© INORI, AINAKA, ICHIJINSHA/’WATAOSHII’ Production Committee
Considering how well I got along in last week’s magic lesson, I’m dreading this week’s Royal Knight exam. The main takeaway from the previous episode is that the magic of this world is dull, while the production values barely manage to deliver on the very simple and boring action. An entire episode with those two elements sounds like a recipe for a miserable episode. So I’m grateful that this episode was pretty solid, largely by actively addressing those weaknesses and weaving them together with the series’ charm.
Take the example of princes. For now, they’re just jokes, a source of comical tension for Rae, who can’t care less about getting their attention even though the universe is bent in that exact direction. However, it looks like they’ll continue to play supporting roles for now, so it would be nice to give them some screen time to build their characters. I like that Thane and Yu have a teasing rivalry that comes through in their banter, which contrasts nicely with Thane’s inherent inferiority complex. Yu is considered to be in cahoots but shows clear concern for Misha after her fight. Overall, Thane is my favorite guy, as his cold, cool exterior makes it difficult to escape the chaos that Rae brings-plus, his fighting style is pretty cool. Rod…well, I find him just as attractive as Rae. He’s a magical guy with earrings to match, but his fight with Misha actually offers some more complex magical mechanics than just shooting fire and wind until someone falls . Plus, he and Yu seem to be on Rae’s wavelength, which makes for some good jokes.
Then there’s Rae and Claire’s fight, which is surprisingly well realized. The fight isn’t exactly impressive, but given the show’s previous action efforts, it does an admirable job of creating a humorous and creative skirmish. Production values are still lackluster, but there are some playful storylines and energy during the combat that make it easy enough to look at. It’s great to see Claire in her element, raining fire and trying to dominate Rae with sheer force. Of course, Rae is always one step ahead of her, but it would be interesting to see Wile E. Coyote reach the Roadrunner before stumbling. It’s equally fun to see Roadrunner admiring Coyote’s cool mid-air flips like a thirsty little gay flower, although I don’t know if Chuck Jones would agree with me on that. Are not. Claire fires a laser that melts ice as her trump card dominates, and the fight has just enough back-and-forth humor to work as a set piece.
That being said, it makes this episode feel like a bit of a breeze. This is definitely an improvement over the slow, exposition-heavy content from last week, but there’s not much to draw on other than the characters’ constant antics. There’s little to be done to advance or change the central relationship compared to last week. Even Ralaire doesn’t have much to stand out other than a few cute jokes. We end with Rae once again asking Claire to never give up, which foreshadows something, but it’s not enough to make this episode feel completely satisfying. It’s solid, reliably entertaining, but not as engaging as we know this series can be.
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I Love Villains is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.