Asking the important questions.
Goodbye, Lara Ep. 8
Ahhh, the show is still so painfully vague. Changes are happening to Lara’s body — bad changes. We already know Grace’s potion won’t last forever. If Lara doesn’t find her true love in time, she will turn back into foam and die. She is already starting to turn. As a result, Lisa goes to Mari and demands Lara back. But for what? Yes, to revive their people and their kingdom, but how? All we see is Lisa dragging Lara down to the Witch’s Lair. All we see is Lara sitting down there among the giant seashells, locked in deep contemplation. What is supposed to be happening? How is she supposed to bring her people back? How does this help her survive? Is she supposed to think really, really hard about her love for her people and — poof! — they’ll just magically reappear? Lisa doesn’t explain anything. Hell, I’m not even sure she knows anything.
Lara is afraid that she might never find true love, but she is ultimately too attached to the surface, to her new friends, to her new experiences, so on and so forth. She might not find true love, but she still hurries back just in time to cheer for Mari in a boxing tournament. So Mari is Lara’s most important person, right? But even after they reunite, Lara reiterates her desire to find her true love. If you ask me, Mari seems to be Lara’s emotional priority, and yet, we still need to find someone for the mermaid to kiss? C’mon… And what now? Lara and Mari are just gonna be heterosexual life partners? Well, there’s about a month of episodes left. Hopefully, we’ll get definitive answers, but sheesh…
Iron Wok Jan Ep. 8
It’s kinda funny how much of a sausage fest this show is, especially when it doesn’t have to be one. We cut away from the tournament to see a young cook in his element, serving up delicious Chinese food in his father’s restaurant. And what do you see when you scan the dining room? All men. Apparently, women don’t enjoy Chinese food. Ladies, ladies… how can you be so racist?
The anime must’ve heard me making fun of it, ’cause when we return to the tournament, we see Kiriko triumphantly raising her fist after making it to the finals. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? She clearly trounced her opponent in a cook off, but we don’t even get to see it! Yang, the other woman in the tournament, also wins, and we don’t get to see her cook either. The best the anime can do is let us see her plating a dish. Ladies, ladies… why are you so against showing your work?
But jokes aside, it’s obvious why none of the girls get to have the spotlight: gotta make room for yet another cooking battle with Akiyama. He’ll be facing off against Kota, the cheery kid from the start of the episode — y’know, the one whose father’s restaurant seemingly has only male customers. Fine, what bullshit is Akiyama going to pull out of his chauvinist ass this time?
This round’s special ingredient is lotus root, and after some deliberation, Kota eventually settles on eel as his protein. I know and have eaten the dish he wants to make, except his twist is adding coconut milk. Yeah, I can’t say I’ve ever had eel with coconut milk. I’m not sure I would enjoy it either. I love coconut milk as an ingredient in general, but In my mind, it would overpower the other flavors, including the eel. Unfortunately, we can’t taste any of the dishes, so I’ll never know if Kota’s idea has any merit.
The thing is, every previous opponent has more or less been an asshole. Kota seems like an earnest, hard-working kid, though. And we know how Akiyama gets. He doesn’t just win; he will lord his victory over you and rub your nose in the loss as if he’s disciplining an incontinent dog. Well, I don’t want to see him act up with Kota. If he needs to win, at least do it with grace and humility for once. Unfortunately, Akiyama is being an ass even before they serve up their food. Man, what an unlikable protagonist.
It takes a while before Akiyama finally makes a move, but that’s because his dish is simple: a sweet lotus root soup. In fact, he serves it first, which is the trick to his easy victory. His dish is apparently so refreshing that the judges start absent-mindedly walking off as if they didn’t have another dish to taste. And when they finally do get around to trying Kota’s dish, it had sat for too long. As a result, the oil and coconut milk in the dish are no longer appetizing.
Did Akiyama play dirty? You could argue that he doesn’t actually care about cooking, just scoring wins. At the highest level, athletes almost never wish ill on their peers. They know how much effort it takes to reach the apex of their sport. They will often say they want a fair fight, match, competition or what have you, because winning will prove that they’re truly the best. Winning game seven of a hard-fought series between two equally matched opponents is a lot sweeter than a four-game sweep of a team devastated by injuries. This is what good sportsmanship is all about. Unfortunately, you can’t say the same about Akiyama. He will take any victory he can get; he’s the type of guy who would happily celebrates his opponent’s injury. What, you tripped and sprained an ankle? Sucks to be you! Get out of the kitchen!
Akiyama proceeds to predictably lord his victory over Kota. He’s the prime example of a character who needs to be knocked down a peg or two, and I hope it’s Kiriko who does it. We’ve been building up to this all season long. It would be such a letdown if she still loses to Akiyama somehow. Maybe she was the true protagonist all along–… well, no, she barely gets any screentime. Dicks only!
Still, Kota definitely blundered regardless of Akiyama’s actions. His lack of experience was on full display by plating too early. Also, talk about comically unprofessional judges! Yes, Kota blundered, but they weren’t even going to judge his dish in the first place!
The Insipid Prince’s Furtive Grab for the Throne Ep. 8
When we last left off, Arnold was about to embark on a diplomatic mission with his brother. He had to hire an adventurer to protect Finne while he’s gone in case his dear half-sister Zendra tries to retaliate. So I half-expected the tension to escalate in this week’s episode. But no, the first half of the episode is basically a date between him and Elna. It’s his way of thanking her for helping with Finne. Sigh. Both the OP and ED have already spoiled it for us: Finne and Arnold will be a thing. Elna doesn’t really stand a chance. But fine, let’s just get on with it.
The two childhood friends basically walk around town, reminiscing on the good ol’ days… like when Arnold was bullied by other kids. Eventually, however, Elna wants to hit up the inn where they used to play. That’s a strange choice. Who the hell plays at an inn? But you’ll soon see why the author chose this location: when duo arrives at the place, it has become a love inn to Elna’s great dismay. Y’see, this setting doesn’t have hotels, but we still gotta squeeze a love hotel in there somehow! And that’s also why Elna and Arnold used to play at an inn, so we now have an excuse to have them enter the damn place. Elna actually insists on it, because a knight has to keep her word! Yeah, that sort of mentality only leads to foolishly following bad orders, but we’ll just leave it at that.
Elna wants to know how Arnold knew the place had become such a sordid place. He thus reveals this ridiculous story about how he likes to hire prostitutes for a day, but he doesn’t bang them. No, this is his way of granting them a reprieve from having to sell their bodies. Uh, you’re a fucking prince, dude. You could easily give any of these ladies enough money to start a new life. What do you mean they have no other choice? If they have no education or training, then he can pay for that as well. If you truly want to be thorough, here are some ideas: pay off their debts or lend them money at a near zero interest rate — better yet, no interest at all — start a program to help poor people get back on their feet, establish an adult school, create a daycare for low income households in case these women have children, whatever. Basically, there are a ton of options better than just hiring prostitutes for a day. And if these women willingly choose to be sex workers anyway, then they don’t need his day of reprieve. Either way you cut it, this sounds dumb as hell. But sure, sure, let’s just pretend Arnold is a saint.
In the second half of the episode, the brothers are off on their diplomatic mission with Elna as their bodyguard. They are quickly stopped, however, by royals from the Albatro Duchy. The Albatro princess insists on the two princes taking the long way to their destination. As soon as Arnold agrees to set a new course, however, they run into a sea monster. Welp, I guess we’ll be starting next week’s episode with a fight. Still, how is Arnold going to come up with an excuse for Silver to show up in the middle of the ocean?
LIAR GAME Ep. 21
Persona! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Anyway, I can’t stand all the rules-explainin’ or Akiyama’s reveal of the loophole they can exploit, so I cranked the playback speed up to 4x. I mean, it’s Russian Roulette. Sure, LIAR GAME adds its own spin on the morbid party game, but it’s still just Russian Roulette. I’m not gonna sit through however long it takes to help Nao understand how to play the game.
Anyway, it looks like Fukunaga is in complete control of the first round, but the episode ends just as Nao declares they’ve stumbled into a trap. I guess you could call this a cliffhanger. On the other hand, let’s just say I don’t have a ton of confidence in our girl. Yes, she’s come a long way since the start of the series. At the same time, however, I find it hard to believe she would notice a trap before either Akiyama or Fukunaga. But we’ll find out next week if Nao’s concern is legitimate.
Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games Ep. 8
Neither Aya nor Mio think they can win their upcoming matches, but Mio reminds Aya to put herself back in her old mindset: would grade schooler Aya have trembled if she got the chance to face her idol? As we get older, we become more pragmatic. That’s why Aya keeps asking herself what she intends to take away from this experience. But what if you just have fun? What if you just play freely without worrying about how to salvage a loss that hasn’t even occurred? That’s the grade schooler mindset. In return, Aya calms Mio’s nerves. It’s just one big proverbial bear hug of support. In the end, Aya shocks all the spectators when she manages to take the first game against Gekido.
Mio’s opponent is a jackass who thinks she’s a stereotypical gamer gurl. Well, he certainly makes it easy to root against him. Mio starts things off by spamming fireballs and somehow gets away with it — enough to, like Aya, win the first game. Kinda funny.
As for Tamaki and her sister Hana, I guess she felt like she could never measure up. Her sister was always better at everything. The only time they felt like equals — like just sisters just having fun together — was when they played fighting games. Not the most original story, though. The execution isn’t really tugging at my heartstrings either. I think it’s because I don’t see a relationship worth salvaging. If your sister can only take you seriously if you beat her at something, then she plainly sucks. Unfortunately, the pressure gets to Tamaki, so she loses their impromptu match. Hana then leaves her sister behind as Tamaki tears up. Horrible. I wouldn’t bother mending this bridge. And I know what some of you might be thinking: “Ugh, you guys cut people off at the drop of the hat.” I never said Tamaki had to cut her sister off, but why does she have to put in all the work? Hana needs to try just as hard, and if she doesn’t, why engage? It takes two to tango, and she clearly isn’t interested. You’re just wasting your time.
Last but not least, Yuu has to face off against the brat. No clue how this turned out. Guess we have to wait till next week’s episode.
Victoria of Many Faces Ep. 8
Oh good, Victoria took Nonna with her. She has also taken on a new identity as Maria, a victim of domestic abuse. I mean, all signs pointed to this being the case, but last week’s episode still hid it for some odd reason. But that’s not even the weirdest part. Nonna is now shockingly disguised as Lyle, a boy. Why make things harder on yourself? It’s one extra thing you and your daughter have to lie about, and it also puts a hard limit on how long you can stay in one place. Obviously, puberty is still years away, but I’m just sayin’, why complicate things when you don’t need to?
We can also now confirm that neither her previous boss nor her organization did anything to her family. They simply didn’t tell her that her family died in a fire. As a result, her boss never sent her care packages anywhere; she finds them just sitting in a closet. I… I hate to say it, but this is an absolutely stupid plot detail to reveal. The story was better when Victoria was motivated to escape people who actively harmed her. Yes, not telling her that her family died is still a betrayal, but it’s a far cry from murder! Plus, the end result is unchanged: Victoria is still on the run and will never work for them again. So why reveal this at all? Such a bizarre storytelling move. It’s almost like this is the start of a new novel, so the author wants to catch readers — both old and new — up to speed, but they figured, “Hey, why don’t I make this totally unnecessary change?”
Back in Ashbury, Jeff has to deal with assassins from Hagl who have come for “Chloe’s” head. The king of Hagl basically wants all traitors dead. In response, the Ashbury Kingdom sends out an official word that a woman named Victoria was killed by a Haglian spy. They hope this means two things: first, Hagl will stop pursuing Chloe, and second, Hagl will now be in their debt for murdering someone on their turf. The second part makes sense, but if Hagl was willing to go this far, i.e. sending operatives into a rival nation, why would they believe Ashbury? Why would they take the news of Chloe’s death at face value? But if we assume this to be the case, Victoria should now be able to live free. She just has no way of knowing that.
Jeff willingly testifies that he had a hunch about Victoria’s secret identity even though his superiors were more than happy to look the other way. He’s willing to give everything up — both his title and his position — and go slum it with Victoria. Jeff thus finds a strand of black hair in her old room, which, after questioning a few people, leads him to a certain mother and son duo that has been seen in Randall. I almost thought Victoria had left him a clue to come find her. But when Jeff gets there, “Maria” and “Lyle” are already gone. So no, it wasn’t a clue. She’s just really careless about covering her tracks for a supposed uber spy. I think that has been the most unintentionally funny reveal of the entire series: Victoria isn’t really that awesome at her job. Still, I’m told there are only two episodes left in this adaptation. So who knows? Maybe Jeff will eventually find Victoria and earn his happy ending. She certainly still misses him.
Red River Ep. 8
The Mitannis have been raiding caravans from Mesopotamia, and this has the king of the Hittites incensed. He wants to wipe them out once and for all, and he has tasked Kail with this grisly responsibility. Queen Nakia is also pissed, because those raids meant the Mitannis got their hands on the all powerful Eye of Illuyanka! Oooh, what does that do? What makes it so important? Well, “[whoever] wields it is able to control the minds and bodies of all people.” So then why does she not have it already? Why is she wasting time trying to kidnap or assassinate Yuri by proxy when she had this at her disposal all along? Why is it being shipped from Mesopotamia via caravans meant to transport grain through or near enemy territory? Why would whoever had it before even give it up? Do you get what I mean? Even putting aside the fact that some magic mumbo-jumbo ring can simply dominate an entire nation, nothing here sounds remotely credible to me.
Anyway, I don’t care about the drama between Yuri and Kail. It’s even dumber than the Eye of Illuyanka thing, because no teenage girl would refuse to return home to her loving family to stay in a place where she is constantly in danger of being killed. No prince is worth that. All you need to know is that Kail’s brother finally convinces him to take Yuri with him to war. He swears he’ll end it in ten months, i.e. just in time for the conditions to be right for Yuri to return home. But we all know she won’t.
The Villager of Level 999 Ep. 9
The story takes such a bizarre turn in this week’s episode. Kinda meta, actually. Unfortunately, it also means a massive amount of exposition, but we’ll just have to grin and bear it. As it turns out, the Dark Dragon isn’t something you’re meant to fight. Instead, it’s more like… a gatekeeper of sorts? We’ve known all this time that the world resembles a game. Well, this episode doubles down on that. You can normally only reach the Dark Dragon by doing one of two things: 1) defeat the Demon Lord and thus beat the game or 2) acquire 10000 gold, which essentially lets you buy your way to victory. The Dark Dragon would then give you two choices: move onto the next “stage”, which is just an even harder battle but maybe you get to fight “god,” or start over with your levels and powers enhanced, but your memories are erased. In other words, it’s kinda like new game plus.
Ultimately, no one has to die, because Esteller interrupts the fight. He reveals that he’s also like the Dark Dragon; he merely serves a role within the game, but he has long since grown tired of it. Koji still wants to face the creator, so he’ll have to find a way to reach the next stage without dooming the people he cares about. As a result, he vaguely promises to find some solution back on the surface, but he’ll need Esteller to return the Demon Lord. My reaction to everything that just unfolded, however, is one big fat shrug. This sort of thing isn’t exactly original. Have I seen this exact setup before? No, of course not. But having video game characters come to life, rebel against the creator, and liberate themselves from their “fate,” i.e. their programming, has definitely been done before. It’s always the same basic idea: our existence matters, blah blah blah. Which is precisely what we get when Koji lists off the myriad reasons why he’s fighting to protect this world and the demons in it. He doesn’t see them as merely NPCs to farm for EXP, yadda yadda yadda. Sure, do what you gotta do. But Parna better get locked up, NPC or not.
Clevatess S2 Ep. 7
I love how the jerkass twins infiltrate an entire cult bent on reviving the Hero’s Legend, but we still don’t learn why the crazies want to do it. Yes, yes, get the last Book of Toah, revive the legend, bring back the age of magic — specifically, they want to “replicate the magic described in the hero legends” — so on and so forth. But why? Instead, we learn that Dean is really just Princess Milea in disguise. She then drags the real Dean out, murders him, and steals his guise… which she had already been using anyway, so…? We also get a flashback revealing how she was depressed over her mother’s suicide, and her father was no help. She then met Drel and eventually became manipulated by Vordin. Something something about having the blood of Bishop Allozar. I can’t quite place the name or recall what is important about it.
As for Alicia, we just get to see her share everything she knows with Gart and Rhode. Eventually, she dives headfirst into one of the many cracks she sees in the dark, twisted world, because she thinks that’s where she’ll find the “hidden chamber.” Sigh, maybe we’ll finally get our “why” there.
My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren’t Wicked Ep. 7
At one point, Miyu goes on a treasure hunt. My mind drifted at this point. I started thinking about all the things that were (and still are) stressing me out — bills and health, mostly — and before I knew it, the episode was almost over. By the way, the oh-so-amazing treasure was just a nice view. Sigh…
Mebius Dust Ep. 7
How does this show manage to reveal so much and yet so little at the same time? Apparently, Araki’s been using his powers at night to rewrite Stella’s memories. She’s not his sister…? Knowing anime, I’m more than positive Araki is just a dumb kid in over his head. As a result, I think their parents died when the meteorites landed. I think Stella was destroyed over it, and to protect her mind, Araki might have inadvertently messed with her memories. What bugs the hell out of me, however, is when the kids don’t demand answers from Araki. Oh, they confront him, and then… nothing? We cut to them having a team meeting without him, so clearly, they want to kick him out of the group. But we completely skip the part where we try to understand each other? We all know why the story is written like this. We got the truth, but there are hidden truths lying deeper within! And you’ll have to keep watching to find out what it is! Ugh, terrible. I hate it. I hate it so much.
Well, one team’s trash is another team’s treasure, so Kurusu, that creepy guy… girl… pale thing that can float quickly scoops Araki up. Not only that, they forcibly drag Araki outside the city limits, showing that both of them can leave the city without dying. How? Why? Because of a crystal! A special crystal! But Araki doesn’t have a crystal! Oh, but he does, according to Kurusu. It’s just in his head! How the hell does Kurusu know all of this? Shh, like I said, hidden truths… keep watching… god, please keep watching our show!
I just have to laugh, because I feel like whoever wrote this story is a hack. Do I even want to look up who it is and what else they’ve done? Nah, I don’t think I will.
Chainsmoker Cat Ep. 8
Some highlights:
- We see Yaniko celebrate her birthday by herself. Naturally, her cake has cigarettes on it instead of candles. The thing is, her sister and friends haven’t ditched her. They, uh, just forgot to invite the birthday girl to the party. Between the crippling addiction to cigarettes and this cringefest, I don’t know what’s worse. Every single one of these characters just fuck up so spectacularly. On the bright side, we later see Yaniko with the doll her sister made, so I guess she at least got one of her presents. Still, the best gift they can give her is probably an involuntary stay at some facility, but unless she’s having a mental breakdown, that’s probably not legal.
- Holy shit, a catboy. Is this the first male beastperson we’ve seen speak? Initially, he messes with streamer cat by making her think that wannabe comedian cat has a boyfriend, but it turns out he’s just her brother. Still, that doesn’t really explain why he has her panties in his possession…
- Somehow, Yaniko ends up with a perm.
- These idiots build an outside lounging area out of snow to smoke and drink. These idiots then somehow pass out overnight in the snow and almost kill themselves. They finally go and almost kill the landlord by… uh, stuffing their used panties in his mouth. Yeah, you know what, forget the involuntary hold. They need jail time. In separate facilities too. Don’t let these girlfailures enable each other.
- The landlord gets stuck in a time loop where he kills one of the catgirls every time they try to do the annual New Year’s mochi pounding. He then decides that he can only break free by doing something incredibly shocking, so he pounds mochi with his dick out. Somehow, he’s the only person in this episode to get arrested. But this bit is probably just a nightmare from choking on all those panties. It would actually be funny, however, if next week’s episode explains how he gets out of jail.
Dara-san of Reiwa Ep. 8
Scenes of the past only feature Jurota taking the necessary steps to protect the mountain. As a result, he goes to study under the priestesses’ former master, who even stops by the mountain to assess the situation. Not much to say here. This part is mostly plot-driven.
In the present, the evil Yamatagi Madara comes face to face with Dara herself when Hinata invites a bunch of classmates (including Amane) over for a study session and sleepover. Yamatagi Madara has grown so weak and feeble, however, that barely anyone can detect him. Hinata can only vaguely detect something snake or worm-like in the vicinity. The doll fashioned from Dara’s hair proceeds to drain even more of Yamatagi Madara’s vitality. I think they should just become friends. Why stress yourself out being evil?
Kaoru eventually tells Dara about how his teacher has been depressed lately. Turns out his cat is not doing so well. Dara goes to check up on the animal, but there’s nothing she can do to save its life. It’s just old and its organs are failing. She does, however, offer the cat a chance to become a bakeneko. This way, it can continue to haunt the teacher and thus stay by his side. This part is almost sweet until the cat enters his dreams. See, Dara’s suggestion was for the cat to let its master know that it’ll be alright. The teacher has nothing to worry about. The cat more or less delivers that message… in the form of a buxom catgirl. I should mention that this is supposed to be a tomcat. I’m sure this whole bit is supposed to be funny, but I’m just cringing.
I suppose there’s something to be said about how the brutal conditions of the past forced people, pets, objects — anything, really — to become monsters. For example, before the cat accepted Dara’s offer, it worried that turning into a yokai would cause it to inadvertently drain its master of his vitality. Dara assures the cat, however, that the man can make up for any potential loss by simply eating more. So in the present, especially in relatively rich countries like Japan, monsters are less likely to exist. You no longer have to harm others just to survive. In other words, Yamatagi Madara might need to do some serious soul-searching. It can keep stressin’ over restoring itself to its former self, or it can adapt. I know which is easier.
I Became a Legend After My 10 Year-Long Last Stand Ep. 8
See, this is what you do to people who kidnap and enslave children. You give them a good thrashing, then you throw them in jail! You don’t go and make them president! It’s so easy! Why can’t we do that?
Our heroes go digging through the evil bastard’s home for more incriminating evidence, and no, the evil bastard wasn’t dumb enough to stash the classified documents in his bathroom. Lock and friends eventually stumble upon a chunk of, uh, outlawed unicorn or pegasus ham. We don’t know which. I don’t think I really wanna know which. At least it’s not children, I guess. In any case, this links the evil bastard to an even bigger evil bastard: yet another damn vampire. Why is this show so obsessed with vampires? Did their spouse emotionally cheat on them with Edward Cullen or something? Jokes aside, Lock now has to launch an investigation into the rest of the nobles and see who else is corrupt. Release the files!
We also finally get to meet Lefy, the former healer of the legendary party and currently Eric’s wife. She looks just like any other ordinary woman, so why did they hide her appearance in previous episodes?
The episode ends with the vampire sucking the blood of some random woman (probably a noble who was too old for his liking). Meanwhile, a bespectacled girl looks up at the moon and begs for forgiveness. Oh dear, what did you do? Did you invite the vampire into the city? Did nobody tell you that was a big no-no?
The Drops of God Ep. 20
The episode opens with a couple getting married. I almost didn’t recognize them until Miyabi commented on the bride getting her taste back. Oh right, she’s the French lady who had brain cancer. Well, I’m glad she’s recovered. During the dinner to celebrate the newlyweds, Shizuku comes to a realization — a realization that Issei also arrives at while spending time with his mother and sister: “The Twelve Apostles represent the world as it is. Humanity. Life. The world itself.” Uh, five of the six Apostles thus far have been French wines. The last one was Italian. Basically, this is the show throwing the rest of us plebes the bone. The Seventh Apostle is going to feature wines from the New World. This way, we can pretend that we’re open-minded, then once this episode is said and done, we can go back to burying our heads deep up Europe’s ass. When your perspective on wine is this limited, gimme a break with this “Humanity, life, the world itself” nonsense.
Right on cue, the Seventh Apostle has something to do with a lion in the wilderness. Or, uh, it’s about the Sagrada Familia, which isn’t in the wilderness at all. It’s about the indomitable human spirit? Regardless, Issei is off to America with Loulan by his side — to Napa Valley, in fact. Hey, that’s in my backyard! And immediately, the elitism is on full display: “New World wines have yet to fully establish the characteristics that define their soil and environments.” Uh-huh. Issei then introduces Loulan to Kent Nakagawa, a man with a rather dubious distinction: “Loulan, Mr. Nakagawa was the first man to introduce American wines to Japan!” I guess we’re just making random shit up now. Anyway, Mr. Nakagawa can’t help Issei, because he has coincidentally lost his sense of taste and smell after an accident — an accident he blames on angering Bacchus for becoming a wine grifter. Hilarious. We just dealt with a bride who got her sense of taste back. Are we trading off who gets to enjoy the full flavors of wine now? Either way, Issei is going to have to find some way to help this pathetic man.
As for Shizuku, he tries every New World wine but the ones from Napa Valley. He and Miyabi then come to the conclusion that the Seventh Apostle has to be from either the US or Australia. Since Issei already called dibs on one of the two countries, it’s off to the land down under for Shizuku and Miyabi. They even have a local to help them identify the Seventh Apostle. Unfortunately, there’s just one problem: their guide’s father utterly despises the Japanese. This should be a serious issue, but… I dunno, for some reason, I just find it hilarious. Maybe it’s because Drops of God is so pretentious about wine, I’m anticipating an equally pretentious subplot where Shizuku helps the man see the light and stop being so gosh darn racist. Even better, he’ll do it through the power of wine! I can see it now: Shizuku loses this round, but he’s still proud of himself because he helped convert a major xenophobe into a card-carrying weeaboo!
Uh…yeah…look forward to the season finale of Victoria instead next week! https://x.com/SugoiLITE/status/2074544222104109297
Also I won’t disagree about the unprofessionalism of the judges, but similar to the magic mushroom BS from a few weeks ago, Jan’s food just has a way to “compel” people ya know!
Oh well, easy come, easy go for Victoria.