The episode starts with visions of Athanasia’s disastrous past life still haunting her dreams. The next day, she redoubles her effort to practice her dancing even harder than ever. She’s still desperately seeking her father’s love and approval, which is mostly Claude’s fault for being such a deadbeat. Nevertheless, a line of thought occurred to me as I watch the poor girl trip over her feet in practice. It’s funny when you compare this coming-of-age stories with Western ones. When I think about those harrowing teenage years, I’m reminded of grotesque transformations, physically and mentally. I’m reminded of ostracization. Alienation. Experimentation. Struggling to find one’s identity among peers. But none of these are concerns for Athanasia even though she’s about to debut herself at the age of fourteen (still such a baby). Grotesque transformation? Puh-leeze. She’s the spitting image of her mother through and through, so physically, she’s absolutely flawless. No awkwardness. All grace. Athanasia doesn’t trip in dance practice because she’s getting used to her rapidly growing body. She trips because she’s trying too hard. Does Athanasia feel rebellious? Or forlorn? Or like a stranger in her own body? Like someone who doesn’t know what she wants to become when she grows up? Nope. She has a one-track mind and it’s all about father’s love and approval since the day her young self stopped being scared of him. Her raison d’être hasn’t changed one bit over the years. Granted, she’s not a modern teen girl, so we’re comparing apples to oranges a bit here, but are you seeing the picture I’m painting? Growth and change are often interlinked, but does it feel like Athanasia has changed at all? She can cast basic spells now. And she’s taller. But honestly that’s about it. Where’s the growth?

Later on, Athanasia tries to ply Lucas with cake in order to get him to be her practice dance partner. When he stubbornly refuses to lend a hand, she casually brings up Ijikiel, who has returned from his studies abroad. I don’t think she’s trying to needle Lucas. I think she’s just that desperate to get better at dancing for her father — as if her life would completely fall apart if she makes one or two mistakes at the ball. On the other hand, Lucas looking and sounding jealous over Ijikiel is undeniably a bad look. I don’t know how many times I have to reiterate that a centuries old mage shouldn’t be this involved with teens and their trifling issues. Besides, even if he was their age, he simply reaped what he sowed here. He was the one who refused to practice with her, so why is he now annoyed that she’s going to seek other solutions. But once again, a temperamental Lucas sends Athanasia hurtling into Ijikiel’s arms. And as soon as Ijikiel starts putting the moves on the princess, Lucas immediately whisks her back to the palace. Hmmm, suspicious. Definitely not beating the allegations in this week’s episode. It’s also somewhat ironic, because he acts more like a stroppy teenager than she does. Maybe Lucas gradually aging himself up to match Athanasia also means he has to go through puberty again. Hah, imagine that.

During their (once again) very brief moment together, Ijikiel drags Athanasia to see his precious secret spot despite the fact that his “little sister” Jennette is (once again) calling for him. It’s clear that the princess has had quite an effect on him despite them only meeting a handful of short times. All I can think, however, is “Aw, poor Jennette.” Sure, she’s a bit clingy, but we just learned why she’s the way that she is. Speaking of which, Athanasia continues to hide her existence from someone who is essentially her cousin. It’s a bit sad, because we just had an episode where our heroine couldn’t help but see herself in the lonely and isolated girl. I thought for a moment, “Hey, if you can empathize with her, then maybe you should be her friend.” But Athanasia is still primarily concerned with protecting herself, so I can’t help but wonder if all her fears and worries about the girl would disappear if she would just confront the issue head-on. After all, Jennette herself hardly feels like the actual problem. Rather, I think it’s obvious to everyone watching this show that the people conspiring in the shadows — those dastardly adults — are the ones responsible for how badly Athanasia’s previous life turned out. So why not befriend the girl like she has befriended Ijikiel? Why not get Jennette on her side right from the start? More than anything, I just want to see Athanasia interact with a girl her own age. She has Lilian as a quasi-mother figure and her maids, sure. But they’re all older than her. They’re also not her peers. They’re her servants at the end of the day. Athanasia mostly talks to men: her father, Felix, Lucas, sometimes the duke, and now a boy in Ijikiel. Does she not desire girl friends? Is she not curious about what other girls are like? It’s… bizarre.

Speaking of other women, seeing Lilian and Athanasia share a brief moment together, I wish the story would’ve explored their relationship on a deeper level. The woman can’t replace the princess’s mother, but she’s done a damn fine job raising the girl nonetheless. She deserves more than this bit role. I want to see how they bonded, what they would do together for fun, if Lilian ever had to put her foot down and when, etc. But it’s all about Claude this, Claude that, teach me magic this, teach me magic that. It’s such a shame. It feels like Lilian was wasted as a character. Even now, her primary concern is soothing Athanasia’s worries about her father showing up for the ball.

---

Stray thoughts & observations:

• It’s peculiar that Claude didn’t give his daughter an answer in person. I dunno, just feels cold is all.
• Do they eat anything besides cake in this universe?
• Athanasia briefly considers asking Felix to be her practice dance partner, but she knows her father wouldn’t approve. I’m told by a commenter on Tumblr that Claude is merely being protective. He doesn’t want other men near his daughter. That’s pretty funny if you ask me. After all, it seems like she’s destined to end up with Lucas, someone who is technically the oldest character in the story.
• Has she? Has she really?
• Ijikiel tells us about his early struggles in Arlanta, and how he eventually overcame them in order to return home as soon as possible. I’m not… particularly invested in his character arc. Not now, anyways.
• I never want to hold anyone’s baby for this exact reason. I don’t want all that responsibility in my hands. They make you get a license to operate a 2-ton vehicle. They should make you get a license just to even care for a child.
• What’s the point of such a huge bed if you only have one tiny pillow to sleep on?
• This show has the most spoilerific previews of any anime I’ve ever watched.
• “Daddy issues” is a loaded term with a lot of unsavory connotations, but man, I can’t help but think that this show has been nothing but Daddy Issues the Anime.