2021-08-22, 09:32
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Link #63 |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
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Ah, that's really sweet of Rob to teach Cuff the alphabet, and it's adorable that she's learning to try and impress Zain
 .So Cuff and Zain have joined the circus? I guess it does kind of fit their looks and personalities...plus it makes for a solid cover story  . We finally get to know the Duke's younger brother, Walter, who is a pretty popular and handsome boy (voiced by Yuma Uchida?), who seems like the perfect choice to usurp his brother...had he not been the secondborn son, which he has a massive complex about. Like even the word "second" is enough to trigger him. He doesn't like his older brother much and seems to resent him, but Viola has him towed enough that he won't rat her out to their mother at least  . Viola mistakes Cuff for a burglar and goes in for the attack, only to land right into Cuff's ample bosom, which makes Viola resign herself to the fact that she's likely going to be flat because her mother is (poor girl). And then things get kinky when she ties Cuff's hands up and sits on top of her, which is the perfect time for Rob and company to come in and see  .A chessgame between the Duke and Alice leads the Duke to flashback to when Alice first came to the villa, and when the Duke was in a really dark place...lashing out at everyone, hating everything, and resigned to a fate of depression and loneliness. He was so upset that he blocked out his childhood, which means he'd forgotten Alice by the time she had arrived  .So Alice lived in the storage shed because she likes cramped quarters? I mean, whatever works for Alice, I guess  . I guess I'm not surprised the Duke took issue with Alice's outfit and she's been using those boobs to tease him since day one  . The Duke keeps trying to get Alice to leave, whether by being rude to her or forcing her to deal with touch challenges, but Alice keeps overcoming them and praising/complimenting the Duke at every turn, because nothing will deter her from being with him  .Left with no recourse, the Duke basically runs away to die in the snow lest he somehow kill Alice, but then he finally remembers her just as she shows up to save him. And Alice gets genuinely upset to see the boy who, when she was a lonely and sad child, gave her a reason to live would throw away his life when he has so much still to live for. And in doing so Alice gives the Duke a reason to live, and he realizes he loves her  .
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2021-08-22, 11:22
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Link #64 |
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Kana Hanazawa ♥
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: France
Age: 37
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Seeing them now, I wouldn't have imagined the Duke treated Alice this harshly when they first met (though it wasn't actually the first time they met). Alice won him over simply by being herself. The Duke was able to find a reason to live thanks to her, and the witch has pretty much failed, for he did find someone to love who also loves him. As long as Alice is by his side, he'll be alright.
Alice's mother is dead apparently. No doubt there's a story there.
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2021-08-29, 09:36
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Link #68 |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
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It's Christmas time! The perfect time for The Duke, Alice, and their makeshift family to come together and have a nice time
. The Duke brings up Santa and can't help but imagine Sexy Santa Alice. And it's every effective  .Cuff's earnest desire to see Santa was so adorable. Even Zain finally admits he's not immune to her charms, as he thinks she's cute and kind of sexy, it's just hard to be open with her considering how much of a blockhead she is...but she appreciates the little things Cuff does .Zain is a true man of culture, noticing Alice's J-Cup and how good she'd look wrapped up, both while dressed and naked, though while that's too steamy for the Duke to imagine, it's too steamy for Zain to talk about within earshot of Cuff  . So Viola has like a bunch of the same blonde looking servants, all of whom are aware of her feelings for Rob. I guess she's pretty obvious about it . I guess there's a certain kind of karma when Viola and Walter both ditch their mother on Christmas for their own reasons  .Walter is jealous of Viola visiting the Duke again so he poses as her driver to take her there and spy on his rival...and ends up playing Santa for Cuff when he puts on the costume he just randomly sees, which was oddly kind of him (even if he ends up giving Viola's gift for Rob to Cuff). And then Cuff forces him to commit to the role enough that he gets sent down the chimney . I love how Rob doesn't get to wear the Santa costume but still stays in-character . Walter is so serious about his issues with not being firstborn and not having a luck on the Duke title despite the Duke's issue with the curse, despite Viola and Cuff's spat over the present taking the air out from under him, but despite his issues with his brother he makes a bet that whoever ends the curse ends up with the title, which is...actually pretty nice of him in his own way .What a way to close out Christmas Eve than a romantic laying in the snow between Duke and Alice  .
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2021-08-29, 17:02
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Link #69 |
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Kana Hanazawa ♥
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: France
Age: 37
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Walter is a really funny character. His complex over being the second son makes him do some pretty dumb stuff. I loved how he had to stay out in the cold waiting for Viola because he couldn't just waltz back in after making his grand declaration.
Alice is a J-cup? Damn.
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2021-08-29, 17:36
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Link #70 |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Austria
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You know, I really dislike full CGI in general, and I think the characters drop right into the uncanny valley, and they move with all the grace of an algorhythm puppet, but... I still think the show is one of the best looking out there this season. The animators don't overestimate their CGI and make up for it tons with excellent colour and scene composition. The camera is nearly always where it needs to be, there's a really high ratio of creative shots each week, and the effect is that the characters really grow on my and the uncanny valley effect disappears. It's amazing. Like a more stylised Hi Score Girl.
I really loved this Christmas episode. Mum says Christmas is for family, and it's her who ends up all alone. Dramatic irony, poetic justice. I really like the cast, too. Even Viola has grown on me (I found her terribly annoying, and now I actually like her... well, she's still annoying, but no longer terribly so.) |
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2021-08-30, 02:54
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Link #72 | |
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Seishu's Ace
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
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2021-08-30, 03:14
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Link #73 | |
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: California
Age: 38
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2021-09-05, 09:42
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Link #74 |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
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Alice sleeping in the buff dreams of her late mother and how much of a supportive and loving mother she was...she was also the head maid of the household, apparently, and you can definitely tell where Alice got her good looks from. Plus she's voiced by Kikuko Inoue, she's the quintessentially perfect anime mom
.Well, yeah, unsurprisingly Viola and Walter's mom took it personally that they bailed on her for Christmas...and of course Walter blames the Duke for it .Zain watching Cuff try to shop on her own was pretty cute. Cuff actually did a surprisingly good job even if she needed a bit to understand that "cash" meant "money," but she still had Zain right there to help support his precious childhood friend when she needed him .The Duke can't sleep, so what better way to keep him up than Alice joining him in bed? And then of course she starts stripping off her PJ's because she sleeps in the nude .I can believe the Duke would imagine Alice as a succubus, and it fits, but I can't believe he said it out loud. And of course Alice takes it as a compliment . The Duke has a lot of mixed feelings regarding his mother and his family, but ultimately he does want to break the curse and reconcile with them...and he also wants them to approve of Alice as his bride, and if they don't do so he'll cut ties with them so he can be with Alice. Which is very romantic, and shows just how important Alice is to the Duke, but Alice doesn't want him to have to lose his title and family for her sake . We get more into Rob's story...he's apparently always had that eyepatch, but he covered it with his hair because it scared the Duke, and he was the one assigned to take care of the Duke when he was effectively banished from the main household. Rob didn't really mind so much as he had no idea how to raise a child, especially with the Duke's special issue. With the Duke spiraling into a suicidal depression, the only solution Rob could think of was to bring Alice, the girl who loved the Duke when they were kids and who had mistreated by her aunt since she left the household, and to support their relationship in his own way .When Rob called the Duke and Alice's relationship "fate" it seemed like he flashed back to Alice's mother and...the Duke's grandfather? The plot thickens  .What started as the Duke wanting Alice to sing with him turned into a beautiful duet between the lovebirds that ends with Alice basically singing "let's get married" . Alice knows her place as a maid and that she might ultimately have no future with the Duke...but in-spite of those doubts, the Duke is there for Alice and sees her not as his maid, but as his lady, who he will take care of to the best of his ability .
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2021-09-05, 11:25
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Link #75 |
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Kana Hanazawa ♥
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: France
Age: 37
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Rob is such a good guy. It was him who personally recruited Alice (who was apparently abused by her aunt) in order to save the Duke. It worked better than he could have ever imagined. Alice being self-conscious about her position seems like an odd point to bring up given that she's trying to seduce the Duke at every opportunity. But she had a strong attachment to her mother, so it's understandable she wouldn't want the Duke to stay estranged from his family because of her.
There's the possibility Alice is the illegitimate daughter of the Duke's grandfather. I don't know if that would help or just cause more trouble. Incest was common among noble families, but by the time the story takes place, I think it had become a taboo for quite some time.
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2021-09-05, 11:31
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Link #76 | ||
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
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This doesn't seem like the kind of series that would just throw incest into it  .
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2021-09-06, 14:47
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Link #78 |
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User of the "Fast Draw"
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Canada
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They are leaning pretty heavily on the societal drama angle now. I guess since we are just about near the end of the show. It is about time for the curse to be broken and to deal with the aftermath of that. At the very least both parties need to be ready to face whatever unfolds afterwards.
Can't expect an easy time of course. Not with a mother like the one the MC has. Definitely the last boss type. I suppose it isn't a bad thing that Alice is at least aware of the difficulties ahead. Though she doesn't seem ready to take on the consequences if the MC breaks it off with his family. Understandably of course. Not an easy position to be in or handle.
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2021-09-07, 08:06
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Link #79 | |
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Seishu's Ace
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
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2021-09-12, 09:40
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Link #80 |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
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Look at the Duke's younger siblings looking for something to help him out! Although Walter's being all tsundere about it. I fear for that boy's future if he can't get through life without spasming at the number 2
.Viola actually looked pretty refined and beautiful in that dress and with her hair in a bun...but it's less flattering when her mother forces her to dress that way and talks about marrying her off without her say. The Duke definitely isn't the only kid suffering under their mother, but at least Viola has her older brother and Rob .Time for the girls to have a slumber party! Complete with Cuff! Who unsurprisingly is quick to strip completely when the situation calls for it .Viola and Cuff looked pretty cute in those PJ's, although Viola has more breast envy when she sees how Cuff looks in her smaller clothes. Although slapping Cuff's breast in frustration also lets her feel how nice and soft they are .You can't have a slumber party without girl talk, although Cuff will do anything rather than talk about her feelings for Zain .Turns out Dalest has been spying on Alice and The Duke the whole time and is trying to prevent them from discovering the truth about the Duke's curse and the witches. Viola gives Alice a logbook with her mother's writings that mentions two witches (presumably Daleth and the witch that cursed the Duke) who came to the mansion once. The mystery is getting even more mysterious .Look at Alice getting so flustered when she hears the Duke talk about how he wants to be the only one who tells Alice he loves her !Zain will do anything for Cuff, which Daleth uses to her advantage to blackmail him into destroying the logbook by threatening Cuff, but Zain won't betray his friends and basically dematerializes it with magic in such a way that it's technically destroyed but he can re-form it when they need it and Cuff is safe. Zain is a really good guy . I wonder what's up with the scars on Daleth's face? And she has Sharon's body in the witch world? What the heck is going on  ?The mother is summoning the Duke back? I don't see this ending well .
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