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「すばるの修行 THE BEWITCHING GUARDIAN」 (Subaru no Shugyou THE BEWITCHING GUARDIAN)
“Subaru’s Training – The Bewitching Guardian”
Trolling masters are dime a dozen among Japan’s exorcists.
Troll Date
The purpose of Mitejima Subaru (Sawashiro Miyuki) as a character seems to be to turn the shipping up over 9000. Which, to be fair, I heartily enjoyed; I think I laughed out loud more at this offering than any other Sousei no Onmyouji episode so far. It had the old problem of such episodes, where it felt aimless and even filler-ish at times, though unlike last week’s Netoge ep9 this felt more like stretched content instead of pure fluff. I won’t rehash that argument, I’ve said it all before, and I heartily enjoyed the romantic scenes, because I’m a sucker for those. A more interesting question might be this: What’s the ideal mix of action and romance for a Sousei no Onmyouji episode?
Skimming the season so far, I’ve got to admit—romance isn’t where Sousei no Onmyouji is at its best. It’s an integral element, but not in the rabu-rabu daito kind of way. It’s when Rokuro and Benio are forging a mutual understanding, whether it be laced with the romance or not, that the relationship axis of the series works best (last episode was an excellent example). It really is the action and plot that most often leave me enthralled, which is worth noting because most action/other hybrid anime feel weak on their action axis, though I’m sure some of y’all will bring up points to the contrary. To give an example, think of any magical-fantasy-action-harem anime, particularly if there’s a focus on ecchi—the harem/ecchi is almost always the key feature, with the plot serving as more of an excuse to watch. It’s like claiming to read Playboy for the articles.
So will this episode rank among Sousei no Onmyouji’s best? Probably not. It was fun though, so no skin off my back. I wouldn’t mind more blushing Benio, and even blushing Rokuro is fun.
Sacrificing for Each Other
As I said above, Sousei no Onymouji is at its best, relationship-wise, when Rokuro and Benio are forging a mutual understanding. The stand out moment of the episode was when Benio placed an enchantment on Rokuro’s arm, allowing him to control it as he used to, at the cost of great strain to herself. Ten bucks says she made that talisman specifically with this in mind. That kind of thoughtfulness and sacrifice indicates once again that Benio does value Rokuro, even if they still squabble and fight. Rokuro grabbing her felt more contrived, but hopefully he’ll get more chances to properly show the same thing at a later date.
tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Two trolling masters show up to train Rokuro & Benio. To fight? Naw. Marriage training #sousei 10
Random thoughts:
- At least Rokuro asked for help after he messed up the directions. Some adults don’t ask for help even then.
- Even as an adult, I agree with Rokuro and Benio on those pancakes. Chill the fuck out yo.
- That familiar is still so damn useless. What a waste of FukuJun.
My first novel, Wage Slave Rebellion, is available now. (More info—now in paperback!) Sign up for my email list for a FREE sequel novella. Over at stephenwgee.com, the last four posts: I love sales jobs, Good realism is character realism, Dying idols, and Frictionless routines.
Preview
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i am pretty sure i didnt see this whole episode in the manga… or did i miss something?
are they planning to really make this anime adaptation a “semi original”?
because its a bummer to me that i will not see the Show Spoiler ▼
This was mostly anime-original, but does take a few stuff from later chapters not yet scanlated.
It’s pretty clear at this point that no matter how this ends (or when, for that matter) it’s going to be anime-original since Show Spoiler ▼
It’s really pretty disappointing since, IMO, the manga tells a much better (and much more consistent) story. I totally agree with Stilts about how how the Rokuro/Benio relationship is at its best when built on understanding and respect, so for me it’s a little tedious to see the anime throw them through the gauntlet of token romcom gags.
Show Spoiler ▼
It’s Anime-Original, but it builds up to a technique which in the Manga appeared out of thin air.
As for the spoiler: Show Spoiler ▼
If blushes were a power source, I think this episode would’ve solved the energy problem forever.
I don’t read the manga, but the way the storyline is unfolding is really weird?
After last week’s episode, I’m getting whiplash from this week’s pure comedy and shipping. And Benio was blushing a bit too much this episode…it’s just a little bit unnatural given how her character has been developed so far.
Also the production values…they weren’t great in some of the earlier parts of the series but this ep. was terrible.
I like this episode
Any opportunity to hear Sawashiro Miyuki is welcome.
It is really hard to mess up directions in todays time, every mobile phone has an navi, of course the ones without one, are “cursed” 🙂
When I saw the thumbnail, I thought that the anime went father than the manga, and then I checked previous episodes and went “Wait a minute…”
Was it just me or did anyone else think. “Oh look it’s Kon from Tokyo Ravens”
They just put a sheet in front of the face to avoid licensing issues 😛
I nominate Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance as having a highly engaging and action-driven story over the ecchi/romance angles. However, I’m basing that off the LN’s; the anime barely scratched the surface.