“The Wishing Flower and the Promise Request”
What They Say:
The world is rules by a diversity of inhuman beings, who persecuted humans and drove them to near-extinction. One day, the forest guardian Golem meets a human girl. This is a chronicle of a journey that would bind a member of the dying “human” clan to the forest guardian Golem, as father and daughter.
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As Father serves guests at the restaurant, it is clearly apparent he is concerned about the missing offspring, with Kokilia pointing out the golem has forgotten part of an order, however this emotionless worker will not admit his worry. But as the owner continues this one sided conversation, the girl and boy in question are too busy harvesting a wishing flower to notice slowly approaching danger, only to be alerted as a nearby fungi screams out in pain once a crossbolt penetrates its fleshy frame. After looking around to see where their rescue originated, Somali is quickly frightened to see the same one eyed wolf who warned her before is the one who saved them from being a tasty snack for the predator. This menacing and gruff savior asks why she is here, causing the scared child to retreat behind a nearby rock, only to be reassured he is no one to be feared by Kikila since this is his teacher who he calls Master Muthrica. This brusque man is part of the Tsuchinoko Team – an organization that oversees Anthole City’s underground area and serves as protectors to escort scholars who wish to explore the wilderness, plus punish foolish children who enter the place without permission.
But as the lupine continues to punish his reckless disciple, Kikila quickly notices something wrong with Somali’s flower: it is slowly dying and Muthrica states it will not make it back to the surface. Distressed by this information, the young girl insists she wants to make a wish to stay with Father, and yet this yozame will not be able to grant such a request. The wolf quickly digs a hole and shows the reason – glowing roots from the surrounding tsuchiami trees are not strong enough to provide sufficient nutrition, so in order for it to live long enough to grant the desire, one must find flora which has fed on enough sap to grow larger. This is only possible for plants found deeper within the wilderness, but it is not a place to be taken lightly, and especially not somewhere for little children no matter how much they would like to go. However Somali insists she must find a new flower all to grant her dream, and after seeing the determination in her face, Muthrica frustratingly submits by stating he will guide them, but to stay close and not to wander off for it is too dangerous for two small children to survive on their own.
In Summary:
Even if this show has sweet moments geared toward a younger audience, one can quickly understand why all who watch would be emotionally affected by the sheer gravitas of the association between an unfeeling father and human daughter. This episode may be more slanted by seeing how much Somali is dependent upon the Golem, just as any young child would be, but the underlying trust she has for a stranger and not wishing to be abandoned again makes for a strong and repercussive theme for the series. And yet one cannot but be unsettled by how much this emotionless being will not adjust to his surroundings, even as he gains sage advice from parents around him, only to fall back on his unerring logic and straightforward rationale. However, it is the growth between him and Somali which makes this show so entertaining and heartwarming, all as we witness their awkward relationship grow into something all the more human.
Grade: A+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll