(CR) Hyouken no Majutsushi ga Sekai o Suberu (The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World)

[Frontier]

So Ray'senior muscle bro Lex was actually Carla's little brother and their family is actually vital to the kingdoms' intelligence and security? Small world .

No wonder Rebecca is so popular. She cuts quite a striking figure in her armor and with her battle prowess .

I love how they're having this serious conversation about assassins coming after the children of noble houses and Lydia and Carol are sniping at each other. Lydia straight up throws an ice blade at her! Also Ray doesn't even acknowledge Carol is there .

That Lucas guy seems pretty strong and he's singling Ray out. Ray's not participating in the Magic Chevalier so I wonder if there will be another reason for them to confront each other ?

Man, Ariane is strong. She murdered that training bag. Although seeing what her dad is like, I guess I'm not surprised. How much can Tiana bench-press? Also seems like her dad (Tetsu Inada?) is more supportive than Amelia's is .

Of course Claris would have beetle PJ's .

Amelia has lived all her life trying to fulfill other peoples' expectations of who "Amelia Rose" is that she feels empty and useless, especially compared to people she views as way stronger and more confident in themselves than she is. Poor girl doesn't even know what the meaning of her existence is. But to Ray, what makes life meaningful is living for yourself and with your friends, and he's able to give Amelia the confidence she needs to keep fighting .

Pretty strong romantic vibes between Ray and Amelia in this episode. Just look at her blushing at his face right in front of her with the moonlight shining on him...or when she wouldn't let go of his hand when he was holding it as she fell asleep (and she wasn't doing it unconsciously, she was still awake at least enough to blush at her clinging to him)...or when he gives her a free hug. Nice moves, Ray .

Was Carol on an actual date? Did some lucky guy get a shot with that fine Carol behind ?

Poor Claris gets kidnapped and then gets swung over Ray's shoulder with his hand on her butt the whole time he's trying to save her. Also she mistakes Ray for a stag beetle, which I guess is romantic in her head .

Ray makes short work of the Grim Reapers as the Iceblade Sorcerer, but the real thrust of the episode is Amelia vs Ariane...with Ariane bringing out all the stops with her Ogre fist magic and Amelia unleashing her own explosive butterfly magic. And just when it seems like Ariane's lost, having Ray by her side seems to have unlocked the full potential of her abilities, as we leave off on a cliffhanger for the final resolution to this showdown between the noble ladies .

[stray]

I really don't know what to make of this show... it seems like its developing a plot and then we're back to a maid cafe.

[Frontier]

Amelia has mastered causality magic! She's practically invincible since nothing can hit her, especially Ariane's fists! She has the perfect defense mixed with her long-range butterfly explosives. Her only weakness is it's very physically taxing on her body so she can't do it for long .

Both Amelia and Ariane put their all into this fight, determined to win, and practically brawling. But in the end it's Amelia who manages to win. Though more important than Amelia's efforts paying off, she and Ariane are finally able to be honest with each other and recognize how important their friendship was and how much they looked up to each other. It looks like their relationship is back on track and Amelia has more confidence and belief in herself than ever. Good ending to Amelia's arc !

Both girls did get pretty beat up, though! Just look at all those bandages and Amelia's lump of an arm !

Oh hey, Amelia's dad actually clapped for her! He's still pretty stoic and tough, but it seems like he did root for his daughter in the end, even if she never saw it. I feel like he and Ariane's dad have their own little good-natured dad rivalry too .

Does Rebecca have the ability to see the future? Or read ahead of someones' movement? Not that it really does her a lot of good against Lucas, he defeats her in one stroke of his blade. Which is...pretty embarrassing, but not altogether surprising when we find out he's the Peerless Sorcerer on par with the Iceblade Sorcerer. Rebecca didn't stand a chance .

Looks like Ray has a new rival, with Lucas determined to fight Ray at his strongest once he overcomes his Overheat issue. I guess next years' Magic Chevalier will involve Ray vs Lucas .

I'm not surprised Carol has Charm magic, but as the Spellbinding Sorcerer she can make a bunch of zombie assassins do a whole dance number at her command. Too bad they also blow up rather than reveal secrets about the Empire .

Amelia is a true woman of culture, espousing the power and beauty of maids so she can get a maid cafe going for the school culture festival. And what better way to convince the noble girls the appeal of maids beyond their servant nature than by showing off how gorgeous Carol looks as a maid? Can't wait to see the rest of the girls dressed up next week .

Ah, the old "love interest gets engaged to a creep" plot. Rebecca deserves better. I thought it was suspicious that her dad was conversing with that guy...I wonder if Rebecca got stuck with this because she lost ?

[Lex79]

I was expecting Rebecca to lose against the mysterious guy but I thought he was a villain, not one of the seven sorcerers. We'll see if he's simply going to be Ray's rival or there is more to him.
Looks like after Amelia now it's time for Rebecca to get the focus in the form of the classical arranged marriage arc.

[Marina2]

That event doesn't end well for Rebecca it seems.

[Tenzen12]

Not exactly sold on Amelia character arc here. She shut down her best friend because she was sore looser, but it apparently her attidue wasn't problem, but loosing were and now that she won she is better person and they made up...

That's like solving gamblers money problem by giving them more money.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

Not exactly sold on Amelia character arc here. She shut down her best friend because she was sore looser, but it apparently her attidue wasn't problem, but loosing were and now that she won she is better person and they made up...

That's like solving gamblers money problem by giving them more money.

I think it was more just being open about her insecurities and gaining confidence in herself and her desire to be stronger.

[Tenzen12]

Maybe, but It certainly feels off that, she just gaining confidence is enough to gloss over her being terrible friend, especially as that confidence is tied to something as superfluous as being better then someone else.

Would Amelia be able stay friend with Ariane, if later became stronger then her again or would she loose that confidence and lash out once more?

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

Maybe, but It certainly feels off that, she just gaining confidence is enough to gloss over her being terrible friend, especially as that confidence is tied to something as superfluous as being better then someone else.

Would Amelia be able stay friend with Ariane, if later became stronger then her again or would she loose that confidence and lash out once more?

Well, Ariane said she'd win next time so I think they're in a more healthier place for that then they were before .

[Tenzen12]

They are certainly in better spot then their lowest point, but they were beasties before that already and it still went sour.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

They are certainly in better spot then their lowest point, but they were beasties before that already and it still went sour.

Maybe running a bit too much on Shonen tournament arc logic ?

[serenade_beta]

Wow chill, Author. You're a Narou writer. If you had the brains to explain the butterfly effect, you wouldn't be there. Just call it Butterfly Mirage or something that doesn't refer to real stuff.
The whole point of Narous being fantasy is that you get to make your own rules so nothing you write is wrong.

[Avrorrange]

I watched a few episodes of this show. The animation and art quality is REALLY unbearable.

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Originally Posted by Darth Fanta

I watched a few episodes of this show. The animation and art quality is REALLY unbearable.

I think the action animation could use a touch up but otherwise I think it's serviceable.

[Frontier]

Is that Atsushi Abe as Evan? So he's playing two LN villains this season. Fancy that !

I honestly had almost forgotten the shows' main villains were Eugenics, although they're back at the forefront and seem very concerned with Rebecca's golden eyes that make her bleed and give her dreams of Ray's past in the war. First it seems like she can see the future and now she can see someone's past? She doesn't seem consciously aware of her abilities though .

I love how Amelia drew an actual sketch of herself in a maid outfit for an example (even down to the cleavage) and wastes no time pressing Elisa into dressing up too. And while her friend is perving on her Elisa turns to Ray for support...who then proceeds to whisper sweet words into Elisa's ears to make her dress up, which finally makes her give in. Meanwhile Amelia is ticked off at seeing how Ray is with the ladies even if she knows how he works, but she can't help but be jealous. Amelia Punch! Amelia Magnum !

It's nice how the class has gone from shunning Ray to embracing him as basically the class leader. Helping unite them all in the power of maids has seemingly won over everybody !

Things are a little awkward between Ray and Rebecca because of her engagement, at least on Rebecca's part because she obviously isn't happy with her current situation and I think her own feelings for Ray are part of it .

That sucks that half the student council bailed on Rebecca and Dina because they accused her of stealing the secretaries' fiancé. Rebecca probably had no choice in the matter herself (and the Evan guy is a creep), though I guess it lets Ray step up again .

I honestly thought Ray was perfect at handling women, he can even make Carla blush, but calling Lydia a "gorilla" and not thinking she could pull off a maid outfit? For shame, Ray! She looked great in that imagine spot !

That is a very fancy shower, although I'm a little more distracted by naked bathing Rebecca !

So is Maria albino? And was shunned for it by everybody but her older sister who adored her...not that it stopped Maria from being a rebellious teenager who acts out and feels the weight of being compared to her perfect big sister. Not that she's happy with Rebecca throwing her happiness away in an arranged marriage. It was even after a confrontation over it that she met Lily !

The cafe is in full swing and the girls all look great in their maid outfits! Especially Amelia and Elisa! Claris is pretty cute as a ghost too, as Amelia definitely notices as she pounces on her, though it also confirms (of course) that some version of Japan exists in this universe .

When Ray was talking about the one thing left to make the maid cafe a smashing success, I thought he was about to come out as Lily...or drag Rebecca into it. I'm good either way .

Kreuz? Akasha? Liese!? What the heck are Eugenics after!? Although I guess what's more pressing is what they're going to do to Rebecca's eyes to get to it .

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Rebecca's life kind of sucks right now...her dad has seemingly sold her off to a loveless marriage for the prestige, her fiance is a creep, and her little sister is being threatened. Not to mention she's getting weird dreams about Ray. Which kind of reminded me that she's been off in her own little subplot for so long that she has no frame of reference for what's going on with Ray .

Ray finally meets Maria again for the first time...as a boy, so she has no idea he's really "Lily onee-san," though immediately Ray is flirting with and complimenting her like there's no tomorrow and holding hands. And then of course Rebecca sees this and wonders what the heck is going on between Ray and her little sister. Now she knows how Amelia feels .

Amelia salivating over maid Elisa...down girl .

Huh, I wonder if that story about the demon girl and the young boy who she fell for pertains to the main plot...could it be connected to the Kreuz ?

Of course Lily would have to show up at the maid cafe. And she's a big hit! I mean, Ariane.exe completely stopped working! Marie is as gaga as ever! And she managed to outdo all the girls as a maid, which is hilarious. A dude playing a girl playing a maid and Ray played the part spectacularly .

Amelia outdone by Ray as a maid and potentially eyeing up Marie as another rival for Ray...though first Marie will have to have a big upset as to exactly who her beloved Lily really is .

Poor Claris is off on her own in the haunted house scaring couples (though I love how the girl carried that one guy off). But at least Ray did visit and end up calling her cute .

At least Rebecca got to have a festival date with Ray, and they seemed to have a really fun time together, though she seems so resigned to her fate that she's leaving the care for her sister in Ray's care. Poor girl .

Who is that woman greeting Marie? Was she the original Kreuz, maybe ?

Well, it looks like Bradley Papa isn't a terrible father so much as he's powerless to fight back against the fate of their family history and the impact it has on his daughters, something to do with this Kreuz being that it seems like Rebecca is next in-line to become. Though it seems like the process will probably kill her .

I thought Ray was going to change out of the Lily outfit immediately, but no...he's still running around in that maid outfit. Heck, all the girls are still wearing their school festival cosplays as they back him up! And Al is there because I guess he's part of the main friend group now? Though I love how Ray forgot to switch voices after ditching the Lily look .

Ray does the next episode preview to close things out as it seems like we're about to watch the Iceblade Sorcerer debut a new move to close the season out !

[Frontier]

So, wait, the Evan that Rebecca was dealing with the whole time was actual Lieselotte (never expected to see this name twice in one season) who had been posing as him since he joined Eugenics? And this was one convoluted plot concocted with her father to have Ray seal up Rebecca's magic so she doesn't die? And Maria was involved with this too, I guess ?

Also Liese is the Sorcerer of Fabrication and pretty OP, and the demon girl who fell in love with a human who left her because he couldn't handle being weaker than her? Turns out that was her and Evan, and he apparently joined Eugenics to gain the power to be equal to her...or to kill her. Whatever his original feelings, they became corrupted by his obsession with her to the point that she had to put him down. And as detached and stoic as Liese acts, she still seemed to ultimately love Evan given she shed tears at his death .

Great job by Amelia and co.! And they've really acepted Albert as one of them! Of course then it's the adults' time to shine and show off just how powerful the Legendary Sorcerer's are! Complete with Carol pulling off another idol performance, Abbey torching everything, and Lydia going all out with a giant Iceblade. Even the maid has lightning powers !

Oh snap, a title drop !

What are those red blades that Red used at the end that crystallized Paratrogo? Were those his true power? Was that Akasa ?

I guess if the Bradley sisters were ever going to have it out, better now than never, complete with pushing, slapping, and the usual fights between sisters. And yeah, on some level both sisters resented each other (Rebecca for being the selfless perfect older sister and Maria for being the bratty drama queen little sister) but deep down they still love each other as sisters and don't want to live in a world without each other. Perfect chance for Ray to come in and save the day !

I love how this is the first legitimate interaction we've really had between Amelia and Rebecca and immediately there's tension between them because of Ray. Amelia is definitely not bitter about Ray and Rebecca's closeness, not at all! And Rebecca is pretty upfront about her feelings and desire not to lose as the two girls declare war with each other over Ray...and then Elisa and Claris join up so we can get the full Harem going to war with each other. And of course then Ray shows up .

I'm glad Ray was able to take all his friends, including Rebecca, to see Howard's grave .

Interesting credits scene! Showing off the cast, their VA's, as Lydia and Carol gush about Ray .

Ariane's not out of this fight yet! Now she's enlisting Ray into a Magick's War which...I'm assuming is not actual war, though you really have to wonder what's next for Ray !

Last minute new character! Ray's little sister ?

[stray]

This series went from being generic to really sort of interesting to generic again. Enjoyable series but ultimately average. The cast was fun overall but spread out over too many characters. Seems open ended for a sequel but we'll see.

[Lex79]

You know, for someone who is supposed to becthe strongest sorcerer, Ray looked like a rookie compared to the others in this episode.
Anyway, this was a nice watch, I wouldn't mind another season.

[serenade_beta]

Spoiler for final thoughts:

One of the Narou anime I watched because this season was so bad, but damn, it was bad. It sure reminded me why I don't even bother to try Narou these days. It isn't just boring, it's actually painful

The story was probably nothing to talk about in the first place, but add in rushing, and none of the story stays in my head. Scenes are seemingly skipped and characters go from one place to another without any mention.

And the whole "Ordinaries and Nobles" thing is completely wasted, especially when the Nobles characters start using Japanese anime memes and they feel less and less royal as the "culture" of this world continues to crumble as the author throws in anything that influenced him into writing crappy light novels

Also, the animation quality was pretty bad too, but Narous getting low budgets is a good thing. And it actually provides laughs, unlike the actual show.

That said, I do feel the staff tried their best given crappy budgets and crappy original sources, and I give them a thumbs up for forcibly adding swimsuit scenes in the ending credit when they couldn't do it in the actual story

4/10