Impressions:

The final episode was pretty good, though the entire series as a whole is only average in my opinion. The major concern is its simplicity, which was quite apparent in the last episode as well. When Henrietta offered to command the army herself, no one objected. I’m pretty sure this would not happen normally; the princess of a country being allowed to go and fight on the front lines – that’s crazy! Although, the reason for this was probably lack of time, as the producers had to get through quite a few things in the last episode, and that is one thing they did pretty well as it didn’t feel that rushed.

The only part that was far too brief was Louise’s destruction of the Albion ship. There were 12 episodes to build up for Louise’s amazing display of power, and we only get a few seconds. Her attack didn’t even seem like a void attack. Although this is pretty generic, I was expecting something more on the lines of actually making the enemy disappear, or get sucked into some other dimension and sealed away forever. Perhaps it should have had the effect of nullifying all other magic, since it is the element of nothingness. Would’ve made more sense than some explosion of light.

I understand as the series is based on novels, there’s heaps more material to get through, so in the books this would only be Louise’s first chance to shine. There should definitely be a second season, as there are quite a few unresolved things. The restaurant episode (when Louise had to pretend to be a commoner) and the holy spirit episode introduced new characters, yet we never see them again. A second season would give them the opportunity to reappear. Not only that, Saito and Louise have yet to get together, as the stubborn Noble pretends that the last kiss was just a renewal of their contract. I’d also love to see some more of Tabitha, as she has such an interesting background. I wonder if her mother ever returns to normal.

The epilogue was awesome, just how I imagined the ending would be, although the ED didn’t really suit those last scenes. And it seems Siesta is still not out of the picture. Hm…I feel like fantasising. No, not about perverted stuff…just thinking about the possibilities of Saito returning home and taking Siesta with him for a visit. Perhaps he’ll take Louise and the others. And new characters – there must be new characters! Dammit, I’m thinking about this too much. Now I really want a second season, or at least read the novel. Is anyone translating it? Must go look for it now…

So, the end of another series. Overall, it was above average. The quality remained high throughout the series, and the animation fairly consistent. However, there are little details that if done properly would make everything so much cooler. Organisation is one thing. What I mean is (and I noticed this in the last episode), Henrietta’s army doesn’t seem to be very disciplined. The cavalry were all standing around in a bunch, instead of lined up neatly. It would looks far better if they were. Numbers is another thing. There should’ve been far more troops, and Albion should’ve had more than one giant ship. And lastly, Saito should’ve stood out more. Yes, he did a great job in his warplane but he should’ve fought on the ground as well. Anyways, time to start checking out the fall season series…

Epilogue:

Impressions:

The question that’s been running through my mind for ages…Louise or Siesta? While of course Saito will choose Louise in the end, I still think Siesta is a better person overall. Everyone’s just feeling bad for Louise because she acts so sad and miserable when she sees Saito ‘cheating’ on her, but the fact of the matter is that she deserves all this. The way she treats Saito is enough to make anyone hate her, no matter how cute she may be. And don’t even say anything about Kirche…her chance was blown long ago.

As for next episode and the finish, I really don’t have high expectations, as it is quite obvious Saito is not going to make it home. He’ll probably end up having to save Louise or something while in the plane, crashes it and misses the eclipse, but at least he gets to spend the rest of his life with Louise, or at least until the plane is fixed and the next eclipse arrives. It would be so good if he did return home, which would be a perfect lead-in to a sequel, although the novels have a clear storyline so if there was a sequel, it’s follow that. Aw…I feel disappointed just by thinking of this. If only Zero no Tsukaima had been a twenty-four or twenty-six episode series. So much more plot could’ve been covered…

But at least there’s going to be war! Yay! But knowing this serious, there’s not going to be any bloodbaths or psychotic rampages…damn if only the age range that this show aims for was higher…Louise will definitely use her newfound void magic next episode, that’s why it’s called ‘Louise the Void’, and I’m pretty sure Saito is going to fight as well in the warplane. I wonder how much he’s going to use Derflinger, and come to think of it, he doesn’t have that big a role in the story. He’s meant to be the ‘legendary weapon of the legendary familiar of the legendary void mage’, though really he doesn’t do much. If only his character was developed more too. =(

Summary:

Louise reports to Henrietta about her failure. The two start crying and embrace to comfort each other…how touching. A short while later, Louise returns to the academy and enters the headmaster’s office, interrupting the discussion between Osman and Colbert. It seems that Colbert had requested to leave in search for a mysterious dragon. Osman allows him to go, and when he leaves, Louise gives her report about her mission to the headmaster. Afterwards, she asks him about what/who the heir to the void. He explains that it is a legendary magical element, stunning Louise, for she had no idea she even possessed any form of magic, let alone a legendary element or magic. Hearing this, Osman mentions that this must be the reason she was able to summon a Gundolf/Gandalfr (meaning Saito). However, Louise is quite unfamiliar with the term.

After returning to her chamber, she starts changing only to be caught topless by Saito, who has just come back after doing the laundry. Louise is deeply embarrassed, quite different from usual, and hides herself as she puts on some clothes. Saito starts complaining of having to do more laundry after he’s just finished with the first batch. Louise wonders why Saito can act like nothing had happened between them, when he had kissed her the night before. As she is lost in thought, Saito tells her to cheer up. She is quite touched by Saito’s thoughtfulness (sure…) but just as she is acting all love-sick, something snaps. And right before Saito’s eyes, Louise’s panties drop down. Normally, Louise would simply get pissed at Saito for ruining her garments, though this time, she screams at the embarrassment of being exposed naked in front of her familiar, who she usually ignores or kicks around…quite strange indeed (psst – no it’s not! She’s just in love!)

Anyway, after things settle down (sort of) and Louise has gotten fully dressed, Saito remembers how he may have broken the band in Louise’s panties, which makes her furious. Saito is confused because Louise wouldn’t get this angry, just for one pair of underwear. The two get into an argument, which escalates enough to make Louise tell Saito to leave. And what does he do? He remains stubborn and does as she says, exiting the room with pleasure. Just before he can leave though, Louise throws a pillow at him, and we can see that she is blushing furiously. Whether this is because of her humiliation from Saito seeing her naked, anger due to Saito’s disobedience, or otherwise, it is quite clear that she does not want Saito to leave (but she’s quite stubborn too – what a pair!) And it also seems that Saito regrets his actions too, as outside, he angrily kicks a large stone pot, not knowing it would obviously hurt…

Just in time to quell his rage, Siesta comes in casual clothes, surprising Saito. She tells him that she’s heading home for a bit, which makes Saito think that at least she has a home to return to. This reminds him about something she said earlier, and so he asks her about her ancestor who came from another world. She reminds him that it was her great-grandfather. As he asks her about her great-grandfather, Guiche follows Kirche and Tabitha as they are making their way through the academy, pleading for them to convince Montmorency that he hadn’t bee hitting on other girls while he was away. Kirche refuses this request, but before Guiche can argue, the three spot Saito and Siesta talking. Kirche becomes jealous (give it up already…Saito’s not gonna fall for you) and approaches him to interrupt his conversation.

She stops when she hears what they’re talking about: it seems that long ago, there had been two ‘dragons’, one which flew into an eclipse and disappeared, and the other remained in this world, which is where her great-grandfather came from. Saito is quite shocked about this, and also remembers his conversation with Colbert some time ago regarding two dragons. Saito then asks Siesta to go to her home with her, so she can help him with locating the dragon. Kirche overhears everything and naturally becomes interested. Louise, meanwhile, is looking for Saito while practicing apologising to him. As if it were perfectly timed, she sees Saito and Siesta on the same horse ride out of the academy grounds. She quickly goes to ask the chef regarding Siesta’s destination, then starts fuming over Saito’s ‘betrayal’. Before long though, she starts feeling bad…and suddenly realises she’s heard the name of the town Saito’s going to before (hint: Colbert’s convo with Osman!)

And so, the three parties go off and head for the location of the ancient dragon (by that I mean Saito/Siesta, Kirche/Tabitha/Guiche and Colbert/Louise. When Saito and Siesta arrive at her home town, she runs off to retrieve something as Saito waits for her on the outskirt of the settlement. He mentions that Siesta is such a better girl than Louise, but Derflinger (his sword) tells him he know the one he likes is Louise (Saito denies this of course). When Siesta returns with a map to the dragon, they get discovered by Kirche’s group. The two groups join and all head to the location of the dragon together. It seems to be hidden in some cave. (Meanwhile, Albion as found a new ruler…) The five enter the cave cautiously, but are ambushed by a high-level mage. It turns out that this mage is actually Colbert (and Louise is with him!) So now the two remaining groups have become one…After a little arguing between Louise and Saito regarding Louise’s reasons for coming, the group proceed and make it to the other side of the cave.

So, it’s not in a cave after all…The group continue on and discover a large building of some sort. Outside it, Tabitha comes across a tablet with Japanese on it (omg!), which shocks Saito when he sees it (btw, it’s some note left by Siesta’s great-grandfather). Anyway, the seven enter the building and finally discover the mysterious dragon – which turns out to be not a dragon at all, but an old war plane. When he touches it, Saito’s rune starts glowing. He finally realises why Siesta had felt familiar to him when they first met, and the reason is part Japanese (black hair gave you a hint? Nah…we all knew she was Japanese right from the beginning, didn’t we?) And that is when Colbert tells Saito he might be able to return to Earth (Louise looks like utterly crushed). He explains that the second ‘dragon’ had disappeared when it flew into an eclipse, and the reason why the remaining one didn’t was because it lost its chance (the eclipse was over before he could do so). Saito is obviously ecstatic with this news, but quite the opposite with Louise…

At the palace of Tristein, Henrietta tells her mother, the Queen, about the situation with Albion, and both know things are taking a turn for the worse. At the academy, as everyone is marvelling at the ‘dragon’ which has been recovered, Saito asks Colbert for the gasoline he’s been preparing (though he believes it is dragon’s blood). When Saito gets in the cockpit, he realises he already knows how to operate the plane. He then sees Louise looking hurt, who walks off and is about to start crying, when Guiche rushes to her and tells her that Albion has declared war on Tristein in the name of the Reconquista. At Albion, the new king, Ward and Fouquet discuss their war plan, and decide to invade on the day of the solar eclipse, as that day will be when Albion is closest to the ground.

Preview:

Episode 11: Louise’s Marriage

Impressions:

A good episode for the series, but once again there was not enough clashing when Saito and Ward fought. I wonder if the last fight will be with him and Saito or Louise with her new soon-to-be-found powers. It should be Louise, as she has yet to really prove herself as a good mage. Saito has definitely proved himself to be a tough adversary, even though his battles were quite brief. Another thing, Derflinger doesn’t get enough lines. His character doesn’t develop enough (even though he’s a sword, he still has a personality and past). At the end of the episode, it seems that Saito has made up his mind about being with Louise, though I can’t see him completely forgetting about Siesta. Kirche is definitely out of the picture, so it’s only those two now. I wonder if Siesta is actually related to Saito in some way. At least if that were true, it’d give him a reason to go with Louise. So…let’s see what happens in the final two episodes…

Summary:

Louise catches Saito on the verge of tears as he is thinking about how Ward had told him he would not be able to protect Louise after he lost the duel. She tries to console him, but is unaware of the real reason he is upset. Saito ends up pushing Louise away, who in turn starts walking away and tells him she has decided to marry ward. Saito is quite shocked to hear this, but is too angry to object.

When Guiche comes to hurry Saito up (as the ship which they are meant to be on is about to leave), the ground starts shaking and before them, Fouquet appears on her golem. Taking advantage of the situation, Ward tells Louise that both Saito and Guiche have decided to turn back from here. She is quite upset, but thinking about the way Saito reacted earlier makes this fairly easy to believe. Ward reassures her that they can complete the mission by themselves.

As Ward and Louise ride up to the pier, Fouquet fights Saito and Guiche. Saito is able to hold his own against the beast, but its speedy ability to restore itself after wounded leaves him constantly at full power. Guiche tries to counter with his own earth warriors, but they are defeated quickly. When it looks like things are taking a turn for the worst, Kirche and Tabitha arrive at the scene on Sylph. Shortly after that, the villagers appear in force, which forces Fouquet to flee. As she flies off, she says to herself that she’s delayed Saito and the others for long enough. Immediately after that, the signal for departure sounds.

Back at the hotel, Saito asks the manager about Louise and Ward, but it seems they have already left on the ship. Outside the hotel, the ship soars past (heading to Albion – a floating continent). In the ship, after thinking about her rocky relationship with Saito for a while, agrees to marry Ward.

On land, Guiche wonders why Ward would leave them behind. Saito tells him about how Fouquet had said something about delaying him, which implies that she is Ward’s accomplice. Unfortunately, the next ship won’t depart until morning, so they’ll have to wait the night. Just then, Belldandy appears after following Guiche all the way to the port town.

On the ship, Ward asks Louise about the location of the Prince Wales, but she cannot answer because she was told by Henrietta not to tell anyone until they reach Albion. Ward leaves it at that and encourages her to get some rest. When he leaves, Louise makes a lousy attempt at convincing herself her choice to marry Ward and ditch Saito was a good thing.

The next day, Louise and Ward enter the church where Wales is meant to be. Upon entering, they are surrounded by the Prince’s guards. When Ward tells them they are from Tristain, the guard who approaches them does not believe him. Louise steps in and shows him the ring she received from Henrietta. Seeing this, the guard sheaths his sword and takes off one glove, revealing a similar ring on his hand. He asks Louise to raise her hand so that the ring is close to his own. Colours start to resonate from the middle of the rings, forming a glowing rainbow. The man explains that his ring is the Wind Sapphire, while Louise’s is the Water Sapphire. As water and wind creates rainbows, this is proof that the ring is authentic. Seeing this, he takes off his helmet, revealing that he is not a guard, but the Prince himself.

When Louise and the Prince are alone, she gives him the letter from Henrietta, and in turn receives a reply that had already been prepared. After some questioning from Louise, Wales tells her that a group called the Reconquista, who are actually controlling the Nobility (the enemies of the Royalty, namely Wales).

The next day, Ward tries to force himself onto Louise and get married at Albion, but she refuses as it is too soon. Ward lets slip that he is from Reconquista and Louise tries to flee, but is caught by another member of Reconquista and mind controls her. And so, the marriage proceeds, with Louise’s actions and words being controlled by the Reconquista mage.

Before she can accept the marriage, Saito barges in and yells out Louise’s name, which snaps her out of being mind-controlled. Ward demands to know how he was able to find them, to which he replies that Belldandy was able to pick up the scent from Louise’s ring, as she never forgets the smell of jewellery. Saito draws his sword, and thinking he is the enemy, Wales calls upon his guards to take him out. However, Ward takes the chance to stab Wales in the chest. Louise drops down onto her knees and kneels over the bloodied Prince, who gives her his ring, before passing away.

Ward makes one swing of his sword, which creates a barrier of wind that forces all the guards away. Saito, being further away, is not affected as much, but finds himself at the point of Ward’s foil. His rune starts to glow, which causes Ward to back off. He makes a speech about not having anything left in his life except being Louise’s familiar. With all his energy focused, Derflinger suddenly becomes shiny and new. The fight is quite fast: Saito absorbs a magic attack from Ward, before lunging and cutting through the next. Ward knows he has lost, but is not injured. He explains that he at least as achieved two of his three objectives: killing Wales and getting his hands on his letter. The third objective was to take Louise with him, but that seems impossible now. Satisfied with what he has, starts a small quake in the curch which brings down a few burning lamps. Soon, the entire floor of the church catches fire. Ward calmly walks out, but Saito and Louise have no way left to run. To save them, Tabitha and Kirche levitate Saito and Louise out of the burning building.

As the five fly back on Sylph, Saito kisses a sleeping Louise, who wakes up just as their lips are touching. Instead of freaking out or objecting, she closes her eyes and returns the kiss.

Preview:

Episode 10: The Princess’s Request

Impressions:

Well, from this episode, we can conclude (almost) two pretty important things:

1. Louise is a VOID element mage, which means she uses the VOID element. I repeat, Louise is a VOID mage, something that has not appeared since 6000 years ago, or so it seems.

Proof – Colbert confirms that a Gundolf (Gandalfr) is the familiar of a void user. The rune on Saito’s hand, Delfringer pairing with him and the Holy Spirit being able to tell he was one all point to the fact that he is a GUNDOLF. Which means Louise must be a void mage. Btw, the void element is the element of nothingness. Remember how Louise managed to break the seal on the tower which Fouquet was not able to break while trying to steal the Staff of Destruction? (There’s also the fact that the last episode is called “Louise the Void” – oops was that a spoiler?)

2. Ward is Cromwell and an affiliate of Fouquet.

Proof – while there is no hard evidence in the Anime so far, it is quite obvious. They look exactly the same and Fouquet smirking while Ward was leading Louise into his room was kind of a giveaway. And we all know Ward is trying to trick Louise, but in the end Saito will come and save her and she will realise her true feelings for Saito.

Now that I have explained all that, onto my thoughts about the episode. I thought it was one of the better ones, though the duel at the end could have been longer. I wasn’t expecting it to be that much longer though, as Saito and Ward are obviously going to fight again later on. And Louise has really bad taste. Maybe when Ward was younger, her lust for him would be understandable, but at that age she wouldn’t have even reached puberty (come to think of it, has she even reached that yet…? lol). And now, Ward is just old – far too mature for someone like Louise – and that beard! How can she possibly fall for someone like him? I guess…maybe natural charisma? Ah well, doesn’t concern me. I just want to see this series get more complex, if that is possible with three more episodes to go.

Summary:

Princess Henrietta has come to Louise and Saito seeking for some aid. She explains that she has decided to marry Germanian royalty to protect her own small kingdom, Tristain. Louise is shocked to hear this, but knows it is for the best. This doesn’t stop her from getting mad when Saito interrupts though. As for the request, Henrietta wants Louise and Saito to retrieve a letter given to the Prince of Wales of the Albion Kingdom from her. She is worried that if the public learns of this letter, the alliance between them and Tristain will be broken. Furthermore, Albion is in unrest and near anarchy. The Princess gets teary-eyed and Louise quickly kneels down beside her and accepts the request. Just as this happens, Guiche shows himself, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation. He says that he had heard the entire conversation and wishes to help as well. After introducing himself to the Princess, he is recognised as Admiral Gramont’s son. In the end, it is decided that all three will go.

Afterwards, it seems that Saito accidentally tears Louise’s panties (or not… doesn’t seem torn) as he is washing the laundry. He is approached by Siesta, who now knows that the love potion ordeal was true. She apologises for accusing Saito of lying and such. Thinking back to when Saito had been given the tears by the Holy Spirit and called a Gundolf, he asks Siesta about anyone in the school who is knowledgeable in history.

Saito is directed to Mr Colbert – the bold teacher – and asks him about the Gundolf. To inform Saito about this topic, he first goes into some magic history. It seems that long ago, there not only existed four elements, but five. The fifth one is something called the Void (the element of nothingness), which also means it was possible for there to be Pentagon-class mages (mages who could use all five elements). However, there is no proof that that fifth element exists right now. Moving on, Colbert explains that the person who had the ability to wield this mysterious element was the legendary Void Sorcerer. It turns out that Gundolf was his ‘ultimate’ familiar. The runes that appeared on Saito’s hand are similar to that of the Gundolf, but this can’t be confirmed.

While in the teacher’s office, Saito notices some strange smelling liquid. It turns out to be the blood of some never-before-seen dragon. Colbert explains that he is trying to resurrect one of such dragons.

Before going to bed, Louise expresses her concern that someone as incompetent as her in magic might not be able to complete the task set on her by the Princess. She is quite startled when Saito cups his hands on her shoulders and reassures her they can get through this. To top it off, just as Louise gets into bed, he tells her that if anything happens, he will protect her. And Louise goes red…

The next day before dawn, Saito, Louise and Guiche await their escort outside the school grounds. Louise recalls the night before when Henrietta had given her own water ruby ring to her. Back in reality, Guiche’s Belldandy surfaces from underground and lunges on Louise, eager to eat her ring. As Guiche is engrossed in his own thoughts and Saito is just being plain ignorant to Louise’s struggles, a gust of sand and wind knocks Belldandy off Louise. Emerging from the fog is a middle aged man riding on a griffin. It is revealed that not only is this man a powerful knight and mage as well as the captain of the Griffin Squadron – Ward – he is also Louise’s fiancé. Quite shocking indeed.

While Guiche is extremely impressed by his presence, Saito spends the journey to a town called La Rochelle agitating over how Ward is Louise’s fiancé. As they are unpacking when they get there, Louise gets into an argument with Saito over her relationship with Ward. When Louise storms off, Delfringer (his sword) mocks for having a crush on Louise. He denies this and says the only reason he is upset is because he thinks he shouldn’t have told Louise he would protect her, now that Ward is here. When they settle in a hotel and enjoy dinner in the diner downstairs, Ward asks about truth behind Saito’s endeavours, such as beating Guiche in a duel and capturing Fouquet with the Staff of Destruction. After hearing the truth behind this, Ward challenges Saito to a duel, which he accepts. He gets up to leave and also takes Louise with him to his room. All the while, Wards affiliate Fouquet is listening…

As Guiche runs off to greet some girl he saw earlier, Saito asks Delfringer whether he knows what a Gundolf is. It turns out that his partner 6000 years ago was also a Gundolf, which means Saito must be one as well.

Now we go to a flashback of a time when a younger Ward had comforted a child Louise when she was scolded by her father. Presently, Ward tells Louise that he had felt she had a special aura when he met her that time. He goes on to proposing to her then trying to seduce her. However, when Louise utters Saito’s name just before their lips touch, Ward refrains himself and moves to another room.

The next day, Saito and Ward have their duel. Saito uses everything he has, including the power from his rune and Gundolf heritage, but ends up being defeated by an attack spell from Ward. After the duel, Ward tells him that he is not strong enough to defeat a real mage, and therefore cannot protect Saito. This gets him mad…And Louise is not sure as to whose side she is on.

Preview:

Impressions:

Louise’s behaviour was absolutely atrocious this episode, even if she was under the effects of an illegal love potion. I did not appreciate that at all. However, the whole love potion thing allowed for a greater expanse in the story. The whole holy spirit thing ties together nicely with this new Cromwell guy, and also provided some interesting moments in an otherwise below average episode. Once again, I’m quite dissatisfied with the confrontation between Saito and Kirche/Tabitha. The fight was not long but long enough, although I was hoping for a more dramatic scene when everyone finally realised the identity of the ones they were fighting. I also wished Saito was able to penetrate Tabitha’s water wall as a display of his power, which would also awe everyone in view. Cromwell, the new and most likely final enemy of the series. So far, the show proves it incapable of creating a serious fight. The bout with Fouquet was the closest to a meaningful one, though the way she went down does not present Saito as much of a hero. I guess the true secrets of the Gandalfr will be revealed in the final battle.

Summary:

It is the day after Louise drank the love potion and the effect still hasn’t worn off. She is so love sick that she clings to Saito all day, reluctant even to let him to do the laundry as she is afraid he’ll go off and spend time with another girl again.

Saito has a quick flashback of last night, when Montmorency had explained to him about the love potion. Also etched into his memory is the making up of her and Guiche. Before the two can kiss, he interrupts and demands Montmorency return Louise back to normal. She tells Saito that the effect will wear off in a month or so, a span of time too long to wait.

As Louise is giving Saito a warm yet disturbing goodbye, Siesta walks past, taking notice of Louise’s erratic behaviour, but not seeing anything wrong with it (though that is how she acts on the outside. It seems she is in fact quite hurt). Saito tries to explain himself to Siesta, which results in Louise getting upset and running off. Saito runs after Siesta as she heads for the fountain to do some washing. He tells her that Louise’s sudden change in conduct is due to her consumption of a love potion. Siesta won’t believe him because love potions are illegal. This gets him thinking…

When Saito gets back to Louise’s room, he finds her on the bed wearing nothing except a see-through piece of clothing. He tries to convince her to put some clothes on, but she refuses as she believes she has no sex-appeal. She goes on to say some truly shameful things, such as allowing Saito to do whatever he wants with her while she has her eyes closed for half an hour or so. When Louise pushes Saito onto her bed, he takes drastic action and actually tells Louise she is under the effect of a love potion. The action is not so drastic after all as she does not believe him. Regardless of what she said, he promises to bring her back to normal.

Saito makes his way to Guiche’s room and barges in. once again asking Montmorency to cure Louise. Before she can give the same response as before, he asks her whether there is some sort of counter-active potion. There is none, but there is another option: the tears of a holy spirit, though it is quite difficult to obtain it. Saito reveals his knowledge of the legality of love potions and threatens Montmorency that he’ll inform the principle of the issue. Because of this, Montmorency reluctantly agrees to get the tears. Using the same threat, he also forces her to leave tomorrow.

That night, Louise demands that Saito sleep with her, using her status as a master, but he stubbornly refuses and eventually convinces her to sleep. Staring at her sleeping face, he finds that he can’t get to sleep.

At dawn the next day, Montmorency, Guiche, Saito and Louise head out to Ragdorian Lake, where they will be able to find the spirit with the holy tears. On the way, Louise presents Saito with an affectionate hat…I mean sweater, which is only a quarter done and barely covers his shoulders. Louise is apparently oblivious to the fact that it is too small and goes on to think she has just made Saito happy.

When they reach the lake, they find the lake to have flooded the town. They decide to wait around for some time as the spirit only appears after dusk. At sunset, Montmorency sends out her familiar, Robin, with a drop of her blood to take to the holy spirit. Shortly after, the water rises and forms a giant tower of gushing liquid. Montmorency asks the spirit if it recognises her. It does and forms the form of Montmorency. With this, Montmorency asks for some tears, but the request is immediately rejected. Saito gets down on his knees and begs for it. The spirit agrees, but only under one condition. Recently, the spirit has been constantly attacked by mages. The condition is for Saito to defeat them. He will do anything and so accepts the deal.

Later at night, Satou and Guiche prepare to combat the mysterious attackers. A plan is formed that illustrates Guiche getting the attackers’ attention while Saito attacks. Then, two figures in cloaks appear with their faces covered. Guiche rushes out and uses his earth element attacks to distract the two figures. As they are busy fending the attack of with their own fire and water magic, Saito dashes out and lunges with his sword. By now, it is already quite obvious the two attackers are Kirche and Tabitha. No one else notices this as it is quite dark, so the two sides attack relentlessly. After a few attempts, Saito manages to get close, but is blown back by an unexpected counter attack. As he is on the ground with the two enemies pointing their wands at him, Louise makes her move to defend him by blowing up the nearby turf. The wind caused by this blows of the attackers’ hoods and all the identities are revealed.

The two parties explain each other afterwards: Kirche and Tabitha attacked the holy spirit because they were requested in order to stop the flooding of the town. Saito remembers Montmorency say that she had felt the spirit to be unhappy a while ago and decides to ask it why this is so. When they do, the spirit replies that a treasure has been stolen from it by a person who goes by the name of Cromwell. The treasure is the Ring of Andvari, used to give fake souls. The spirit reasons that by flooding the world, it will be able to retrieve eventually. And since the spirit cannot die, the amount of time it takes does not matter. Hearing this, Saito decides to retrieve the treasure for the spirit. Surprisingy, the spirit is confident that Saito can manage such a task, as he is a ‘Gandalfr’ (it’s not Gandalf is it? It sounds like ‘gandaruru’…) The spirit also gives him some tears and promises to remove the flooding. Saito says he will fulfil the promise ’some day’. When Montmorency asks what he means by this, he explains that as the spirit is immortal, time doesn’t matter. With this, everyone returns home.

Following the lifting of the effects of the love potion on Louise … disaster! It seems that Louise remembers everything she did while influenced by the potion and has decided to take everything out on Saito. With perfect timing to stop Louise before she can do some serious damage, a cloaked Henrietta flies through the window.

Elsewhere, Fouquet and her new accomplice, Cromwell (when has that named been mentioned before again?), plan out their net move. It should also be noted that Fouquet calls Cromwell ‘King’.

Preview:

Zero no Tsukaima 08: “Tabitha’s Secret”

Impressions:

Very, very good episode! Lots of romantic fun mixed in with some serious, interesting story development – a fantastic combination! Saito’s bath with Siesta was definitely the main highlight of the show, but there are other much more important things that happened. First there was the telling of Tabitha’s history as well as the lead-in to this dangerous task that she has been assigned. I loved how Tabitha was drawn before she became so reserved. I wish that she will return to that way soon, if at all. Also, this episode is when we get to hear her speak the most so far, and that is at the end when she is sleep talking. The other important thing is how Louise was drugged. It seems that potion lasts quite a while and will still be in effect next episode. I think that the love potion is meant to bring out someone’s true feelings and not create fake ones, which means that the only thing it did to Louise was make her more aware about her feelings toward Saito. It’s also good hw Montmorency and Guiche are getting more involved with the series, as so far they haven’t done much except for the first fight between Guiche and Saito. With that as well as Tabitha’s story, this show is turning out to be far more interesting than I had originally thought. It is also becoming more complex, which in my views is a good thing. I love it when things are complicated with a lot of history and such. It all makes the show more interesting, which in turn makes it more enjoyable. I don’t think there’s been a point where there has been too much information yet.

In the bath… (click for hi-res)

Louise: a change of heart: (click for hi-res)

Summary:

As they are riding home on a horse, Louise warns Saito about holding onto her chest. He says that it doesn’t matter because they’re flat anyway. He does not anticipate the sure-to-come violent response from Louise, which comes in the form of an elbow to Saito’s chest, instead of the usual whip as she probably doesn’t have one on her. Just before this though, Saito notices that the school is unusually quiet. Louise explains that it’s summer vacation so most of the students have returned home.

At the entrance of the school, Tabitha and Kirche are preparing for the trip to Tabitha’s home. Upon seeing Louise, Kirche comments on how she hasn’t seen her around lately. Louise says that she just went out for an ‘errand’. When Saito trudges into view (he had been knocked off the horse earlier when he was elbowed), Kirche runs up to him and embraces him. Calling him ‘Darling’, she apologises as he won’t be able to see her for a while. Of course, as she is saying this, she is holding Saito’s head against her breasts, though Saito is probably too worried about suffocating to enjoy the moment. Louise also looks pretty pissed… With the farewells said, Tabitha and Kirche get inside their coach leave the school grounds. Saito tries to give a final goodbye to Kirche as the coach is being pulled out, but stops on the last word as his face is smacked to the ground by Louise’s foot.

As they are travelling through the countryside, Kirche tries to converse with Tabitha, but as always she remains silent and glares at her book the whole way. Kirche decides to just talk, regardless of whether Tabitha responds or not. She says that she stays at the academy because she was thought to be a nuisance in the household. This gets Tabitha’s attention. Kirche continues, saying that she had to quit her old school as she was causing too much trouble. Her parents also tried to marry her off, saying that she was being foolish and giving the family a bad reputation. However, as the man she was supposed to marry was much older than her, she refused. The coach suddenly stops in the middle of the dirt road. A local farmer appears by the side of the coach and informs Kirche and Tabitha of the situation. It seems that the road up ahead (as well as the nearby town) has flooded, which means they must now take the hillside road.

Back at the academy, Louise is taking out her anger (due to jealousy I presume) on Saito by making him do chores with a pretty bad repercussion attached: if he takes too long, he won’t get anything to eat. The job, though, is quite familiar to Saito: washing the laundry. When Saito goes back outside to do his job, Louise fumes about how Saito flirts with all the girls. She then realises that she’s not too sure why she’s getting so angry about this. This simply irritates her more. Outside, Saito comes across Guiche and Montmorency bickering about their seemingly non-existent love affair. Guiche is pleading for Montmorency to stay with him, but she says that she really has no interest in him and only became his girlfriend because he begged her to. Saito remarks about how the two are always like this. After the two return back inside the academy, Saito spots a large, rusty pot leaning against the outside wall of the kitchen. He finds the head chef, Marto, and asks if he can have the pot. As it will be thrown out anymore, Marto lets Saito have it. He rolls it to a spot he finds suitable (still outside the building) and leaves it for tonight.

As Kirche and Tabitha look down from their coach at the lower plains, they see the town which has been flooded. After a while, Kirche takes notice of a sign they pass, with the Gallia royal family’s insignia on it. She is quite surprised and asks Tabitha if she really is a relative of the royal family. They arrive at Tabitha’s mansion of a home, also with the royal crest engraved above the entrance. Tabitha and Kirche are greeted by the butler and taken inside. However, Kirche does not notice that the butler calls Tabitha ‘Charlotte’. Inside, Kirche asks if she can meet Tabitha’s father, but she shakes her head and tells her to wait in the room. She goes off to another room, just as the butler comes with some tea. He introduces himself to Kirche as Percerin. After Kirche responds with her own introduction, he remarks about how it is quite unusual for Charlotte to bring home a friend. Kirche is surprised to hear him use the name Charlotte to refer to the person she had always known as Tabitha. This also brings out a ‘huh’ from the butler, who is surprised that Kirche doesn’t know her real name. In another part of the mansion, Tabitha knocks on the door to her mother’s bedroom. There is no reply so she enters anyway. What we see is a frail, sick old woman in an armchair, clutching a small doll in her lap. She does not recognise who Tabitha is, though she calls her ‘mother’.

In the lounge, a few things have been cleared up regarding Tabitha’s real name. After telling Percerin about how Tabitha used a fake name, she enquires him about why she would do such a thing. Apparently, she was following the orders of her uncle, the King. He also explains that Tabitha’s late father was the Duke of Orleans, and the brother of the current king. (Tabitha’s mother is ranting on about how she is part of a conspiracy to take Charlotte away (the doll) just like her husband was). Tabitha’s father had been murdered. Percerin goes on to provide Kirche with a bit of background information. When the previous King died five years ago, the Imperial Court was unable to decide who to give the throne to. In that struggle for the crown, the Tabitha’s father was killed. The party which had placed Joseph into the throne targeted Tabitha as well to prevent future problems. One night, at a dinner party, someone had cast a curse on a drink given to Tabitha. Her mother had seen through this act and took the drink for herself to save Tabitha. As a result of this, she was driven insane and has been that way ever since. Back in Tabitha’s mother’s room, Tabitha excuses herself and says that she will visit again, despite her mother’s desire for her to leave her alone. Percerin tells Kirche that the name ‘Tabitha’ was given to a doll, which was given to Charlotte. It seems that the mother now thinks that the doll Tabitha is the real life Charlotte. Ever since her mother became insane, Tabitha (the real person) has become quiet and emotionless. There’s more though. After the incident, those who had targeted Tabitha disappeared. Instead, the royal family had given her a near-impossible task of slaying a dragon as a ploy to get rid of her. Amazingly though, she had succeeded. Percerin goes on to say why she stays at the academy. It is because she was a nuisance. This stuns Kirche as she realises it’s the same reason as why she stays at the academy.

At the academy, Montmorency brews a love potion to use on Guiche. At night, Saito is enjoying a bath in the giant pot her found earlier in the day. I guess he’s not worried about being embarrassed as no one is around. He goes under the water for whatever reason just as Siesta walks past with tea and spots the steaming pot. She approaches it and looks into the water, but before she can make out anything, Saito resurfaces and knocks her over, making her spill the tea as well. When he realises that he is standing nude in front of a girl, he quickly ducks back down to cover himself up. Siesta doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable in any way. When Saito tells her that he is taking a bath, she looks around somewhat slyly to see if anyone else is around, before edging closer to the tub. Saito quickly turns around, embarrassed. When Siesta says that she would like to have a bath too, Saito jokingly offers her to join him. However, Siesta actually agrees and swiftly takes off her clothes. When her reminds her that he is a guy after all, Siesta says that he isn’t someone to do anything perverted.

In another part of the school grounds, Montmorency is waiting for Guiche with her love potion.

Anyway, back to the bath. When Saito has his head turned, Siesta slips into the tub. She tells Saito not to be embarrassed as she will be too, and says that it is okay for him to turn around and look at her, as it is dark anyway. Saito does so and the two start laughing. More comfortable now, the two converse as they normally would. Siesta asks him about his country, to which he describes as one with only one moon, no mages and no magic. Siesta does not believe this and leans forward, revealing her breasts. Saito turns red and tries to avert his gaze.

As Guiche tries to flatter and seduce Montmorency, she tries to get him to have a drink. Just as she is about to spike it with the potion, Guiche notices Louise come out of the main building, fuming about how Saito hasn’t returned yet. She manages to find Saito but is speechless when she sees that he is naked with another girl. Completely and utterly destroyed, she backs away with a devastated expression. After she’s gone and Saito has explained about his world a bit further, Siesta says that his story sounds like what her grand father’s. He had claimed to have come from another world that fell from the sky. This perks Saito’s interest, but before he can ask any questions, Siesta stands up, completely nude, in front of him. He turns around as fast as he can, but I’m sure he did manage to get a glimpse of Siesta’s body. Anyway, she says that she has to get back to work and gets out of the tub. When she’s dressed, she says that although the bath was fun, the best part was being with Saito. Embarrassed at this remark, she bids him goodnight and runs off.

Louise seems to have returned to her old, angry self as she is now stomping across the grounds, furiously trying to clam herself down. When Montmorency and Guiche are ready for a toast, Montmorency distracts Guiche by tricking him into thinking that a naked girl is flying in the sky (ahh, that was hilarious! Especially Guiche’s eyes…). Taking the opportunity, she empties the contents of her potion bottle into Guiche’s glass. However, before he can drink it, Louise comes along and takes his drink without asking. In her fury, she drinks it all and returns to her room, much to Montmorency’s horror. When Saito returns as well, but before Louise can scold him for what he did with Siesta, she becomes dizzy and hot. She suddenly lurches onto Saito and tells him that she loves him. Of course, Saito is completely dumbfounded. She hits him lightly, tells him he’s an idiot for spending time with Siesta and also hugs him tightly, not to mention that she is half-crying the whole time. Montmorency comes in to check on things, but unfortunately, things are going how she had predicted.

In Tabitha’s house, Kirche thinks over their dinner when she had been informed about an order given to Tabitha to perform a difficult task. She had decided to go along with Tabitha as well. As she is thinking about this, Tabitha starts mumbing in her sleep – she is probably dreaming about the time when her mother had drank the cursed drink. Kirche climbs into bed with her to cam her.

Preview:

Impressions:

What a great episode! Saito you gun! First you kiss the Princess then you sleep with your master? Lucky bastard…lol. Yes, those moments were so good that I I’ve put the full screenies up. Just click on a pic below to see a larger version. Anyway, like I said before, this episode was fantastic! It was very entertaining and extremely funny. It’s never been this hilarious before – bordering Muteki Kanban Musume funny! Those two moments were awesome and topped the episode off nicely. There is one thing that I wished had happened differently. At the end when Saito had come between that tax dude and Louise to protect her – that was funny, but it would’ve been better if he actually had his sword as was the one to shut those goons up. He looked so cool and confident when he slid into view – classic Anime technique =) It would’ve been awesome with a little more action. Louise jealousy over Saito was also good. Not only was it funny, but I’m glad that she’s finally developing more feelings for him (and hopefully Saito can forget about that bitch Kirche – Siesta I don’t mind and, oh, wait! Henrietta: possible fourth partner?!) And – oh my god! Saito in a tub with Siesta next ep? Nah, wouldn’t be that dramatic. I don’t think they’d be in the same tub, but if they are – woot! Go Saito!

Saito + Henrietta:

Saito + Louise:

Screenshots:

Summary:

In Henrietta’s palace, Louise and Saito are being rewarded for capturing Fouquet. Louise is given the title of Chevalier, which is a great feat for someone who can’t even use magic properly. Henrietta asks Saito to take care of Louise, which makes him blush and Louise irritated at the same time. The Princess offers Saito her hand, signalling for him to kiss it. Louise immediately steps between them and says that the Princess can’t do such a thing. Henrietta says that to ask Saito to protect Louise is the same as asking him to pledge his loyalty to her. Hearing this, Louise has no choice but to back down. She steps aside, but when Saito mistakes the gesture as a hand shake, Louise nudges him and whispers to him that Henrietta has given him permission to kiss her. However, he interprets this wrong and thinks he’s allowed to kiss her on the lips, when it’s only meant to be on the hand. He steps up to the Princess and takes her hand. Up to this point, everything is normal, but Saito suddenly pulls Henrietta to him, and wraps his other arm around her. He tilts forward and allows her to rest against his arm (of course, she’s not resting or relaxed; she’s probably shocked from the sudden movement). Louise almost cries out in shock, but for some reason she doesn’t and simply stares at Saito as shis lips touch Henrietta’s. The Princess doesn’t scream or try to fight Saito off. After the brief lip contact, Saito seems pleased with himself until Henrietta suddenly faints.

Louise seems to calm down somewhat after she gives Saito a sesver beating. She apologises to the Princess (who is now awake and doesn’t seem to be angry or shocked, just sightly nerve racked). When Louise demands that Saito apologise as well, he says that it was her that said he could kiss Henrietta. Louise screams at him, asking what would kiss her on the lips. Saito says his lips would, which gets him another punch to the face. Henrietta speaks now, trying to calm Louise down. She says it’s okay and loyalty needs its reward. She also has a favour to ask of Louise and Saito. She wants them to disguise themselves as commoners to survey the city, as she believes there may be some Nobles who are being oppressive. Of course, Louise has to accept the request.

After buying some plain clothes, Louise and Saito look around for a place to stay. All the good places are too expensive. Saito tries to convince Louise to just find a cheaper place, but she won’t have it and starts an argument. She tells Saito not to follow her and walks off. At the end of the day, Saito finds Louise sitting outside looking sad. Apparently, she had lost all her money from gambling. Just when it seems that asking the Princess for money is the only option, an androgynous man approaches them and offers them a job at his inn. The accept the job of course, as there is no other way to get a place to stay. However, the job that Louise must do places her quite out of character – a maid/waitress. The waitresses at this inn, however, has the goal of getting the most tips from customers by flirting and pleasing them. Saito’s job is much easier – behind the bar. He gets along quite well with the only girl who washes. Before the inn opens, Scarron, the androgynous guy, announces that this week will be the Tip Competition. The girl who gets the most tips by the end of the week will be able to wear a special waitress outfit for one day. The clothes have also been enchanted so that the wearer can earn as much money as she desires. Scarron says that last years winner earned so much that she retired. Hmm, that person looks a lot like Henrietta… Everyone is excited, including Louise who thinks she’ll be able to get a good pay with the costume.

During the evening, Louise finds it hard to serve a commoner as she is a Noble. She is pushed over her limit when a customer remarks about how small her breasts are. She pours wine over the man and has to be rescued by Scarron.

That night, Louise is still complaining about the horrible job she was forced into. Saito isn’t worried at all and is able to get to sleep quite easily. Reluctantly, Louise gets into bed as well. Before she can get to sleep, she is jumped by a few bats on the ceiling. Afraid, she crawls into Saito’s bed and sleeps on his arm.

Louise doesn’t improve over the next few days and always causes trouble by remarks regarding the size of her chest. Meanwhile, Saito finds out that the girl who he helps out is actually Scarron’s daughter. He finds it hard to believe that someone as strange as Scarron could have someone like her as a daughter. As Louise is fuming about how everyone targets her for her breast size, she notices Saito glance at Jessica’s (Scarron’s daughter) chest. She gets pissed and throws a bottle at Saito, which knocks him out cold. When he wakes up, he is in his room, alone with Jessica, who is sitting at the end of his bed. She suddenly asks him if Louise is really his sister. She also points out that she is that Louise is a noble. Saito makes a feeble attempt to hide the truth, but this only succeeds in making Jessica surer of herself. She asks if Saito is her servant, to which he responds that he is not and she shouldn’t seach to deeply for the truth. This gets her thinking that he is involved in something dangerous. She seems genuinely interested, but tries to use the same tactics as Kirche to get more information out of him – and that is with her body. Louise barges in on them and starts screaming at Saito. He tries to talk his way out of being in such a position, but Louise won’t hear it and kicks him in the crotch. Before she can drag Saito out of the room, Jessica asks her about her job, and if she can really get any tips with her body. Talking without thinking once again, she says that she will win the Tip Competition.

On the last day, Louise’s chance finally arrives. The tax collector of the town, who is also a Noble, comes in and drives everyone else out. No one serves him except for Louise, who thinks, as he is rich, can provide her with enough tips to win the competition. However, he points out that she resembles a boy because of how flat she is. She kicks the man in the face and makes him fall of the chair. All the other girls and Scarron scream in horror, as they know that the man will most likely get his revenge buy placing a huge tax on the inn. The man calls on his guards and they round on Louise. Saito comes to defend her, saying that he’s the only one who can touch her (Louise blushes – how cute!) However, he realises his sword is in his room and is unable to do anything when the tax payer advances on him. Louise, though, has her wand, which had been strapped to her leg, to cause another one of her trademark explosions (I think it was intentional this time). The tax collector and his guards are all thrown backward. Before they can retaliate, Louise shows them her palace approval, which makes them bow down to her and beg that the incident be forgotten. They even leave many bags of New Gold, which Scarron takes as tips. It seems that Louise has won the competition, and none of the other girls are angry. In fact, they are all cheering for Louise for getting rid of the corrupt Noble. Even though Scarron and everyone else promise to keep the fact that Louise is a Noble a secret, Saito says that they have to go back now that there cover is blown. He realises that Louise is changing and offers to help her (his accustomed to this isn’t he?), but Louise tells him not to look. When she finishes putting on what turns out to be the special waitress costume, she asks the speechless Saito to say something. The only thing he can think of to say is ‘Tres bien’, which means very well, and is what Scarron always says.

In a prison elsewhere, a mysterious man comes to free Fouquet, otherwise known as Matilda of South Gotha, calling her a comrade. It seems that Fouquet recognises the man. Interesting…

Preview:

Impressions:

Best episode so far! Finally some action: Saito owning in the fight. There was also some serious emotional development between Saito and Louise. I think she’s finally fallen for him! Aside from that, I was shocked at my slowness for not realising Ms Longueville was Fouquet earlier! I mean, who else has green hair?! I’m also quite surprised that Osman took the news so calmly. I had the idea he was pretty attached to her (or maybe just the colour of her panties). The Staff of Destruction being a rocket launcher was pretty funny, and Louise trying to swing it while displaying the all too well-known XD was hilarious! Saito was very impressive this episode, operating the weapon so expertly. The scenes of him destroying the golem were great, and he didn’t faint for several days after either. I guess this is probably because he wasn’t injured severely, and he’s getting used to the power. The end was nice. I just wish she had kissed Saito to go with her attitude change and sudden shyness (yes, I do realise she kissed him in the first episode, but that’s different). With only 7 episodes to go, I hope the series retains this level of entertainment. (Heh, I just realised my review of the first episode of Zero no Tsukaima hasn’t been transferred from my old blog…doing it now.)

Summary:

In the classroom, Kirche is feeding Saito, much top Louise’s displeasure. One of the teachers walks in, calling for Tabitha and Louise to the headmaster’s office. In the end, Kirche goes along as well, as she is interested as to what is going on. Saito goes too of course. In the office, Osman, Ms Longueville and other mages have gathered to discuss the theft of the Staff of Destruction. Ms Longueville explains that a suspicious person has been sighted going to and from an abandoned hut in the forests. She was also able to draw a sketch of what she thought Fouquet looked liked (with the hood over her face). The students take a look at it and confirm that it definitely is the thief. One of the teachers suggests they take the information to the Royal Court and request soldiers from the Royal Task Force. Osman says that if they do that, Fouquet will surely discover their plans. He says that the school will retrieve the staff themselves. He asks for volunteers to resecure the staff, but none of the mages are willing to. However, Louise raises her wand, indicating that she would like to go. Not prepared to lose to her, Kirche does as well. Tabitha too raises her staff, saying that she’s worried about the two. Osman is happy to let them go, as for one, Tabitha has the title of a Chevalier Knight, which is very impressive at her age, and two, Kirche is the descendant of an extensive Germanian military ancestry. He can’t think of anything to say to praise Louise, so he moves on to Saito, saying what an exceptional swordsman he is. The teacher agrees with the headmaster, but almost lets slip that Saito is the legendary Gun-. Ms Longueville seems to catch on quickly though. She volunteers to go as well, as she is ‘interested’.

The group set out in a horse-drawn cart. Saito asks why Fouquet is a thief if she’s a Noble. Ms Longueville says that not all mages are Nobles. Some lose their nobility, and a fraction of those become outlaws. She reveals that even she has lost her nobility. Kirche asks why, but she does not answer. Kirche persists, but stops when Louise indicates that it is discourteous. Kirche says that it’s boring, so Louise asks her why she came in the first place. Hearing this, she moves over to sit next to Saito and says it’s because she’s worried about her ‘darling’ (Saito). She asks Louise what she’ll do when the golem comes out. Louise is about to say that she’ll use her magic, but Kirche interjects and mocks her about the absence of her powers. The two then progress into a glaring competition before Saito separates the two (as he is being squished in between the two). Kirche suddenly remembers about something she brought and presents Saito with the gold sword, saying he forgot to bring it. Saito tells her that he’s already got a sword, and he also doesn’t want to take it because of a certain someone sitting beside him. However, Louise gives him the ok (even though she is discretely fuming).

When they arrive at the little house, the girls hide behind some bushes while Saito peers through the windows to see if anyone’s inside. No one is so he gives the all clear. Tabitha, Kirche and Saito enter the hut to look around, as Louise stands guard outside and Ms Longueville scouts the surrounding area. Both Kirche and Saito look around carelessly and state that nothing’s inside, however, Tabitha is more thorough and manages to find the Staff of Destruction. It is still in the case so we don’t know what it looks like yet. Just as she locates it, Louise is jumped on by the golem and her scream brings everyone’s attention to her. The roof is torn off and the golem appears above them. Both Tabitha and Kirche attempt to bring it down with their elemental magic, but it all fails. (Note that Fouquet is no where to be seen the entire battle). Seeing the hopelessness of the situation, Tabitha calls for her familiar to help them escape. Saito realises that he hasn’t confirmed Louise’s safety, but he sees her outside, ready to take on the golem. She tries to fight it, but as strong as her unintentional explosions may have seemed before, they only succeed in denting the giant that is looming over her. Saito yells for her to run away but she refuses. She says that Nobles aren’t people who can use magic, but those who don’t turn their backs from their enemies. With this, she tries her attack again, but it fails and the golem brings its fist down. As it seems like Louise has just been crushed, she appears in Saito’s arms as the two stumble out of the dust. Louise is angry at Saito for getting in her way, but he responds, surprisingly, by slapping her. He gives her a quick lecture about the importance of her life, before she breaks down and starts crying. She tells Saito she doesn’t want to be teased anymore, and if she doesn’t defeat the golem, she wouldn’t be able to keep her promise of protecting Henrietta. The golem tries to crush them again, but Saito grabs Louise and makes a run for it. Tabitha flies down with Kirche on her familiar, landing in front of Saito. He sets Louise on to Silph and tells them to escape.

As they fly away, Saito turns around to face the golem, now with a strong resolution. He takes the golden sword in hand and charges at the golem. However, when he brings it down onto the beast’s rock-hard body, the blade snaps in half. Derflinger, who had been silent until now, tells Saito to use him instead. As he draws it, his insignia on the back of his palm starts glowing again. Saito begins to feel like he did when he fought Guiche. With surprising speed and power, Saito dances in and around the golem’s legs, swinging his sword with confidence. The golem’s legs crumble, but quickly reform. Saito discerns that he will not be able to win if this keeps up. Up in the sky, Louise takes the Staff of Destruction and jumps down. Somehow, she doesn’t fall to her doom. Instead, she makes a slow descent, surrounded by a glowing aura. Upon seeing the Staff of Destruction, Saito is astounded. The staff was no staff at all, but a ROCKET LAUNCHER! Louise tries to use it by swinging it around, but of course, being a conventional weapon that won’t work. Saito runs up to her and takes it from her. He arms it like a pro and fires the single shot at the golem before it can crush them. Louise is amazed at the weapon and Saito’s ability to use it. The entire golem crumbles. As Louise is admiring her familiar, Kirche comes and ruins the moment by embracing Saito. It seems that no one has given a thought to Fouquet’s absence until Tabitha points it out. As they are trying to see if they can see Fouquet anywhere, Ms Longueville comes and picks up the rocket launcher. She unties her hair and takes off her hair … revealing Fouquet’s true identity: Ms Longueville! Saito makes for the sword, but Ms Longueville threatens them with the rocket launcher. She explains that she didn’t know how to use the weapon, so she was counting on someone to show her how, and Saito has done exactly that. She says she had been disappointed that only students were going to retrieve the weapon, but she was confident that Saito – a ‘Gundolf’ – would be able to use it. Happy with her success, she presses the trigger to launch the rocket, but nothing happens. Saito, who knows that he had already used its single rocket, grabs his sword and lunges at Ms Longueville. He jabs her in the stomach with the back of his sword, bringing her down in an instant. Standing a few metres back, silently admiring him are Louise and Kirche.

Back at the academy, the headmaster congratulates the three mages for the capture of Fouquet and the return of the ‘Staff of Destruction’. He tells them that they will be receiving rewards from the Royal Court, but Saito won’t be getting anything as he is not a Noble. He doesn’t mind this, but has one question. When the girls leave, Saito asks the headmaster about the rocket launcher. First, he explains that he is from another world, and that the rocket launcher is a weapon from his world. He wants to know about where the weapon came from. Osman tells him that about thirty years ago when he had been cornered by a black dragon, he was saved by a soldier (from Earth) wielding a rocket launcher. He had tried to save this strange man, but his death was inevitable. One of the two rocket launchers he had was buried with him, and the other kept as a ‘memento’. Saito is angry that hearing this didn’t bring any answers of help for him to return home.

At the party that night, Saito is standing on the balcony with a gloomy face. Louise, as a special guest, is addressed in a special manner as she arrives at the party. She is dressed in a long dance dress and has her hair tied up. A few guys asks her to dance with them, but she ignores them all and heads straight for Saito. When the music starts, she asks him to dance with him (though in an arrogant manner). Saito says that if she’s asking him to dance with her, she should say it better. Surprisingly, Louise changes her attitude and asks Saito as if he was another Noble like herself. The two dance intimately and Louise says that she believes that Saito is from another world now. Saito is surprised that she didn’t believe him before. She says that the Staff of Destruction is proof. With sad eyes, she asks Saito whether he really wants to go back to his world. Saito says yes, which only succeeds in depressing Louise. After a few moments to sort her thoughts, she smiles again and shyly says thankyou to Saito for saving her life. Saito says that it’s obvious he would save her as he is her familiar (this is a reverse of several previous occasions when Louise saves Saito and says it’s only because it’s her duty to save her familiar). Louise doesn’t seem fazed by the comment though and continues to dance happily.

Preview:

Looks like next episode Louise will work for the first time in her life, to secretly survey the city, by orders of Princess Henrietta. (Whoa, what’s that she’s wearing?!)

Impressions:

To be honest, after watching this episode I’ve begun to root for Siesta. I’m a bit disappointed that she didn’t kiss Saito on the lips, but I wasn’t expecting that anyway as it’s still very early in the show. I don’t like Kirche at all. I doubt she truly likes him, and I hope Saito won’t get involved with her. Louise; I’m not too sure yet. She acts very sweet when she’s concerned for Saito, but that never ends up as more than just concern. When is she going to develop and realise her feelings for Saito? Or will she? This is going to become slightly ‘haremish‘, isn’t it? Now to a random topic that has nothing to do with the romances in the show, the same music that is often played during the show reminds me of ‘The Third ~ Aoi Hitomi no Shoujo’. The theme music both give the same feel, but the two shows are completely different. Anyway, it looks like Saito’s going into a real battle next episode, this time with the talking sword. Yay!

Summary:

The headmaster of the magic academy is signing an agreement in compliance with a man called Count Mott, after an order by the Palace. Ms Longville enters the headmaster’s office when Mott leaves and inquires about his request. The headmaster simply shrugs this off and says he only came to warn them about a theft. The thief’s name is Fuuke, who has been stealing treasures from Nobles. As the school holds the Palace’s ‘Staff of Destruction’, it is natural for them to be concerned. The headmaster says there is no need to worry as the chamber which the Staff is sealed has been fortified by several square-class sorcerers (if you recall, one who can use all four elements is called a ’square’).

Saito is outside, washing Louise’s clothes at night. As he is complaining about the task, he is started by Siesta who comes up behind him. She helps Saito with the washing and directs him on how to dry them. Saito says he has never washed anything by hand before he came here, which makes Siesta wonder where he came from. He says he comes from a far away land, and trails off. Siesta suddenly thanks Saito for a deed he does not realise at first. She says that no matter what happens, he would never cower. She still has the fight between him and Guiche in her mind. Witnessing Saito’s victory had given her courage to go on. She then says goodnight and quietly walks off.

Saito feels that there was something strange with his encounter with Siesta earlier. As he is thinking this while returning to Louise’s room, Kirche makes a surprise appearance, (ok, let’s be honest, we all saw it coming didn’t we?) wearing only her underwear. Saito recoils at the sight and quickly backs away, saying he needs to get up early tomorrow, so he won’t be able to… you know. As he makes a run for it, (or rather, a fast-paced walk) Kirche tells him that the gold sword she had bought earlier is a present for him, as she has no use for it. Saito comes back, full of enthusiasm. Kirche grabs his arm and persuades him to come inside, just for a little ‘talk’. Having successfully managed to coax Saito into her room, she proceeds with her ‘plan’. Saito is overwhelmed at receiving the sword for free, but believes Louise won’t be happy. Kirche tells him not to worry about her. Curious about something else, Saito asks about Kirche’s reason for choosing him out of all the guys around her. She says it’s because Saito has many things that they don’t. Saito asks about this, but Kirche doesn’t have a ready answer in mind, so she talks about his strange mannerisms and speech (having been raised in a normal family as opposed to being raised as a Noble). She also says she likes him because of his dumb look and the hint of filthiness. Hearing this, Saito stands up and announces he’s leaving. (Aww, poor Kirche failed miserably). Saito returns the sword and walks toward the exit. Kirche runs in front of him, offering him a small ring (more like bribing him!) Saito rejects it, and the numerous other priceless artefacts she offers. As he reaches for the door, Kirche resorts to using force and pushes him onto the ground. Just as things start heating up, Louise makes her appearance just in time to crash the party. Saito has no choice but to follow her back upstairs.

Back in his master’s room, Saito gets a scolding from Louise (though this time it is much less intense). Saito says Kirche lured him into her room with the gold sword. However, he had agreed to the old, talking sword before, so this doesn’t pass as a valid excuse. Louise takes out her short whip and starts lashing Saito again (this time with an evil grin on her face).

The next day, Siesta departs for some unknown place (dressed in casual clothes! Whoa!) It seems her conversation with Saito the night before had been a farewell. Later on, when everyone is up, Louise tells Saito to stay outside like the other familiars for today , because it’s embarrassing to have an ill-mannered pervert around (well, that’s what Louise thinks anyway). Agreeing, he tries to ‘hang’ with the other familiar, but only succeeds in getting liked by some snake and startled by the one eyed balloon thing. As he is walking off, sick of being near the familiars, he runs into Marto, the chef from last episode. He invited him to the kitchen again, which Saito gladly accepts. As he is eating, he asks where Siesta is. Marto is surprised he doesn’t know she quit, so informs him about it. Marto says that she is now serving a man called Count Mott, and left this morning. At the end of the day, Louise tells Saito about Mott and how he’s always arrogant. Saito’s swords says that when a Noble specifically requests a young girl like Siesta, it usually means he intends her to become his bride. Saito is dumbfounded by these words.

As Guiche is trying to make up to Montmorency, Saito approaches him with a question. At the dining hall, Louise realises that Saito has not returned for dinner. Kirche comes with a tray of food, saying that she felt sorry for him always eating leftovers, so she brought some of her own. Kirche asks about where he is. Louise says he had just gone out to wring out the last of the washing, but hasn’t returned. Overhearing the conversation, Guiche informs the two girls that Saito had gone to him earlier, asking about where Count Mott’s mansion is. As Guiche and Kirche mock Louise for summoning such a disobedient familiar, she hurries off, ignoring them. Saito has finally reached Mott’s mansion after a long, tiresome run. As he is trying to catch his breath, a guard spots him and confronts him.

Inside, Count Mott is having a little chat with Siesta, asking if she has gotten used to the work yet. As they are talking, Mott moves behind Siesta and whispers in her ear, saying he didn’t fire her just to do the small tasks. Just as Mott is getting intimate, the guard outside knocks on the door, informing his master that a boy called Saito is requesting his presence. Mott dismissed Saito’s complaint as soon as he says it, telling him to leave at once. He continues to beg though, saying he will do anything if he returns Siesta to the academy. Mott enquires about Saito’s relationship with Siesta. He tells him he’s just a fellow worker. He also tells him how they say when a man asks for a girl in this situation, it is to be their mistress. Mott does not deny this, confirming Saito’s suspicions. Angered, he attempts to get closer to the Count, but the two guards bar his way. He calls the Noble ‘moustache-man’ in his anger, which infuriates the Count. He takes his staff in hand and as he is about to punish Saito, Siesta runs in from the other room and begs her new master to forgive Saito’s rudeness. She is willing to take any punishment for him, which gets Mott thinking. He asks Saito about his offer of doing anything for the return on Siesta, which still stands. He says he likes collecting books, but there is one he wants but does not have. The book was accidentally summoned by a sorcerer who had been experimenting with magic. It is currently in the care if a certain Germanian family. That family is… the Zerbst family! Meaning, Kirche! She had offered him the treasure earlier when she had tried to seduce him. Saito is now running back to the academy to get it. He runs into Louise, who is riding a horse and almost knocks him over.

Back at the academy after Louise is in bed, she tells Saito to forget about Siesta as they can’t do anything about it. He pretends to agree, and when Louise is asleep, he sneaks out of the room. He makes his way to Kirche’s room and asks for her family treasure. The treasure has apparently been unopened since Kirche received it, as she hasn’t figured out how to open it. She says it was given to her as a wedding present; the treasure supposedly stimulates men’s desire for women. She says she will give it to him if he goes out with her. He angrily refuses and leaves, taking the sword with him. In another bedroom, Tabitha is awakened by the sound of a horse’s cry. She looks outside and sees Saito struggling to control the horse he is on. At the mansion, Siesta is called from the bath into the bedroom, where the Count is waiting (uh-oh!) Before she leaves the water, she gives one last thought (and tear) to Saito. At the academy, Kirche and Tabitha wake Louise up, informing her about Saito’s rash decision to fight Mott. Saito is quickly spotted by a guard as he tries to sneak into the mansion. He is brought to Count Mott. He draws his sword, ready to fight the noble, unaware that if a commoner draws his sword in a Nobles house, the Noble is allowed to kill him. Tabitha, Kirche and Louise discuss this as they fly toward the mansion (on Tabitha’s familiar). Saito is worried because his body is not reacting to the sword, as it had with Guiche. Mott informs him he is a triangle sorcerer, before spilling water from a vase and manipulating the stream. He even has the ability to turn the water into shards of ice, which he launches at the defenceless commoner. Just as one is about to spear Saito right through the head, the three girls burst through the door. Louise manages to stop the attack by making the shard of ice explode (her trademark technique!) After things have been sorted out, Louise makes an apology to the Count and will accept any punishment for her familiar. Kirche takes out her treasure and bribes the Count with it. He lets everyone go, including Siesta, after receiving the book he had long sought for. However, the book turns out to be a porn magazine, but fortunately, the Count can’t read the language and is too stupid to recognise it as porn.

Back at the academy, Siesta thanks Saito for freeing her. He says that it was actually Kirche who did it, but Siesta says it was he who never gave up on her. As he is trying to place the thanks on Louise this time, Siesta briefly kisses him on the cheek, and hurries away, leaving Saito deep red. Later as Saito is thanking and apologising to Louise for the trouble he has caused, he is shocked to hear she is actually thinking of how sever his punishment will be.

Preview: