Yuno’s back!
What They Say:
“The Wizard King Saw”
As they were visiting the Black Market, Asta and the others see an old woman get robbed, and Asta goes after the thief. Yuno is escorting Salim Hapshass, his opponent in the entrance exam, to the Heart Kingdom
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Nothing happened. Nothing, I tell you. None of what happened in this episode felt significant at all, not that this isn’t true for most of the series so far, but this one felt so empty to me…
This week we see the robbery being apprehended by both Asta and Sekke. Sekke is the one who ultimately catches him but the man poisons him. They implied very much that Sekke might die there, but it was too good to be true; he was just being dramatic. Vanessa gives him some ointment and he is on his way to deliver the robber back to his captain. As Asta and the girls wave him off and walk from the market, the Wizard King reveals himself to be the one disguised as the old lady. Finally, we see this man! I love how he’s a total magic nerd and likes to find new magic out in the world. He finds a slight interest in Asta’s anti-magic as he admires it from afar. He really wasn’t what I expected based on what the opening theme had implied, but I’m glad he’s a good guy. I really hope we see more of him.
Next, we move to Yuno who is flying through the sky with some of his comrades to escort Salim de Hapsass, the one he defeated during the exam. We see a little more of Klaus than we did previously and meet a fellow new recruit named Mimosa Vermillion. She seems pretty sweet even though she’s from the royal family. If she stays that way, she’ll get even better in my eyes. Salim becomes a bit more interesting too, with his sudden curiosity about Yuno and his insistence to see where he grew up. This leads to a detour to visit the village before the episode abruptly ends after they greet everyone. This whole sequence felt like it slowed the plot to a halt once again. The need this anime feels to slow down and fill up space as if they don’t have enough material from the manga baffles me. I have not read the manga, but others who tell me that this doesn’t usually happen very often in the faster-paced manga. I suppose an argument could be made that it’s a tactic to bring in new shounen fans, but I doubt any new fan would be roped in by this anime with all that filler that’s included.
I was very glad to see Yuno back in some sort of spotlight once again. Asta is the main main character, but Yuno is important as well even though he didn’t do much this week. He’s as stoic as ever but slightly revered in his squad. The coolest part during the escort was when he defended the carriage from some mages attacking; it was great to see him being badass again. There was a time where he fell off his broom and feigned a suspenseful moment because he’s a main character, but he still oozes cool. Despite that, he seems to have become considerably colder since joining the Golden Dawn and it actually makes me sad to see that. I know this squad would be hardening him, even though he is a remarkable mage. It would definitely be his status as a commoner making things difficult but I do hope it doesn’t ruin this poor boy.
In Summary:
It felt like nothing was happening and that nothing was going anywhere. It was great seeing Yuno again, but I wish he could have done more. The Wizard King left a good impression. I hope the next episode is exciting…
Grade: C
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
