OP Sequence

OP: 「Against.」by Kaori Ishihara

「邂逅 ―僕とわたしが出会った敵は―」 (Kaigou ― Boku to Watashi ga Deatta Teki wa ―)
“Encounter: The Enemy You and I Met Was…”

Nothing too dramatic yet. Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on your mileage. A stark contrast from action mixed with political intrigue, the second episode of KimiSen generally comprised slice of life with some romantic comedy moments.

Assuming that Nene and Mismis are both interested in Iska, I find it hard to believe they didn’t try to tag along with him to the opera or art museum. That was a clear chance to have some quality one on one time. But that gave a clear berth for Alice to power through as the resident tsundere – when she coincidentally meets Iska on both days in the Neutral City. While Iska and Alice might struggle to acknowledge their feelings, there’s definitely love in the air tonight. Seeing them perfectly in sync at the restaurant, struggling to sleep at night thinking of one another, going through an art museum together, it’s pretty clear to me that they would make an awesome couple. Though I need to concur with Rin – bell canto (well done) pasta is heretical. Al Dente is the only way.

My favourite scene was when Iska took Alice to see his favourite painting, and explained why he loved it so much – showing insight and attention to minor details that suggested the artist’s feelings and thought process. Alice didn’t even really pay attention to the painting – she was that enamoured by the sight of Iska’s passionate explanation. In terms of how much I enjoyed the scene, this was closely followed by the park bench scene – where Iska and Alice have an intimate heart to heart, before Iska falls asleep on her shoulders. Unfortunately, the fact they’re military assets on opposing sides really makes this complicated. But I believe that love is stronger than hate. And if they are truly meant to be, these obstacles can be overcome – while making for a compelling story along the way. Most importantly, both characters are pretty darn likeable – which makes it easy for me to remain invested as well as cheer on their attempts at courtship.

In terms of KimiSen’s lore, witches being descended from the founder’s twin proved to be quite a twist – especially with a reveal that the original founder who terrorised the Empire is still alive – albeit stuck in stasis. To be honest, I wonder if the Empire’s elders are cogent of this fact – given how keen they are when it comes to continuously building weapon bunkers. And there’s definitely something else that hasn’t been laid out in the open, given how it was explicitly mentioned that the founding witch had a grudge against the Empire – suggesting they probably did something to piss her off in the first place. Given how she reacted to Iska’s powers, perhaps it’s something to do with his Astral Swords. Even if Iska and Alice were to sincerely spearhead any efforts, if reconciliation were to take place, it would be important for the truth to be discovered – so that both sides can apologise for their respective wrongdoings and seek to make amends. Perhaps a personal preference, but rather than one big expose, I hope that KimiSen’s lore and history will continue to be trickled to us so that we can put the pieces together.

Anyway, that’s about everything I wanted to discuss. As always, thanks for reading this post and see you next week – where I will decide if I want to continue coverage with this series or not.

ED Sequence

ED: 「氷の鳥籠」 (Koori no Torikago) by Aliceliese Lou Nebulis IX (Sora Amamiya)

5 Comments

  1. Glad they finally explained why Iska was at the opera house. It was rather unexpected in the first episode, but here they played it up that we know it was inevitable. And their synergy was so cute.

    While the first episode felt fast, this one didn’t feel that way. Actually when the credits rolled, I realized almost half an hour had passed. So, yeah, really enjoyed the two impromptu dates they had.

    Now, lets see how the more serious and heavy side of the story goes.

    theirs
  2. Bel canto pasta? Whaaaaa? They almost lost me there 😉

    Still following this with curiosity. I wonder why, since I’m usually not that great with Romeo&Juliet settings. I guess it’s because I really like the characters (with the exception of Iska’s “captain”, whose template is really grating on my nerves)

    Mentar
  3. A bumbling, delectable type-B tsundere princess, a calm yet thoughtful swordsman, and a disapproving maid… nice ingredients for a rom-com. The “pasta date” was funny to the end.

    Rin”s absence allowed them to converse at length in their second “date”, catching a few more glimpses into the other’s personality. A truly lovable couple in the making.

    I hope in the future they would band together to end the malice and hatred that fuels the war.

    Magnus Tancred
  4. Did we really need them having already met in the past? To reinforce the “fateful” encounter bit? Anyways, pretty cute episode.
    Regarding the history lesson, so one twin was was the ancestor of the royal family while the older twin was the first leader/founder of their nation who is currently sleeping? I would have thought that it’s the same person.

    boingman

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