As Milky Holmes reaches the nadir of their stupidity, Arsene can take no more. She decides to destroy the Holmes Academy and leave Yokohama forever. Is there any hope left for Milky Holmes?
What They Say
Arsene is tired. The Milky Holmes girls have failed time and time again to regain their Toys, and without them, her life is meaningless. She drinks herself into a stupor with a bottle of oolong tea, then sends a message to the police. At midnight tonight, she will destroy Holmes Detective Academy…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
One of the great weaknesses of the first season of Milky Holmes is that it tried to have a plot. Viewers, new to the property and unsure what to expect, were strung along with the idea that Milky Holmes had lost their toys and were trying to get them back. The problem is that this never went anywhere. Milky Holmes, and the show, got distracted too often, and it wasn’t until the end of the show that this arc was resolved. The second season has been stronger because it’s focused more on insane things happening. But here we have an episode that looks to be starting a semi-serious plot arc, and it already feels more successful. We’re closer to the characters, and with only 4 more episodes to go, it might actually get proper attention paid to it.
The long simmering resentment and hatred that has been building over two seasons finally comes to a head in a rather cathartic experience. Any sympathy you might have had for Milky Holmes disappears in the first few minutes, as we see the girls relaxing in jail, happy to be in a place with food, air conditioning, and no schoolwork. Nero even congratulates Sheryl for blowing up the statue at the end of episode 6 for getting them such a sweet deal. Sheryl is modest, if nothing else, and refuses to take credit, as it was just an accident. Milky Holmes’ shrill laughter grates on Kokoro’s last nerve, and she throws them out of their cell and back on the street.
Surprised that Henriette didn’t come to pick them up, Milky Holmes returns to the Academy to find her. They find her drunk out of her mind on oolong tea, unable to cope with what her favorite rival magical girls have become. Their attempts to comfort her only make her angrier: “Don’t work so hard!” “It’s better to be unique than to be number one!” “Failure is a character trait!” She snaps, and appears to be about ready to murder them all, when she suddenly calms down and offers them all another meal.
Henriette’s last supper is set up just like the Leonardo da Vinci painting. The Phantom Thief Empire is confused at what, exactly, Henriette is trying to do, but just goes along with it. The meal is interrupted by a news bulletin saying that Arsene has threatened to destroy the Holmes Academy, and G4 arrives on the scene to investigate. G3 has always resented Kokoro’s lead, and the team begins to chafe until Henriette announces she’s going to handle the counter-attack against Arsene. Everyone is relieved until Arsene stages Henriette’s murder at her hands, and then uses her illusion toys to turn G4 on each other.
Stone River is certain that a treasure is involved in Arsene’s plan, but when she tells him she really is going to destroy the Academy, he turns to fight her. Stone River and Twenty, long rivals, even work together to try and defeat her, but they are no match. Arsene defeats her former henchmen with no mercy. In the end, it’s only Milky Holmes who can stop Arsene, but Arsene easily brushes them aside. Sheryl makes a last stand, but when she flubs her lines by biting her tongue, Arsene has had enough. In a scene I wish would get replicated in a real action anime, Arsene grows into a Rei-Ayanami-esque space giant and punches the earth where the Holmes Academy stands. The atmosphere disperses to make way for her giant fist, and nothing is left of Holmes Academy except a giant crater littered with students’ bodies. Sheryl reaches out at Arsene in a last attempt to stop her, but she collapses, and Arsene walks away. “And then there were none” is written on the screen in foreboding letters as the episode fades to credits.
In Summary
A fun, but somewhat more serious episode in which all of Arsene’s frustrations with Milky Holmes finally boils over. It’s an episode that many viewers will, I’m sure, appreciate as being very cathartic as well. Arsene has now given up entirely on Milky Holmes and Yokohama, but the second season isn’t done yet. Will they somehow find a way to stop being so hopeless and bring her back? I’m looking forward to finding out.
Grade: B+
Readers Rating: [ratings]
Streamed By: Nico Nico
Review Equipment: Sony VAIO 17″ HD screen
