan is definitely cool kitsune and I love how Tamaki says it’s name. Also Tamaki is just too cute when she was practicing her powers (with o-chan!). I hope to see more spirits or demons soon. Japanese folk/spirits/ghost and the whole shrines and maidens are very interesting because I rarely get to hear of them when growing up in west so to me it’s new and refreshing then normal lores I grew up listening to.

    Keep up the great work BakaMochi!!

    Sherylfan
  4. From my experience, getting food onto a plane can be hit or miss and I’ve had to scarf my fresh food pre-security once or twice. I’ve been in some airports that did a second search on the way onto the plane and even made us throw out the food and water we purchased after the first screening. I’m heading overseas this week and I’ll be be bringing mainly sealed food (Larabars, trail mix, single-serve vitamin C poweder, single-serve Vega) with me to be safe but I’ll bring some of fresh fuit as well. I can’t leave home without my water bottle and tea.

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