First Impressions / Zero no Tsukaima

Summary:
In the Royal Palace, Louise receives the title of Chevalier from Henrietta. The princess also thanks Saito and asks him to look after Louise. She then extends her hand out at him, permitting him to kiss it as a vow of loyalty. Saito has no idea what the hand is for until Louise tell him about the kiss. However, Saito misinterprets her, so he goes in and kisses Henrietta on the lips instead of on the hand. Henrietta faints from the experience and Louise proceeds to beat Saito up. Afterwards, Henrietta tells the two that she’s got a request for them: to go into the city and conduct some intelligence operations on some rumored oppression of commoners by nobles. Louise accepts the mission, but to her disappointment, she has to wear commoner clothes. On top of that, she doesn’t have enough money for a horse or to stay in a hotel. Saito suggests she look for something cheaper, but Louise doesn’t think that she’ll be able to sleep in a cheap room. Saito says that this job is impossible for a noble princess type like her, and that causes Louise to go off alone angrily.
Around the time when the sun is setting, Saito finally finds Louise sitting alone by a water fountain. To his dismay, he learns that Louise lost all of their money in a casino as she tried to increase what they had. The answer to their troubles appears in an oddly dressed man who approaches them and introduces himself as Scarron. He offers them a room, but attaches a condition for Louise. In fact, Scarron runs a place called the Fairies of Charm Inn that employs girls in maid outfits. Louise becomes the newest girl working there, but Scarron tells everyone that she and Saito are siblings who ran away from being sold because of their father’s debt. While Louise gets to play waitress, Saito is in the back washing the dishes along with a well-endowed girl named Jessica. Louise doesn’t take very well to how well those two are getting alone, but her attention is diverted when Scarron announces that this is a chip race week. The winner gets to wear the special bustier that has a charm magic that will allow the wearer to earn as much money as they want. Louise is particularly interested in that last part and thinks that this is her chance.
The problem with Louise is that her pride of being a noble gets in the way of serving the commoners. When business hours come along, the men ogle her and comment on how small her breasts are. One particular man asks her to feed him wine mouth-to-mouth and she responds by dumping the liquid on his head. Fortunately, Scarron gets her out of the situation. That night, a tired Saito takes the floor of their room and lets Louise have the bed. She can’t seem to fall asleep and instead listens to Saito snoring away. She suddenly hears a noise and looks up to see three bats hanging from the ceiling. Those bats fly down and buzz around her head, forcing Louise to get out of bed and onto the ground. Feeling embarrassed, she climbs into Saito’s bed on the floor and sleeps under the same blanket as him. The next day, Louise doesn’t do any better at her job and ends up again pouring wine on a guy’s head and slapping another guy.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Saito learns that Jessica is actually Scarron’s daughter. When Louise sees those two talking happily, she also notices how big Jessica’s chest is. Pissed off, Louise throws a wine bottle at Saito’s head, knocking him out. Saito later wakes up in a private room with Jessica at his side. She’s realized that he and Louise aren’t really siblings and that Louise is really a noble. She asks if Saito is Louise’s servant, but he denies it and tries to act mysterious. That only gets Jessica more interested and causes her to come onto him so that she can find out what he knows. Right as Jessica has her chest in Saito’s face, Louise bursts into the room demanding to know what Saito is doing. Saito tells her that he was gathering intelligence and then quickly gets off the bed. Of course Louise doesn’t believe him and responds by kicking him in the crotch. As Louise is dragging Saito’s body out, Jessica stops her and asks about her work. She knows how poorly Louise is doing and says that it can’t be helped because of Louise’s meager breasts. Jessica’s words compel Louise to vow that she’ll win the chip race.
That night, a heavyset man, accompanied by several guards, comes to the inn and forces all the other customers to leave. Jessica tells Saito that this is a tax collector named Turenne who doesn’t pay. Not knowing this, Louise walks over to serve him thinking that this is a rich noble. Turenne immediately checks out Louise’s chest and becomes disappointed with it. He reaches out to confirm the size of her breasts with his hands, but instead he gets a kick in the face from Louise. Turenne and his guards are furious, but Saito slides in between Louise and the men. Unfortunately, Saito realizes too late that he left Derfflinger back in his room. The guards are about to beat up on Saito, but Louise lets loose a blast of her magic. Turenne realizes that she’s actually a noble and when Louise pulls out the royal family permit that Henrietta gave her, he bows down and hands over all his money. After Turenne and his men run away, Jessica and Scarron announce that all that money makes Louise the winner of the chip race.
In their room later, Louise changes into the bustier from the chip race contest. Since Louise specially wore this, she asks Saito to say something rather than gaping at her. All Saito manages to come up with is a Très Bien (French for “very good”). This is the phrase Scarron has been repeating all this time, so Louise wishes that Saito would at least praise her with some different words. Meanwhile, Fouquet’s prison cell gets opened by a mysterious man whose face is covered by the shadows. This man at first addresses her as Fouquet, but then corrects himself and calls her Matilda of South Gotha.

Minor Translation Notes on the Names:
「スカロン」 -> Sukaron -> Scarron (like in Paul Scarron)
「チュレンヌ」 -> Churennu -> Turenne (as in this guy)
「マチルダ・オブ・サウスゴータ」 -> Machiruda Obu Sausugoota -> Matilda of South Gotha (given the European theme, I think Gotha is appropriate).

Preview:

That was a GREAT way to start the episode, with Saito kissing Henrietta. It had me laughing so hard and I just knew that Louise was going to blow a gasket. Heck, I think Saito gets beat up even more than usual this episode for that kiss and for all the flirting with Jessica – he got beaten to a pulp, kicked in the balls, knocked out with a wine bottle, and the list goes on… Louise meanwhile was the victim of many jokes about her chest (or lack thereof). Kugimiya Rie did a great job voicing her stuttering.
Jessica on the other hand is the opposite of Louise, at least where her chest is concerned. That one bounce of her breasts when Louise was looking at them was almost unnecessary (almost). Her father Scarron meanwhile gives off way too many macho/okama vibes. It felt like he was out of Inukami or something.
I had suspected that Fouquet wasn’t completely out of the story given how just handing her over to the authorities was such an unsatisfying end. Now there’s a mysterious man involved and it’ll be interesting to see where the story goes from here. As for next week, it looks like Saito gets to have a bath with Siesta. 🙂 The actual title of the episode seems to hint at something about Tabitha though.

36 Comments

  11. Man, looks funny, can’t wit for the summary^^
    Really a relationship mix this series. But think Saito will end up with Louise, it seems obvious to me
    (just look at the opening). But nevertheless I hope there’ll be some nice scenes between him and Siesta next week. Saito x Siesta is my favourite pairing 😉
    Well, was too obvious, that the green haired woman will escape.
    In the opening I couldn’t see any other major enemies than her.

    *Chi*
    Reply

  13. I also take it Saito never saw or read historical dramas, where the proper etiquette was to kiss the HAND?

    Well, it looks like it’s a learning experience for Louise, especially given how Saito’s so easily slipped into living like a commoner there – but I find it kinda cute how Louise ends up getting attacked by bats… and frightened by the fact she has a dominatrix outfit which is fitted to her…

    Haesslich
    Reply

  17. Wow….

    wow….

    wow….

    I can’t believe Lousie didn’t kill Saito. (although she did pretty dang close 😀 ) When I saw the SaitoxHenrietta kiss, I paused it and went “Hoo boy…if that’s not a dream Saito is dead…if that’s not a dream, saito is SOooo dead…”

    But lo and behold….

    I can’t believe the palace guards didn’t have him executed either…

    😀 😀 😀

    Shinji103
    Reply

  23. Okay, the Henrietta kiss could be seen from miles away – and yet I was STILL squealing in delight. Delivered SO well, and everytime Louise starts stuttering before an outburst I can hardly contain myself ^_^

    Extra funny: When Henrietta held out her hand, Saito was pouting that everyone was treating him like a dog after all (he assumed it meant “doggie, give a paw”)

    Nevertheless, the REAL key character in the show is and remains Louise. And this episode we got to see the full range of her, from nutcracker mode to hazukashiiiii-minaide! Good stuff!

    Mentar
    Reply

  26. I was wondering who the woman who could’ve been Siesta’s bustier, more aggressive sister was – although I quail at the thought of what she might’ve done in a place like Scarron’s. Still, I can see now how Saito’s getting his harem together – they seem to find his brashness charming. Or something.

    It also makes one wonder how Siesta or the other commoners serving in the palace and the school would’ve reacted to the idea of Saito hauling off and kissing the princess like that. 😀

    Haesslich
    Reply

  27. um…. what’s with the 1st 2 images in the bottm 3? is Satio actually bathing with Siesta!!!??? WAY TO GO SIESTA!!!!

    Sato’s dayily schedual:

    Kiss a princess: CHEEK!

    See my master in a maid uniform: CHEEK!

    Hit on and fondel my bosses sexy Daughter: CHEEK!

    Get kicked in the groan: Cheek!

    NEXT week: Bathe with cute Maid!!!! 🙂

    Hudson
    Reply

  32. it looks like it was da first kiss of henrietta. when saito was holding henrietta b4 kissing her saito’s face looks so cool.scarron is soooo inukami character. haesslich said jessica is siesta’s sister ohhhhhh.

    anim3guy
    Reply

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