Peach Boy Riverside – 11

「理想と現実」 (Risou to Genjitsu)
“Ideals and Reality”

This week’s Peach Boy Riverside takes us all the way back to when they first met Winnie where Sally tries to get her to teach her how to use magic. But much of the episode’s details are too little too late since learning what happened during their visit with Winnie would’ve been more useful BEFORE the fight with Todoroki.

The party’s trip to Winnie’s place offers plenty of explanations as to why they acted accordingly when they fought Todoroki’s group. It sheds a little light on how Hawthorn was able to hold himself against a powerful enemy like Sally, how Meki’s resolve began to waver as she started accepting being called Carrot as an ex-ogre, why Sumeragi considers Sally to be a diamond in the rough, and Winnie’s personal relationships with both Hawthorn and Frau.

It also sets up the conflict that helps to reinforce Sally’s wish to end racial hostility among demi-humans. Sally’s path to ending racism is a bit odd since it involves having different races bond and find common ground through their mutual hatred in ogres. But we all have to start somewhere, and since Sally keeps encountering ignorant humans whose racism is unwavering, at the very least different demihumans can come together to hate something other than each other.

One funny moment I have to highlight is when Sumeragi was exposed for not knowing that Mikoto is a genocidal nutcase. For all of his cockiness, he couldn’t smarm or scheme his way out of Mikoto drooling over the prospect of beheading ogres. I was oddly cheering on the idea of Mikoto getting rid of Sumeragi so that he won’t have to be annoying another day. But he’s too useful of a villain so it looks like Mikoto will have to take a raincheck. Just like how it’s easier for Sumeragi to pull his punches and withdraw from fighting Sally when there isn’t a feasible or epic fight they could have at this point in time.

There’s only one problem; It’s all too little too late. It would’ve been nice to know all of this at least before they fought the vampire or Todoroki’s group. Knowing the finale is just the conclusion of this fight, we’re just gonna end with the conditions that caused Hatsuki to get whooped and tag along with Mikoto.

It’s pretty underwhelming, especially since it doesn’t do anything to explain where the characters will be going from here after the events of the last episode. With Todoroki getting doughnut’d by Sumeragi as the final chronological moment of the series, there’s nothing to be excited about for the finale. And because there’s barely any new content from here aside from finding out how Sally beats the crap out of Hatsuki with her Peach Eye, it preps viewers up to only be mildly excited for what’s to come in the season finale.