First Impressions / Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry

「深海の魔女VS電切」 (Shinkai no Majo VS Raikiri)
“Witch Of The Deep Ocean VS Raikiri”

While I might not be a Shizuku symphatizer, I can honestly say I’m a much bigger fan of hers than I previously was.

Clearly Stating Yourself

Compared to other episodes where the story tried to make me feel for Shizuku, I think this was the first time something actually clicked with me. Unlike other episodes where she simply came off as a bro-con, I think this was the first time I felt that she was a character much more then that. Admitting that she once had an incorrect view of the world and respected her brother for smacking it out of her when no one else would, it’s not as tough to see why she’d be so head over heels for him. Toss in their family’s horrible treatment toward him and maybe all that love shes trying to give Ikki really comes from an honest intent!

But not stopping there, Shizuku managed to handle all fronts as she entered an epic fight this week. Not feeling down about her situation, I loved how she faced everything head on with a clear goal in mind. From overcoming the inherent weakness that water has with electricity to taking the offense against Touka when she couldn’t quite get a grasp over what was happening, I was surprised when I found myself hoping she’d somehow steal the win.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. With experience and skill on Touka’s side, I wasn’t too surprised seeing her slice straight through Shizuku’s last surprise attack. Luckily, watching the battle was a blast in itself. From the flashy electric attacks to Shizuku turning the battlefield into a winter wonderland, there was more than enough to make up for my slight disappointment with the outcome. However, if I had one complaint, it would have to be the constant recycling of the same scenes in-between the action. With all that circling around Shizuku and Touka to the exact same pan of Ikki and company, it makes you wonder how much money SILVER LINK actually saved this week. Then again, you also had one of the most beautiful scenes from this anime with all those snowflakes floating around the stadium after the battle.

Looking Ahead

You know, not much really happened this week. With Shizuku’s battle taking up a majority of the time, I was a little irked that we didn’t get much follow up from last week. However, now that we do know where the “mysterious” attack on Ikki and Stella came from, I’m hoping that something horrible happens to perpetrator for attempting such a dirtbag move.

Catch you guys next week!

 

End Card

33 Comments

    2. Apparently Touka’s introduction is handled differently in the LN so I can’t really say if it’s the adaptation’s fault or what, but I very much disliked her between last episode and this episode.

      She’s cool, sure, but since she’s really only been depicted as an all but mute superbeing who just sort of stoically destroys anything in her way, she comes off as somewhere between boring and a mary sue. I honestly liked the Sword Eater and the invisible guy more.

      KaleRylan
      Reply

      2. Really, someone in the last reviews comments said in the LN you see her off the job first. Which would maybe help because as of now, she just seems inscrutable and invincible and kind of annoying.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

    3. she represents the old “samurai” style. When the Sword is pulling out of their sheet, then it turns into serious business (in old days, if the Sword is out of its sheet, then its for killing only)

      like an switch that turn inside your mind

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

  2. Fan-tas-tic animation of the fight. Honestly, I usually don’t care much about action scenes, but Silver Link actually managed to turn these into real highlights for me. This fight was the best of all the ones we’ve seen so far, and why? Because this was not “MC gets beaten to an inch of his life, but then suddenly powers up and one-shots the opposition” standard, but an actual exchange of ideas and moves.

    You know what made Shizuku much more sympathetic to me, as well? That she was noticing Stella’s genuine concern for her _without_ displaying scorn or open hostility for it in return. She still sees Stella as a nuisance/opponent to her, and she still feels “It doesn’t make me happy that you are rooting for me”, but she accepts it without being an ass about it.

    So, another excellent episode. All things considered, this show is a conversion which stands heads and shoulders over what I expected (feared) it to be.

    Mentar
    Reply

  3. Couple of things from this episode:

    1. I like Shizuka more. Basically totally in agreement with the review minus one thing: to me this episode didn’t highlight why she’s ‘more than a brocon.’ It highlighted why they never should have had that element at all. She would be a much more enjoyable character if she were just his badass little sister who loved him and supported him when no one else did. Nothing about that requires her wanting to jump his bones.

    2. Stella needs a freaking fight. As soon as humanly possible. She’s supposed to be quite possibly the best fighter in the school save maybe Ikki or Touka but between never getting a fight and, purposely, doing no homework on other fighters, she comes off as completely unaware of the world they live in. I like Stella, but the show has made her a great girlfriend while not really doing a good job of presenting how good of a warrior she’s supposed to be.

    KaleRylan
    Reply

    1. perhaps point 2, is a thought about their Budget. They must careful calculated with it. Sure with more they surly would go all out. But reality is a harsh thing

      When its about her time in the Arena, i hope they show us how badass she become as a melee withs Ikki’s help

      and that would also give an “smack” into his fathers face. see, even an failure can teach how to win, to an stranger

      as you see, it’s a bit complicated. But i do hope we see her training fruits with ikki soon.. (no, no H Joke)

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

    2. I agree with point 1, I don’t understand why we even needed the incestual feelings from her to be there in the first place. It sounds like your stereotypically bad japanese harem writing which I loathe.

      Machon
      Reply

  6. I really was surprised that super-imouto got wasted… they really tricked me into beleiving that by going onto offensive and going all out she can win – then “lightning flash” happened…
    Lesson learned -sometimes, you might do your best, make all the right moves and still lose. Good she has Alice by her side!

    ewok40k
    Reply

  7. I actually shed a tear when Shizuku broke down at the end. That fight turned me from “I hate that brocon bitch” to “I don’t care that she’s a brocon, I like her” fast.

    Rakudai is the dark horse anime of the season right now.

    legwkio
    Reply

  8. Congrats, Rakudai is now the 29th highest selling light novel series for the year in a latest survey!
    http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-11-29/top-selling-light-novels-in-japan-by-series-2015/.95914

    Check #1,2,3 of that list are. Who knew Hestia’s chest ribbon and Shiba Tatsuya’s OPness still had so much power?

    I wonder what Rakudai’s author thinks of the anime. His story’s being cut and adjusted everywhere, and the animation can get rather cheap, but book sales have gone up and the upcoming Vol 1 is expected to sell well.
    In comparison, Asterisk War, for all its big budget, game spinoff and promotions, didn’t even make the Top 30 list and Vol 1 is expected to sell less than Rakudai.

    zztop
    Reply

  9. Said this elsewhere, but I thought it was a shame that Ikki couldn’t show sympathy to Shizuku and vice-versa; it almost feels like they were depriving themselves of what they truly wanted to do there =01.

    frubam
    Reply

    2. Yea, they completely cut out all the ditzy parts of the Student Council. She’s such a great megane character too, but in the anime she’s just this stereotypical overpowered lightning user. Maybe they’ll add it on to next episode to shorten some of the more unsavory stuff coming up…

      ptolemaios00
      Reply

  12. LN reader elitism strikes back. (I’m also LN reader too so I know that the changes is not as bad as the other readers advertised to anime only viewer, for anime only viewer rest assured it’s as good as the original LN or maybe better)

    cryarc
    Reply

  13. Great episode overall! I loved the battle, it was a lot more hectic than what was described in the LN. Silver Link delivers consistently when it comes to fights! The extra characterization for Shizuku did a lot to endear her to me. I liked her before (though not her incestuous side!) but she’s even more daww now.

    One thing, did the anime make a mistake with Touka’s Raikiri? If I recall correctly, wasn’t that technique supposed to be a electromagnetically powered sword draw? She uses the sheath like the rails of a railgun, but in the anime her sheath was frozen on the ground by one of Shizuku’s water clones. Then again it’s not like Misaka Mikoto needed any rails to shoot her railgun lol. Or I could be remembering the technique wrong.

    FlameStrike
    Reply

  14. It was commented somewhere by LN readers that Touka was actually going easy on Shizuku because she didn’t even bother wearing her eyeglass during the fight. And I think that riled up Ikki a bit.

    And hopefully, Silver Link extends Ikki and Touka’s finals match before the climatic exchange.

    Raiu
    Reply

  15. Ep 11:

    Show Spoiler ▼

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

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