First Impressions / Zero no Tsukaima

Summary:
Thinking about how Waldo had said that he cannot protect Louise, Saito is moping around with tears in his eyes. Louise finds him alone, staring off at the sunset, but Saito just wants her to leave him along. She tries to comfort him by saying that Waldo is a commander of the royal guard, so losing doesn’t mean anything. Louise wants him to protect her, but he thinks that Waldo could do it better. When she tries to make him get a hold of himself, Saito lashes out by telling her to shut up. As she’s slowly walking away, Louise tells Saito that she’s going to marry Waldo. This of course doesn’t make Saito feel any better, so he’s still moping around when Guiche comes by later. What finally gets him out of this depression is being suddenly attacked by Fouquet and her golem. As this is occurring, Waldo and Louise set off for the airship, with Waldo telling Louise that Saito and Guiche went home without saying why. Waldo informs her of the dire situation in Albion where the Nobles faction has seized almost all of the country, and the Prince of Wales is the only surviving royal family member. Still, he tells Louise not to worry because he’ll protect her. Those words once again remind Louise of Saito saying the same thing, but she thinks of that as a lie now.
Meanwhile, Saito and Guiche are having trouble bringing down Fouquet’s golem, but fortunately they get some help in the form of Kirche, Tabitha, and Sylph. And with the nearby townspeople coming to see what’s going on, Fouquet decides to make her escape, satisfied with the fact that she kept Saito and company here. Saito finds out too late that Louise and Waldo are gone and that the airship has taken off. After Kirche tells him that Albion is actually a floating continent, Saito yells out Louise’s name in the direction the airship headed off in. Onboard, Louise feels like she heard Saito’s voice. Noticing Louise’s preoccupation with her familiar, Waldo reiterates that he’ll protect her. As the thought of Saito telling her to shut up floats through Louise’s head, she decides once and for all to accept Waldo’s marriage proposal. Louise thinks to herself that this is ok because Waldo is strong and kind, and is neither a familiar nor a commoner. Back at La Rochelle, Saito figures out that with Fouquet involved in this too, Louise must be in danger. The ground then starts moving again, making the group think that Fouquet is back, but it’s actually only Guiche’s familiar Verdandi.
Louise and Waldo arrive in Albion and head for a church where they find several armored knights hiding inside. The knight who approaches them is suspicious, so Louise shows him the ring that Henrietta gave her. In response, the knight takes off his glove and reveals a matching ring – the Wind Ruby. When the Wind and Water Ruby rings are brought together, they produce a bright rainbow light. The knight who is currently wearing the Wind Ruby is the Prince of Wales himself. Wales and Louise return to his room where she hands him the message from Henrietta. He reads it and then gives the letter Henrietta wanted back to Louise. When Louise asks if Henrietta encouraged him to defect in the letter, Wales tells her about a group called the Reconquista which is manipulating the Nobles faction in this Albion civil war. Since he is the Prince of Albion, Wales knows that he has to protect his country, even if it means putting his own life on the line – that’s what he wants Louise to tell Henrietta. Louise finds Waldo waiting for her as she leaves Wales’ room. He first confirms that she has the letter and then suggests that they get married right here. Louise tries to resist, but Waldo grabs her from behind and says that she is necessary to them, the Reconquista. Louise realizes that Waldo is part of that group, but when she tries to run away, she bumps into a blonde man who calls her the descendent of the Void and hypnotizes her with his ring.
With Wales presiding over the ceremony, Waldo is set to wed Louise, whose body is now being controlled by the blonde man from the shadows. Just as Louise is silently screaming for someone to save her, Saito’s voice knocks Louise out of the trance. It seems that Saito found them thanks to the Water Ruby ring. Specifically, Verdandi doesn’t forget the smell of a jewel and was able to track down the place. Wales thinks Saito is a bad guy and calls for his men to seize him. As Louise is trying to clear things up, Waldo pushes her out of the way and stabs the prince through the chest. Wales realizes too late that Waldo is part of the Reconquista and falls to the ground, dying. When Louise rushes to his side, Wales uses his last bit of strength to give her the Wind Ruby ring. Saito and the guards are ready to avenge Wales, but Waldo knocks them all away in one swing. When Waldo tries to make one more appeal for Louise to join him, she refuses because he’s not the Waldo she knew. Saito is unable to forgive Waldo for playing with Louise’s feelings, though Waldo just scoffs because he considers it foolish that a commoner like Saito fell in love with a noble.
His anger rising, Saito tells Waldo that he is neither a commoner nor a noble and he has neither family nor home – he’s just Louise’s familiar. Saito’s power changes Derfflinger into a shiny new sword capable of absorbing Waldo’s magic. He uses it to pierce through another one of Waldo’s magic attacks and manages to land a hit. Waldo is hurt, but is also content that he accomplished at least two of his three goals. The two were taking care of Wales and stealing Henrietta’s letter from Louise. The last goal was Louise herself, and since he can’t have her, he decides to destroy the church with her in it. Saito protects Louise, but the two are ultimately saved by Kirche and Tabitha’s levitation magic. In the aftermath, the group rides Sylph back home, and Louise is dreaming with tears in her eyes. She remembers how Waldo had comforted her on the boat when she was little, but the Waldo in her memory turns into Saito telling her that he’s here for her. When Louise opens her eyes, she realizes that Saito is kissing her. She doesn’t fight it and the two ride off together in the direction of the two moons.

Preview:

Well I didn’t expect the Prince of Wales to die. Here I thought Henrietta might get some sort of happy ending with him, but that’s not the case. In fact, aside from the fact that Saito and Louise finally realized their feelings for each other, the bad guys won out this week. I assume the blonde guy is Cromwell and the ring he used on Louise was the Ring of Andvari. He looks like he’ll be a big player in next week’s episode too. The Reconquista now have Henrietta’s letter and who knows what kind of trouble that’s going to cause.
But it was the SaitoXLouise that gave this a bittersweet ending instead of just a bitter one. Actually, I thought the kiss was a bit sudden, and maybe the two of them could have used a bit more relationship development…but I guess this is what we’ll have to settle for since this show is only 13 episodes. And of course that means that there are only two more episodes.

58 Comments

  8. Just saw the raw. Looks likes Saito’s powers are complete and about time too. Derflinger can now absorb magic just like in the manga. But with the war just starting in ep 12 I wonder if they aren’t rushing the ending a little. The series demands a second season and there will be plenty of material for a third as well.

    Also, did that kiss happen in the manga as well?

    jounin
    Reply

  24. What happened to the pimping? Saito’s already apparently locked onto Louise, and she’s not whipping him to death for it (yet). And now we also have a shot of Henrietta crying (possibly because Saito’s chosen the Pink Haired Loli) too.

    By the way, did anyone else look at the blond knight and think ‘So, -that’s- where Saber’s son went…’

    Haesslich
    Reply

  28. Ramsiel: sorry, I meant while she was crying and stuff, he just kissed her. It was kinda out of nowhere. And I don’t think that kiss will last and that Louise will be back to whipping Saito again if he’s ever caught around Siesta(which will be soon).

    jounin
    Reply

  30. Somehow I think that weird snapping noise we heard in 10 is going to come back and haunt us. ^_^

    I also think that there should be a season 2 and 3… but whether it gets done by Media Factory… who knows, neh? It could be years.

    cbhl
    Reply

  35. Dunno, but I know what they did in the ending and how they changed it from the manga; in this case -> no interest -_-
    And yes, 13 episodes is what wiki says. It’s still difficult to say if we get a second season, take Suzumiya Haruhi as best example.
    About this episode: I guess Siesta will be very unhappy from now on 😉 So Saito finally realized his feelings for Louise. But as everybody’ve said, it’s really rushed a bit..

    *Chi*
    Reply

  36. If there were a second or third season (low probability), I would not count Siesta out in the Saito chase as she makes a VERY good run at him in the manga and he obviously has some feelings for her. I think they are going to leave the ending a little open, just in case. But everything aside, the ending is going to feel rushed. 2 episodes to conclude a war is way too fast.

    jounin
    Reply

  38. Ok, calm down folks.
    Siesta is still in the picture, and Louise still has her typical “tsun” moment with Saito after all . That’s how it goes here anyways, folks.
    My impression of what Louise had to say in the preview; Louise and Saito has an quarrel, and Saito leaves the school with Siesta for some treasure hunting. I strongly sense that Louise will follow them and join the party, and the 3 will make some dicovery. My hunch is that the dragon…errr the Zero fighter plane in the OP will be it.

    calde
    Reply

  40. DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!!

    Damn you Satio!!!! you know good and well that Siesta is the girl for you not some bitchy Louise!!!!! you had better unclog your mind from what ever curse that has been cast on you!!!!!

    Hudson
    Reply

  45. I figure Henrietta’s letter will be used to declare the Queen a traitor and restle the country over from her. Since Henrietta is not a part of Reconquista she is bound to apose them (Hell after all Henrietta is the only Noble that actually acts human and cares for everyone equaly, not a trait Reconquista will endorce) they are probably planning on getting rid of her. However since everyone seems to adore their queen they will probably have to discrace her to tarnish her rep with the populace or it could back fire in their faces with a good old fashioned revolt on their hands. I guess they could blackmail her with it to take control and use her as a pupet, but Henrietta does not seem the type to cave in that easily.

    As for Saito x Louise and the kiss, it seemed out of context and you got to wonder what is going through Saito’s head at the time. Louise’s world just underwent one of Louise’s catastrophic class magic explosions and she’s distraut to no end and in comes Saito’s kiss ? I figure he thinks its to comfort her, but I wonder if he’s feeling a little posesive over the whole Waldo thing and has discovered his true feelings for Louise and is now trying to convey it all through a kiss. Mind you I still think Louise is an egotistical, self pompus, inhuman Noble and would rather much see Saito x Siesta as a couple.

    One thing that bothers me in this anime (As was the same in Mai-Otome when I think about it with the poorly explained one sided gender nanobots) is what states that only Nobels are magitians ? Nobels were not nobels originaly, in fact nobel is in fact a self proclaimed title at some part of their family hystory. A commoner should be able to give birth to a child that has the natural gift of being magicaly inclined so I would have expected a few in this world of commoner blood to be able to perform magic. Mind you constant breeding between magic families would have more or less guaranteed children witht the gift. The world just seems to rigid and the finner points not planned out but then again a 13 ep anime doesn’t need to care for such things I guess.

    Neco
    Reply

  47. DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!! DAMNIT!!!!!

    Damn you Satio!!!! you know good and well that Siesta is the girl for you not some bitchy Louise!!!!! you had better unclog your mind from what ever curse that has been cast on you!!!!!

    Well that just leaves Siesta for myself. MINE!!! 🙂

    Gil
    Reply

  50. Gamen, the title itself does not give the user the ability to do magic, its simply the family in wich it belongs to. The story implies that only families of nobel birth can use magic. Fauquet was born a nobel and therefore can use magic regardless if she lost her title… and the way some of the other adult nobles have acted I wouldn’t doubt that their are a few ilegitimate children that could use magic as well, but a child born from commoners (Or a term borrowed from Hary Potter… “Mougels”) should have the posibility of having the gift of magic.

    Neco
    Reply

  51. one of the novel series I read (US Novels).. the mages never bothered to check for potential in commoners (until the main character whacks a shielded mage upside the head with a rock xD).. it is a somewhat common theme at times that mages are generally held above regular people ^^;

    kiryuu
    Reply

  52. Well a Siesta / Satio pairing is still possible. afterall we still have yet to see Siesta in that School Uniform she wears in the opening credits. So does that mean when Satio gets sent back to Earth (if he does) he might take Siesta with him!

    Hudson
    Reply

  56. NO!!!

    Why don’t YOU unclog YOUR mind and open YOUR eyes. I don’t mean to sound bitchy but don’t say mean things about the characters. Siesta’s not perfect, Louise’s not perfect,and Henrietta’s not perfect either. Still, it’s pretty damn obvious what they’re implying. Just follow along and if you have your own hurtful thoughts, keep em’ to yourself!

    Ah, that felt good.

    Ananymous
    Reply

  58. Ahh..this episode…i remember it…but season 2 and 3 isn’t so great compared to the first season (that’s what most people said)but for me they are getting better and better in later eps. And Yes the Princess did had it rough hearing that her love had died, but there is a twist to it all….muahaha!!…I’m on the third season eps 9, and I’m still waiting for the next eps…so right now i’m just realing the novel, if you want to watch some anime hit me up on my myspace, it’s [ http://www.myspace.com/lidoaznone ]

    AzianRem
    Reply

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