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While Reign of the Seven Spellblades still (very) gradually follows Oliver and the other main characters as they make their way into the Labyrinth, it’s less of a focus this week than it once was. Some content continues familiar formats, including Miligan guiding first years through technique and practice, or meeting other students as they go on their magical mystery journey . Some of this happens with Chekov’s clear gun loadout, like the waterwalking spell that can be upgraded to airwalking later on. Others are simply mechanical, such as Carste who is shown to be unable to follow Oliver across the water although Stacy and Lynette have no problem crossing it under their own power. I’m not trying to apply any “Gotcha” logic to a series powered by the actual convenience of magic, I’m just noting that much of what this episode does in the present is purely about structure.
That’s only in the Now However, having come this far, Seven Spellblades finally took the time to look back and explain the past in detail. Early hints are dropped, as they go deeper into the layers, about how popular Ophelia’s perfume is…badly affecting Oliver. Never mind that he resisted it and had no trouble sitting right next to her back in the eighth episode. Several references beyond that conversation itself, as well as mentions from the parallel Campus Watch team, are what cause this episode to go back and provide some past context about Ophelia’s deal. I’m sure the timing is right for things to go well, not tragically, and with no pathogens around her at the end of the season.
Although I may be cranky, this kind of retrospective is exactly what I’ve been asking for these past weeks, so I can’t be too concise. It’s interesting to see earlier versions of characters like Ophelia and Carlos, who appear like younger, less experienced versions of people I met in cameos in Seven Spellblades. There’s an irreverent approach that makes them feel more like real, normal school-age friends than even some of today’s supposedly important players, who are barely getting dressed ( look at you, Guy!). Characters like Godfrey have barely registered for me in the parts of the series I’ve seen so far, but here they reintroduce his younger self through an overlong gag where he repeatedly Magically kicks his dick to prove how much of a Woman Respector™ he is. is to Ophelia. It’s stupid, but it’s an earnest, enjoyable kind of stupidity that has the effect of endearing me to this throwback friendship as a group of nerdy classmates.
It’s true that the reasoning surrounding the need for magical cock kicking is one of my points that adds a bit of confusion to this story. I understand what the plot of Spellblades wants to do with Ophelia’s seductive perfume powers. It ties into the backstory about her bad time giving birth that was alluded to last week, weaving together a commentary on how this wizarding world, as well as the normal world, often, treat women as sex objects and reproductive factories, regardless of their personal desires. be like that. Striking enough, but the actual mechanics of Ophelia’s magic may be too decisive. It works on all biological males, regardless of their actual attractiveness (RIP Tim), but then it seems to exclude Reversi that has gone into girl mode, regardless of whether they are attracted Attracted by women or not. So maybe it doesn’t work for lesbians either? I know I shouldn’t think too much about stuff like this, but considering that Seven Spellblades is pretty okay about the usual weirdness of its world (mandatory “Suck it, Rowling”), it stands out when suddenly decided to adhere to magical biological facts.
Regardless, the core message of the cruelty that led to Ophelia’s transformation is conveyed clearly, if a little quickly, by this episode’s flashbacks. There’s something strange about how, on top of all the more nebulous pressures, it was simply a particularly cruel round of bullying from her peers that caused Ophelia to become the monster they believed her to be. she is like that. Chestnut like Earth. It expands the reason for characters like Carlos in the present day working to foster an atmosphere of acceptance and guidance for their underclassmen. At the same time, it gives Oliver’s current team of protagonists another specific aspect of the world to actively promote and reform. I might not be crazy about all of this mainly treating Ophelia as a necessary victim at her own sacrificial altar for all of this. But it also speaks to this episode finally making me care about her on that level, with everyone else from her past now converging on her.
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Reign of the Seven Spellblades is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Chris is back for another season of calling witches nerds. Please disagree with him on that above Twitter (no matter how long that lasts) or check out his offbeat musings on other weird topics on his blog.
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