(CR) Shuumatsu no Izetta

[AB079]

Nice episode overall, Izetta and Fine have some weird chemistry tho but for now seems like Izetta wants to protect her at all cost.

This time we didn't have much details about the world building aside the usual explanation at the start of the episode but the good thing is how we got a nice bit of Izetta's power. I wonder why she's so close to Fine to the point that Izetta is even able to kill for her.

On a side note, I have the feeling that we're not going to have much world building and the story is going to focus on Izetta and Fine mostly (throwing some baits it seems), we'll see.

[Random Wanderer]

It looks like Izetta's powers are geographically limited. Some areas may have more magic available for her to use than others.

Looks like she's going to revive Eylstadt's legend of the white witch. I hope both she and Fine will live through the experience.

[LoweGear]

Episode 2... now that's what I call a witch dogfight

After the first half where Izetta shows off her chops with her powers (including forming icicles from snow using her blood), she and Fine manage to join up with a retreating column of defeated Elystadt soldiers under the command of one Obermeyer, as Izetta remembers her past with Fine, and her circumstances as a nomad.

I must say, Izetta is too utterly adorable, which makes her badassery with her air combat skills rather incredible. Also, Fine continues to show that she's no pushover by being the one to get the last kill of the dogfight using the anti-tank rifle they're riding on, which was such a nice display of teamwork among the two. The ace they were fighting though definitely lived through that encounter, and I imagine he'll be a recurring character with a vendetta versus our witch. Also, props to that attention to detail in the dogfight - for example, the massive recoil an untethered anti-tank rifle would make if fired in the air, and the fact that it became too hot to be held by the barrel after firing

While we do see more of the fantastic elements this episode, I like how it still feels rather 'grounded' despite that, as so far the show has yet to lose its wartime feel, and if the OP is any indication I'm looking forward to combined fighter-witch combat in the future.

Poor AT-Rifle kun though, NTR'd by a Princess... he never had a chance in this relationship ;-;

[R.LocK]

Give me more Touhou fights. Can I ask for German...nian hell-ish magic bullet patterns?

Another nice episode, and Fine doesn't disappoint.

[Metaneo]

Episode was okay. Massive flaw in Fine's logic about not wanting Izetta to fight. Germania already knows she exists and captured her once, does she not think they'll go after her again?

[Triple_R]

Very good second episode. The action scenes are very engaging and intense. I was slightly worried that Izetta might seem excessively OP relative to the Germania forces, but combat is thankfully pretty well-balanced so far, adding greatly to its intensity and sense of suspense.

There's some personality similarities between Fine and Izetta, but Izetta does seem the more outwardly emotional of the two, and maybe the softer of the two. So there is some decent characterization contrast there, anyway. Izetta is highly likeable in general, with one minor criticism I'll get to in a bit.

Pacing is good, and the plot is unfolding nicely so far. I'm glad we're learning some about the broader war, and that we're not strictly focused on Fine and Izetta. The flashback moments were well-executed.

Originally Posted by Metaneo

Episode was okay. Massive flaw in Fine's logic about not wanting Izetta to fight. Germania already knows she exists and captured her once, does she not think they'll go after her again?

Shuumatsu no Izetta might be trying a little too hard to make the main protagonists seem totally admirable and likable. They're aiming for noble loyal selfless altruists filled with lasting gratitude for every good deed or sacrifice made for them. I much prefer this extreme to an opposite amoral one, but it's nonetheless an extreme. And it can lead to questionable logic like you rightly point out here, Metaneo.

In Izetta's case, her "I'm not worthy" sentiment towards Fine is a bit much, honestly. I found it a little heavy-handed and I hope Izetta will develop a greater sense of self-worth as this anime show progresses.

But I want to be clear - These are minor criticisms, that can be removed with just mild tweaking and some character development/balancing.

Shuumatsu no Izetta is still a very good anime show, and overall, it's off to a very good start with these first two episodes.

[Darthtabby]

Episode 2:

Despite reading that the show would have additional "action" girls aside from Fine and Izetta, I'm a bit surprised that Elystadt appears to have an amazon brigade squad.

Probably my biggest issue with the show right now is that the appearance of some of the younger, more "anime-ish" characters like the aforementioned amazon squad and the boyish member of the Germanian special unit contrast so starkly with the more realistic looking secondary characters. That along with a drop in the production values compared to the excellent looking premiere sapped my enjoyment of this episode a bit.

All that being said, I'm still enjoying the show and am eager to find out what will happen next. Also on the plus side this episode fleshed out Izetta. She seems rather likeable (although a bit lacking in self esteem).

[Wandering Soul]

Originally Posted by Metaneo

Episode was okay. Massive flaw in Fine's logic about not wanting Izetta to fight. Germania already knows she exists and captured her once, does she not think they'll go after her again?

That's what I thought too. She can tell Izetta to not fight and part ways with her, but it won't change the fact that Germania is after Izetta. They may as well work together.

[Gravitas Free Zone]

Originally Posted by Stark700

Episode 2
Looks like it requires blood to work.

It was a way to touch the snow by proxy, so that she could create the snow projectiles.

[RDNexus]

It's only Ep02, but I'm getting bad vibes about Finé.
The OP not only gives her as much attention as other side-characters, but also makes it seem she'll have a tragic end.
At least, that's the impression I got from the OP alone

[Elestia]

Izetta x Fine ship sailing as strong as ever, but it looks like this will all end in tragedy judging by the ED. Still, definitely another strong episode with great direction, strong and likeable lead characters, and brewing developments in the future. Definitely my pick of the season.

[Seihai]

Originally Posted by LoweGear

Episode 2... now that's what I call a witch dogfight

Zero Berserker would give Izetta a rawrrrring thumbs up for turning an anti-tank rifle into a pseudo Noble Phantasm.

[HandofFate]

I liked the detail of Izetta reacting to the rifle being hot after being fired.

[zeross87]

so she is sort of a blood mage, rather unexpected for someone called the white witch

[Gan_HOPE326]

Originally Posted by zeross87

so she is sort of a blood mage, rather unexpected for someone called the white witch

Are we sure SHE is the White Witch? That seems to be more of an ancestral legend or something. Izetta's probably just the last one in a lineage of regular witches (albeit a freakishly powerful one apparently).

[zeross87]

Originally Posted by Gan_HOPE326

Are we sure SHE is the White Witch? That seems to be more of an ancestral legend or something. Izetta's probably just the last one in a lineage of regular witches (albeit a freakishly powerful one apparently).

Good point, i think fine called her that at some point but im really not sure, ill have to watch it again to be sure.

Yes a powerfull one, blood magic is always op

Is it me or did she talk about izzeta breaking her taboo in front of her general ? Isnt her power supposed to be secret ?

[Random Wanderer]

I think her use of blood may have been more generalized than standard "blood magic." I think it may have been that she needed to touch the things she's affecting with magic, and by splattering the blood on the snow, magically speaking a piece of her was touching the snow, even though her body had moved on some distance away. That allowed her to manipulate it.

[Darthtabby]

Originally Posted by zeross87

Is it me or did she talk about izzeta breaking her taboo in front of her general ? Isnt her power supposed to be secret ?

You may note that she didn't say what the taboo was. I think she's trying to keep Izetta's power a secret even from her own people.

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

I think her use of blood may have been more generalized than standard "blood magic." I think it may have been that she needed to touch the things she's affecting with magic, and by splattering the blood on the snow, magically speaking a piece of her was touching the snow, even though her body had moved on some distance away. That allowed her to manipulate it.

She didn't seem to be directly touching the objects she was levitating in the flashback scene in the barn either. That being said, I also think the use of blood might have been a situational thing rather than something that's always required for her to use her magic.

[leongsh]

The core part of second episode shows us the relationship between the princess and Izetta.

The first part of the episode had some nice action scenes but there is one major blemish for me: If the planes were flying at 400km/h (mentioned by one of the pilots of the Bf109) and she on the rifle were roughly matching their speed, it's ludicrous that they have not been blown off the rifle they are sitting on by the air pressure pushing against them at that speed. Yet, it is particular enough to deal with the heat from the rifle barrel after a shot is fired.

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by leongsh

The core part of second episode shows us the relationship between the princess and Izetta.

The first part of the episode had some nice action scenes but there is one major blemish for me: If the planes were flying at 400km/h (mentioned by one of the pilots of the Bf109) and she on the rifle were roughly matching their speed, it's ludicrous that they have not been blown off the rifle they are sitting on by the air pressure pushing against them at that speed. Yet, it is particular enough to deal with the heat from the rifle barrel after a shot is fired.

Presumably, if one has magic to fly on brooms and whatnot, as Izetta does, and one has learned to do it at speed, as she has, one has learned that air resistance can pose a significant problem and has adapted magic to deal with it and uses that magic automatically when doing the flying thing. And by the opposite token, when one has never used a gun before, one may be completely unprepared for the power of the recoil and the intensity of the heat that comes from firing an anti-tank rifle, and thus not have anything prepared to deal with them.