First Impressions / Zero no Tsukaima

Summary:

Because they’re in the middle of a war, Louise isn’t happy that the city of South Gotha is celebrating the Silver Advent festival. She gets even angrier when Saito claims that he likes festivals more than war, and she heads off to meet Henrietta by herself. Henrietta notices that Saito isn’t with her, but she gives Louise a reconnaissance mission anyway. Seeing Saito hard at work repairing the Zero, Louise decides to ask Julio to help her instead, but Saito then comes running over when he notices her getting on Julio’s dragon. Louise tells him about the mission, but she’s not going with him because the Zero is still being repaired and because Saito doesn’t want to participate in the war. What’s more, she says that she doesn’t need a familiar who complains all the time, and she bids him farewell. Once they’re up in the air, Julio wonders if it’s okay that she hurt Saito, but Louise feels that it is because Saito doesn’t understand at all. Julio, however, thinks that Louise asked him on this mission for Saito’s sake because she didn’t want to force him to cooperate in the war since he’s a pacifist and because she didn’t want to put him in danger. He thus suspects that she’s angry because Saito doesn’t notice her feelings.

Their conversation gets interrupted when they come under attack by three enemy dragon riders, so Julio has his dragon shoot them all down. Louise is relieved that this didn’t actually kill any of the enemy, so Julio suggests that her concern about the enemy’s life or death is due to Saito’s influence. Back in the city, a frustrated Saito is walking through the streets when he suddenly runs into Siesta. She had come here with Scarron, and Saito is later taking a break at Scarron’s tavern when Guiche suddenly shows up sporting a big medal. Louise meanwhile returns back to her room to find Saito still gone, so she asks Derfflinger where he is. The sword doesn’t know, but he does figure out that she gave Saito the cold shoulder again. When Louise voices her annoyance with how Saito doesn’t follow her orders, Derfflinger thinks that it has to do with his feelings for her. The sword points out how Saito gave up going home for her and came to the battlefront despite not wanting to get mixed up in the war. The reason he did that wasn’t because he’s her Familiar, but because he loves her. Derfflinger then suggests that she clearly tell Saito her feelings and make some bonds with him by confessing and marrying him.

Louise gets so embarrassed by this that she blows up the room because she feels that someone of nobility can’t say that to a Familiar, but Derfflinger points out that this is the problem. The sword know that there are no nobles or commoners in Saito’s world, and that’s why he doesn’t understand her point of view. To help her understand him, Derfflinger thinks that she should become Saito’s Familiar for a day and has her put on a skimpy cat costume. Unfortunately for Louise, Saito arrives back with Guiche and the others from the tavern, and they all have a good laugh about it afterwards. When Derfflinger tries to explain the situation to Saito, Louise shuts the sword up and claims that it was all for Julio. Saito doesn’t believe her, so she starts talking up how Julio is better than him, and the two begin arguing again. To make things worse, Siesta decides that she doesn’t want to lose and comes back in a skimpy bunny outfit. She puts Saito on the spot by asking him if she or Louise is cuter, but Louise then butts in and Siesta’s top comes off in the ensuing struggle, leading to Saito fainting from a nosebleed.

Elsewhere in Albion, Sheffield enacts a plan to repel the enemy by dropping the gem from the Ring of Andvari into a source of water that feeds into South Gotha. Back at Scarron’s, things have calmed down, and Guiche is telling the others about the elf that had supposed saved him during a battle. The others don’t believe him, but Siesta is still glad that he survived. Guiche, however, claims that he’s not afraid of dying because he’s a noble and that he’d be willing to die anytime for the sake of honor. This gets Saito angry enough to call that a fool’s thinking, but Louise sticks up for her fellow noble because honor is more important for them than their life. In her ensuing argument with Saito, Louise says that she’d happily sacrifice her life for Henrietta, causing Saito to leave in anger. Even though Derfflinger tries to explain again about the cat costume, Saito doesn’t care because he thinks he understands now: his real rival in love is Henrietta. Siesta meanwhile runs after Saito thinking that this is all her fault, and she claims to be cold, so Saito takes her up to his room. However, when they get there, she confesses her feelings for him and kisses him.

While this has been going on, the Tristain forces have been drinking the spiked water and have fallen under Sheffield’s control. Henrietta loses her top adviser to a fireball, and chaos soon breaks out on the streets. Since Saito has to go, Siesta gives him a sleeping potion to give to Louise if she wants him to do something dangerous. Siesta knows that the nobles will die for Henrietta, but she doesn’t want Saito to get mixed up in that. At that moment, on the streets outside where soldiers are fighting each other, Louise cries out for Saito.

Preview:

All I could think about when Guiche was talking about not being afraid to die was this week’s episode of Gurren Lagann. They need a Kittan-type character in there to talk some sense into him and Louise. Still, that issue of honor was part of what’s coming between Louise and Saito, and they did a decent job of developing that angle this episode. I say only “decent” because it really seems like too little too late, and I’m almost certain the last episode will feel rushed unless they end it on a to-be-continued for a third season.
A cliffhanger seems unlikely, but I could definitely see the possibility of a third season, especially since they threw in the part with the elf that saved Guiche. She (her name is Tifania) plays a fairly large role in several of the more recent volumes of the novel, so I’m wondering if she’s either going to be put in the final episode (which would feel rushed and very deus ex machina to boot) or if they’re setting up for the third season. In any case, I’m trying not to get my expectations too high for next week’s finale, which, from the preview, hints at Louise and Saito getting married.

71 Comments

  10. Yes, looks like we will see Saito’s grand moment in the sun in the next ep!

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Rock on Saito! Show them what a Familiar with a talking sword can accomplish!

    Remy
    Reply

  18. Wow they’re actually following the novel the part which Saito has to fight off 70000 soldier. WAIT, how are they gonna end that it’s like a huge clifhangar then? GO Tiffania and the 3rd season.

    setsuke
    Reply

  23. Well, umm, I’m gunna spoil this marriage thing for you, but

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Akimoto Michiyo
    Reply

  30. Yes Im a still here. I do give good reviews for this show. BTW People Siesta is slated to be with Satio as a couple in the end of this series. Satio and Louise do NOT get married. They just vow to protect each other.

    Hudson
    Reply

  31. What are the 4 void familiars, what are they?
    Saito is God’s left hand or something I think and his ability is to be expert in any weapon. What about the others or their abilities? What do they call?

    John
    Reply

  32. Hudson:”Yes Im a still here. I do give good reviews for this show.BTW People Siesta is slated to be with Satio as a couple in the end of this series. Satio and Louise do NOT get married. They just vow to protect each other.”

    Thanks! Hudson! You ruin everything! Crush my hopes and dreams for this show! *Cries, and drops the anime 4ever!* j/k but you still ruin everything!

    Guy
    Reply

  37. I was kind of hoping that Saito just go home and do the whole “Hero rides into the sunset” deal. But, I have to admit, if Saito and Siesta do get together, it doesn’t really surprised me. The only thing that suprised me is that Saito is still in that world at the end. It’s just…a disappointment.

    Remy
    Reply

  43. It’s set for 12 eps, but don’t worry, this can’t be it, it’ll have a 3rd season and probably more, lots of stuff in the novels that hasn’t been shown. And I think the novels are still going. They’re not done.

    GP
    Reply

  44. @ Hudson

    No, Saito and Seista do NOT become a couple in the anime, although
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Akimoto Michiyo
    Reply

  46. @ John

    In answer to your question,
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Akimoto Michiyo
    Reply

  47. ^
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Julio
    Reply

  49. man this is the best ep so far the whole anime was a wast other than that….like their was about 2-3 ep worth watching the rest was like a filler not much development it was mostly about that fire that burn down some town long b4 saito was even their tch!! i really hope saito gets with the princess or Siesta “zero” can go to hell

    yazzer
    Reply

  50. #
    Hudson: Yes Im a still here. I do give good reviews for this show. BTW People Siesta is slated to be with Satio as a couple in the end of this series. Satio and Louise do NOT get married. They just vow to protect each other.

    im really angry but happy too, lousie is not ment for saito she was a nobody until saito came and still is she talks big but the fact is saito is the one that made her get recognized.

    and really what she talking about protecting she cant even protect her self the only person doing to protecting is saito..saito should take siesta back to his world fuck louise!!

    yazzer
    Reply

  51. you people are crazy, Obviously saito and louise will still be together (whole show hints about theyr love) and they will get married (end of ep 11 hinted that clearly). and dont belive hudson :P, read iidingoii spoiler on page 2

    lol
    Reply

  52. hudson shut up.. no offence or anything.. but Saito and luoise will wed!!!. it wouldnt seem right if he ended with seista..

    Saito and his pink haird noble louise is his only girl for his love..

    I hope they have a kid!! well show a kid in the last episode.

    Crest
    Reply

  54. omg it’s bust revolution… er… tifania!
    The end seems like they’ll be doing the marriage scene so there are possibilities of the third season.

    They have enough material to work with, perhaps a bit too much, and if they have enough budget and fan support then they could put in a third season.

    According to the volumes that follow, the third season would focus on Tiffania, more love hardships, possibly saito vs 70k and I heard some rumors of Tabitha getting thrown into the harem after the novel “Hero of Ivaldi”…

    f4bidnish40
    Reply

  55. Bleh :p Saito’s as annoying as Suzuka in Code Geass with all those “no, don’t waste your life! blah blah blah”. What a weak protagonist – most main characters show some development by the end of a 2nd season, but Saito actually went backwards (i.e. he went from a moderately perverted immature lead to an extremely perverted unbearably immature lead).

    Taelrak
    Reply

  57. The anime really didn’t do the novel justice. You may think the Colbert part as filler but it was actually not as it is linked to some plot/ past twist later:

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Julio
    Reply

  63. this is such a drag…the relationship between saito and louise are so slow

    and if ever they will make a third season i believe will be too much….they will likely make a movie than third season

    raiko-chan
    Reply

  64. Zero no Tsukaima started off with a good premise (the whole retelling of the medieval European thing and all and the differences in values of people then and people today), but the mangaka really should have made his main characters more unique. As it is, no matter how different the setting, as far as character developments go, we’re really just watching Saito/Yuji, Louise/Shana and random-unimportant-maid-whose-name-i-forgot/other-annoying-random-3rd-girl-in-love-triangle-in-Shana. And then of course Tiff and Henrietta come into the picture, and that creator of the Reiji Meigo in Shana. In other words, if I really wanted to watch Yuji and Shana, I’d just watch Shakugan no Shana all over again. Just changing the setting doesn’t make the story unique enough when so much of it is focused on character development – and the anime certainly didn’t help when it chose to emphasize the similarities with Shana (although it was hilarious for those of us who liked Shana at first).

    Taelrak
    Reply

  65. ^ you sir, are wrong. First, both this and Shana are based on Novels, not manga. Second, do not judge the title with the anime, just like Shana it didn’t do the title justice. Third, I say read the novel of both series to get what you don’t even feel in the animes. Chinese translations are available in right and wrong ways, and english translations are slow but progressing.

    Julio
    Reply

  66. Any one opposing Lousie and Saitos marrage let konotoah splic’um’up or a death harigashi stlye either way as far as i know seiasta is a plot device used for making saitos and louises love stronger ~^-^~ still though you ppl are right ikuto and saito as well as makoto all have 3 things in common 1)names ending in -to 2)serious affinaty for females and harems 3) they look to damn alike -_-;

    Ryunatta
    Reply

  68. Well, season 2 seems to be rather boring for the greater part of it… Compared to season 1 which is much better. Hopefully if they do make a season 3, it wouldnt continue the downward slide…
    Next episode looks nice, but theres little they can do with only 1 episode

    Firstimer
    Reply

  70. That was downright aweful of Siesta. You know, alot of people liked her in season 1, because she was sweet and innocent, like Hinata from Naruto. But this season she’s so horrible, constantly flaunting the fact that she has a bigger bust than Louise and constantly asking Saito to compare her and Louise. She is so b****y this season.

    Halycon
    Reply

  71. @ Siesta – in love and in war no holds are barred…
    Saito must show some guts and reject her since he loves Louise…
    If anyone doubts it, then how otherwise he would suffer her constant abuse?

    ewok
    Reply

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