Hiya of us, and welcome again to Mistaken Each Time. At present I figured we’d examine again in on Blue Reflection Ray, after a primary episode that supplied us a bounty of fantastical innovations and a formidable unfold of recent characters. Fortuitously, each the present’s worldbuilding and character beats thus far have confirmed acquainted sufficient to make for a simple on-boarding; we’ve received our core distinction of the somber Ruka and energetic Hiori, we’ve received a second layer of magical woman mayhem seemingly linked to those gemstone rings, and we’ve received some ambiguous antagonists with an analogous curiosity in these would-be magical women, seemingly intent on claiming their power earlier than they will “bloom” into their true powers.
Alongside all of that comparatively typical worldbuilding, we’ve additionally received some mysteries to resolve concerning the prior era of magical women, and what their fates indicate for our present heroines. It appears clear that Hiori’s sister was a Reflector previously, and that her absence nonetheless hangs closely over Hiori. Moreover, the ultimate moments of the primary episode appeared to indicate an apparent path of improvement for Ruka as effectively: studying from Hiori’s gallant instance, and changing into a Reflector sturdy sufficient to guard her in flip, thereby filling the position of emotional pillar that her sister used to supply. With our free predictions set, let’s see what truly awaits us!
Episode 2
“I all the time felt comfy once I was alone. Interacting with others simply difficult issues.” We open with Ruka extolling her lonely perspective. The cool blue roof and normal subdued shading of this lined walkway echoes her emotions, and in addition affords them a distinction within the type of the intense sunlit backyard beside her, which she instantly associates with Hiori’s willingness to achieve out to others
The OP emphasizes each flower imagery and reflections, as Hiori touches down on a lake whose floor displays her among the many lily pads
Ooh, some good choreography for these OP motion scenes – low drawing rely and dramatic jumps in pose, actually emphasizing the angular motion of their limbs and attire as they spar with their opponents
It appears our core workforce can be Ruka, Hiori, and that woman with the moped, whereas the woman our leads have been making an attempt to save lots of is framed extra as a damsel in misery, sinking into the reflection whereas her flower rises
“Individuals who use these rings to show their emotions into power. That’s a Reflector.” Tethering fight energy to your emotional state is a very handy trick, guaranteeing the course of your story’s fights naturally echo your characters’ emotional arcs. It’s such a pure parallel that many tales don’t even hassle to mechanically formalize it like this; you may simply as simply clarify such a hyperlink as characters preventing extra successfully because of now not being preoccupied by regrets or afraid of failure
“Any emotions can develop into our power?” “I’m fairly positive, yeah.” So are their antagonists harnessing destructive feelings as power? Looks like a pure growth of this conceit, and one that might simply lend itself to thrilling visible payoffs in the event that they persuade any enemies to modify sides
“AASA is the establishment researching these rings”
“Our emotions, or items of them, are referred to as ‘Fragments.’ And there’s one thing happening with these.”
“Reflectors can shield Fragments… our emotions, in addition to these of others.” Kinda want this exposition dump was higher built-in into the continuing drama, however I suppose it’s a pure repercussion of leaping to anime from sport design, whereby mechanical frameworks like this are extra of a pure assumption
Our third lead’s title is Momo Tanabe
Ruka and Hiori’s house outfits replicate their personalities. Ruka continues to be within the formal blue of their college uniform, probably not possessing a lot will outdoors of her assigned duties (even throughout their dialog with Momo, she was glancing at Hiori for cues). In distinction, Hiori is after all in a pink shirt and shorts, a sporty, extra androgynous look that presents her as prepared for journey
Hiori states she’s going to develop into a Reflector, which Ruka responds to with “take into consideration this rationally,” which from her perspective presumably means “pay extra consideration to your fears”
“As a result of that’s how my sister was.” After all, Hiori can also be simply following the instance of one other, making an attempt to dwell as much as her sister’s reminiscence
When Hiori grabs her hand, they as soon as once more appear to attach by way of their recollections
Oh my god Ruka. When some classmates ask her what’s up with Hiori, she says she doesn’t know and really simply stands as much as depart the room, hiding up on the rooftop. The woman actually prefers her solitude
At house, Momo affords a prayer to her grandmother, telling her shrine that “I’ll work even tougher this time.” So Momo can also be making an attempt to current power in reminiscence of an absent liked one
“I’ve been in search of my sister ever since, however I haven’t been capable of finding her.” So Hiori’s sister isn’t recognized to be lifeless, however presumably disappeared in that enormous opening blast
Whereas Hiori meets with Momo, Ruka finds herself awkwardly stalked by Miyako, the woman Hiori saved
“I do know you seen me, however you’ve been ignoring me anyway. You actually don’t care about others, do you?” Oh boy, Miyako sounds delightfully horrible. Instantly taking Ruka’s standoffishness as an insult is a improbable begin to a large number of a relationship
Miyako needs info on what occurred yesterday, as her recollections are fuzzy. Curiously, it appears she and Hiori have been linked via their shared want for somebody to assist them: Hiori’s lingering sense of displacement concerning her sister apparently resonating with Miyako’s extra rapid considerations
Nice yakuza squat from Momo as she tells Hiori that she has to go to high school
Elsewhere, two extra of our presumed villainous magical women are lounging in a canopied mattress whereas an organ blasts ominous tunes, as you do
Apparently these are the superiors of the opposite two, who quickly arrive and apologize for his or her failure. These women are additionally Reflectors, however their “emotions are totally different. We perceive the disappointment of the world far larger than others.” As anticipated, they’re basically the destructive reflections of our foremost solid
Hiori and Ruka’s roads in direction of accepting their future are every very applicable – Hiori instantly bounds off to satisfy Momo and study extra, whereas Ruka wanders alone and pensive all day, slowly setting her ideas so as
“That is my uncle’s condominium. My mother went to purchase some lightbulbs and by no means got here again.” Rattling, so Hiori’s complete life has been outlined by the individuals closest to her disappearing and not using a phrase
“It’s been 5 years, and no one’s seen her. So we simply purchased some new ones ourselves.” A bitter joke, considerably uncharacteristic of Hiori, reflecting the lingering sting of her mom’s betrayal
“I assume the gasoline isn’t on.” “It’s canned meals.” “My sister was actually good at giving it some pizazz.” Extra reducing incidental particulars of Hiori’s life – they basically dwell as cheaply as potential, missing even the knowledge that their utilities will stay lively. After which that final remark, reflecting how her sister used to make this impoverished life appear a lot grander, serving as Hiori’s protector as soon as their mom left
“Why do you reside on the dorm?” “Ah effectively, my sister needed me to expertise totally different worlds.” Even now her sister serves as a suggestion
“I can’t be such as you, both. That woman within the courtyard – I solely seen her due to you.” Hiori is much better at appreciating Ruka’s strengths than Ruka herself is, as additionally demonstrated via Ruka’s drawings from the primary episode
It’s additionally clear why Hiori would venerate Ruka’s potential to note disturbances in others; Hiori’s presumably nonetheless preoccupied with what she missed concerning her mom and sister, what clues she ignored that may have stored her family members close to
“Her psychological state ought to nonetheless be unstable. As a result of it’s not that simple escaping from the worst sort of surroundings.” The antagonist Reflectors appear to be united by their destructive feelings moderately than their hopes
Returning house, Miyako learns her mom threw out the household image body she made with a view to make room for extra of her brother’s trophies. Miyako continues to have probably the most on-point of sad house lives
And so the Reflectors collect, drawn in by Miyako’s destructive feelings
And Carried out
Thus our heroes arrive at their first true battle, with Miyako’s wavering coronary heart hanging within the stability! That apart, what I most loved about this episode was its sleek articulation of Hiori’s circumstances. Despite her cheerful affectation, the lingering weight of her mom and sister’s absence was made clear via all method of incidental particulars. Her sharp joke about her mom’s disappearance, her indifference to her uncle’s dwelling scenario, and her appreciation for Ruka’s skills all pointed in direction of methods her household’s disappearance nonetheless shapes her worldview, making it simple to grasp why Ruka could be as essential to Hiori as Hiori is to Ruka. And given the awkward anti-chemistry shared by Ruka and Miyako, I’m wanting to see this complete group assemble and try to by some means work collectively. Onward to episode three!
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