©KOEI TECMO GAMES/Atelier Ryza Production Committee
So we’re at the action-packed climax of the season. With Empel and Lila temporarily absent, Ryza and his friends must take down the dragon before the extremely ill-equipped group led by Boz is killed.
This episode is built around showing us how much the group has grown over the past 11 episodes — from almost-killed kids to a cohesive group of adventurers. Ryza has developed into a trusted powerhouse who not only understands the power she holds but also how careful she must be when using it. Lent became a seasoned warrior on the front lines—always aware of the battlefield and his comrades’ positions on it. For his part, Tao went from being illiterate to being the only one in the group who could read ancient letters and understand their magic. As for Klaudia, she has changed from a sheltered girl forced to wait at home to a warrior providing support on the battlefield—able to fill in the gaps needed to ensure everyone’s safety.
The fight with the dragon shows each person’s full potential. However, that doesn’t mean the fight was handled perfectly. They make mistakes—especially Ryza’s that could get her killed. But thanks to the events of the series, they’ve become strong enough to protect each other — even if they still have room to grow. So by the end of the battle, although each had fallen once or twice, they were more or less unharmed—with a dead dragon at their feet.
Because of this, the first time they died, the islanders were able to see who Ryza and the others had truly become. They weren’t just kids playing stunts—nor were they just a group of laborers who could clear a few rocks. They are literal dragon slayers and can do quite easily what a group of trained guards cannot do.
Some people may accept this, especially those who were there and those whose loved ones have been saved. However, others could not accept their view of the group changing so radically. Boz’s pride and superiority do not allow him to be overshadowed by a group of criminals and neither Ryza’s mother nor Klaudia’s father can bear the idea of their children having to do such dangerous work. But this is one of those moments where the genie cannot be put back in the bottle. Things will be forever different from here on out. Ryza, the selfish, reckless child, is gone and Ryza, the resilient, strong alchemist, has taken her place.
Rating:
Random thoughts:
The group revisiting the location of their first (mis)adventure en route to fighting the dragon is a nice thematic callback.
→ I feel there needs to be a more detailed explanation of staff and what they can do. Like, why doesn’t Ryza put the rose bomb in there so she can blow up the dragon over and over again?
→ I’m afraid I’m a bit fond of Ryza’s Card Captor Sakura cosplay.
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
