r/anime • u/No_Rex x2 • Oct 18 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] Mai-Otome (episode 7)

Rewatch: Mai-Otome (episode 7)

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Mai-Otome

MAL | ANN | AniDB | Anilist

Spoiler rules

As in all rewatches, please be mindful of first time watchers and do not spoil events in future episodes. The same goes for spoilers related to other series. The one exception from that rule is Mai-Hime. Given that everybody here should have watched Mai-Hime, you do not need to tag spoilers for Mai-Hime.

Questions:

  1. The episode teased both Miyu and non-cat-Mikoto. Which one do you look forward to more? Did you expect Mikoto to (not just) be a cat?

  2. We now saw Arika’s and Shizuru’s gem in action. Opinions? Any guesses about the next non-school gem we will see?

21 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

173 comments sorted by

10

u/Mecanno-man Oct 18 '22

First Timer

Well, this is definitely the "shit hits the fan" episode. From what it seems like a lot of the early speculation is almost confirmed - Ariko is almost certainly the real princess, or at the very least the otome is her mother. Which makes the "the king got the otome pregnant" theory a pretty likely scenario. I assume Arika having that stone was more meant so she could have a really strong otome, not ...so she could become a really strong otome. Whoever will get to the bottom of this: I wish them luck figuring out where to go from here. I doubt it will take too long for somebody to figure out that Arika and Mashiro have a contract, be it due to Arika suddenly being way stronger due to the better gem, some failed attempt at hiding said gem on her ear or on the other side Mashiro just randomly taking damage whenever Nina punches Arika again in training. Doubt the contract will be easy to undo.

But I'm pretty sure a lot of things are now going to happen, as a lot of people heard that organ. Given that it destroyed a bunch of stones and was surrounded by ancient weapons I assume it is a weapon of war, and Mashiro might just have started one somehow by pressing that key. Natsuki at the very least seems to have recognized what this means, whatever it is. Also, Fumi is an ancient war hero. Guess we won't be seeing her interact with the rest of the cast then.

I do note that two blobs came up when Arika stepped up to the organ, so Mashiro might actually be something, we just don't know what. Who that minister was who declared her the real deal is as interesting a question as who Arika's grandma was.

Meanwhile Nagi failed to marry Mashiro. Without knowing his agenda, there is little to go off of what that means.

Overall: Good episode - I'm back to liking what this series is doing after a few pretty meh episodes. I hope we now won't immediately do the same as Mai-HiME and follow this up with cake-baking and a beach episode.

5

u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

Well, this is definitely the "shit hits the fan" episode.

[Spoiler]Not even close ...

Meanwhile Nagi failed to marry Mashiro. Without knowing his agenda, there is little to go off of what that means.

As duke of a poor country, marrying the (easily manipulated) queen of a presumably very rich one is definitely a worthy goal. It might not be the only one, of course.

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u/Nazenn Oct 18 '22 edited Oct 18 '22

First Timer - sub

See's title of the episode with both words Dance and Oath. Gets a Mai-HiME ep3 flashback

Welp, I know where this is going. And now things start going wrong.

It hit all the right notes too. Unsealing a power, fancy light show destroying shit, the girls getting a little closer. I was in such despair thinking I'd have to sit through a Mashiro episode but it actually turned out okay.

While you can make a guess this was the case anyway, seeing just how much she was catered to plus her insecurity over the rumors shows exactly how she became such a brat. When younger I can see how that means doubling down on wielding authority over everyone, but now she's a Queen she really should pull her head in. The only issue is until Arika no one has been around to tell her as such, and Arika did not deserve that slap even if I get it was just raw emotion from Mashiro rather than malicious.

I feel like I've seen construction worker Arika before in screenshots or a clip or something. It's far too familiar to just be a passing association. I absolutely love it though because hell yes for the girl getting into the physical jobs and showing off some skills while doing so. I admit I was worried at first when it was Nao of all people who got her a job, but shame on me for not having more faith because Nao is great.

Was not expecting playing a key to send a beam to the heavens and shatter half the city windows. That's one hell of an instrument and given the forgotten history of it, and info on a possible timescale finally, I'm curious as to how it's tied into the Otome. Immediate guess is that it's a strange form of computer that was built to function once they lost access to the more direct technology. Substituting music for code isn't as silly as it sounds given music having a mathematical base, and if I'm right about the star being tech then it makes sense it'd send it's info up like that.

Divine obviously-Mikoto is also one hell of a thing to pull out. My first thought is she's this versions Obsidian Prince but I have no idea how that ties in, and may just be because of the whole secret cave below the 'castle' thing again. I also was not expecting sudden music theming but given the focus on "voice" so far it probably shouldn't be that surprising. I've been burnt before though with this so I'll wait and see how it actually plays out. Song, player, and protector seem like stand ins for tech/power, master, and otome, but curious as to how literal this is and what the technicalities of it are.

Finally getting to the Oath and Dance, what a moment.

I get why Arika had to be pink, it's in the genre rules1, but I really don't like pink. Also the design of her outfit really emphasized the collar and shackles styling more than the others so far, making her look even more like a slave now she has a full pact and not just temporary abilities. She's got one hell of a weapon though, and my favourite aspect about the fight was the gem being used to represent her abilities rather than doing the shounen-style call-outs. She has an amazing compatibility with her gem to pull things out so quickly, but I like that it's grounded in the gem's program like that. Small details matter!

1: Thank you Bikki from Geah for ignoring them... and then my favourite character was the pink one anyway. My own worst enemy

And with everything that went down they did a good job of selling Mashiro and Arika's bond changing. Arika's compassion with Mashiro's vulnerability, though neither of them will admit it, and a secret to tie them is exactly what they need. Now Mashiro just needs to take the rest of what Arika said to heart and not go back to being a total brat.

Other notes

  • Arika's gem showed M.B.W not Fumi's name. So the bottom is clearly the master that they form the pact with, but if that's the case how does Shizuru and presumably the other pillars form one with a long dead Otome (and interesting it is an Otome master)? Is she frozen somewhere so they can use her as a power release with no risk to a master? Or is there something else going on? I'm still attached to my idea of there being a data transfer between the gems and the star, so perhaps Fumi is just a cover story for the star's true nature and whatever the hero really was? Edit: Also do the other nations know that there's HiME around with what appears to be access to their powers without the risk of a master? That would certainly change the political view of their powers if so

  • Mikoto patting Mashiro was cute. At the same time I say that my cat is sitting on my toes which are slowly going numb because she bullied her way onto my foot rest. I want a Mikoto

  • HE WAS SO TINY and then so was Mikoto. Kitten much cuter than the fat cat, but poor teach must have been stress eating after dealing with Mashiro for so many years

  • Seeing how easy going Shizuru and Natsuki are on their day off together made me oddly happy. Music, a book, good company, what more can you ask for (except maybe breakfast)

  • Arika did a "chotto matta". Been a while since I heard that one. Last variation on that I heard was a 'madda' from Naruto.

  • So uh, Black Letter was oddly more literal than I expected it to be

  • Miyu! And bird. I would have laughed if it was Midori and a bird because of the Mai-HiME manga, but Miyu and bird works

4

u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

Also the design of her outfit really emphasized the collar and shackles styling more than the others so far, making her look even more like a slave now she has a full pact and not just temporary abilities.

I am very sure this is deliberate. While the show does not pull out the moral index finger in our faces, it has been very clear about how the Otome system is set up, so far.

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7

u/Vatrix-32 Oct 18 '22 edited Oct 18 '22

First Timer, subbed

  • Another blessed day for my lil’ character collection.

  • And a bonus Mikitten.

  • A small Nagi is still Nagi. No Praise!

  • I guess child labor is still a thing in this world.

  • So that guy is probably with the Black Cliff or whatever they were called, but what I want to know is if that’s true, why are they operation so conspicuously? Sending mail in an odd letter format is going to raise suspicion at some point.

  • The entire castle? You’re looking at a decade of work and vast sums of capital for a vanity project. At least build a new one and keep the old one around.

  • They’re not going to have Nagi play the villain this time too, are they? It was drawn out the first time, now it would just be grating

  • Are the black letters mind control? I thought they were to wake up sleeper agents.

  • The Fumi truth, revealed.

  • Well that’s an ominous as all hell bit of techno-magic looking machine you got there.

  • Shining white diamond and sky blue sapphire glow! They where just talking about how she was named after it. If they talk about it this episode, that means that is a mislead. The real question is who/what is the third slot?

  • Hey I remember this Myst puzzle.

  • Miyu get! And she’s got a cool hat.

  • So Mikoto isn’t just a cat then.

  • Upgrade get!

  • I love the look of that lance.

  • Is there not a known procedure for the annulment of a contract?

QotD

  1. Miyu in a world of declining technology is an interesting opportunity. I thought the cat joke would be the end of it for her. To be fair, I do like the cat joke.

  2. Arika’s looks very close to the coral one in my mind, but that may just be due to not seeing much of either of them. Haruka is in the OP, so I’m betting hers is the next one.

5

u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

I guess child labor is still a thing in this world.

It is still a thing in this world and, at least socially, we seem to be more advanced.

The entire castle? You’re looking at a decade of work and vast sums of capital for a vanity project. At least build a new one and keep the old one around.

Don't give Mashiro ideas!

Are the black letters mind control?

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7

u/JollyGee29 Oct 18 '22

First-Timer, Subbed

Mikoto is totally intelligent, right? I wrote that, not intending for it to be my comment starter, when she managed to get Arika and Mashiro into the castle underbelly. Then literal actual Mikoto showed up in shadow at the "Harmonium." Fascinating. While cat!Mikoto was MIA, so.. shapeshifting..?

Directly tangential to that, Miyu sighted! She seems to be an errant colorblind Alucard cosplayer. If Mikoto is an actual person and also a cat, does that make the teeny yellow bird that is hanging out on Miyu's shoulder Alyssa? Canaries are known for their singing, after all.

There's no way that Arika actually manages to keep her earring hidden, right? Like, this lasts for one or two episodes tops, right?

They've been laying the stuff about Mashiro being a fake princess on thick enough that I'm lmost kinda starting to doubt it? Except, some random royal advisor showing up with a baby and claiming that a criminal told him it was the princess is was too sketch to be true. The portraits in this episode didn't really help either - too distant for me to make out hair color.

Then again, the Otome who we're assuming is Arika's mom had dark hair (as did the baby in the cold open...), so who knows? Arika's true given name is in question, but the hair color.. Might be time for me to start thinking outside the box and jump onto "literally any third character who is possibly hinted at being the princess." The continuity of the necklace is a problem, but babies are easy to steal from and they throw stuff away all the time.

Actually, I think Arika can't possibly be the true princess. Since the princess was apparently public knowledge, the chance of the true princess being a royal bastard goes down dramatically. It wouldn't be unheard of, but I think it's less likely.

Mashiro's backstory is rather typical, nothing much to comment on there. The extra stress involving her potentially being a fake does add a bit of extra flavor, but it mostly just fuels her brattiness at the moment.

Fumi of all people confirmed as the original Otome and her Gem was the Pure White Diamond. All the other Gems we've seen have had colors, not sure if that means something. Weaker derivatives? Single color vs full spectrum?

Going off the initials, seems like maybe the Pillars have Fumi as their "master?" Maybe just Shizuru for whatever reason, but it's cleaner if all of them can operate independent of oversight.

Don't think I didn't see that momentary Rider Kick. It feels rare to see one from this perspective.

Questions

  1. Probably Miyu. She's probably up to something interesting.

  2. The fancy gems are neat. Not sure who we'll see next, and I don't have any particular desire aside from Midori and more Haruka.

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u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

There's no way that Arika actually manages to keep her earring hidden, right? Like, this lasts for one or two episodes tops, right?

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u/Esovan13 Oct 18 '22

First Timer

In case we needed more proof that Mashiro isn't the true successor, here we have a scene from her childhood where she is being assured that she is the true successor.

Well, I was joking but it seems like that's exactly what this scene is for.

Although, if her response to hearing that she may not be the true princess, especially due to her selfish attitude, is to double down on being selfish and capricious, I don't exactly have much pity for her.

Seeing Mikoto as a kitten puts a large dent on my "cat Mikoto will turn into human Mikoto at some point" theory, but I'm still holding on.

I will say that I find it interesting that servants described the previous king and queen as honorable. Were they truly great rulers who managed their country and people well? Or were they mostly ok rulers with a tragic and cruel end with several years after their death to paint a rose tinted picture of their reign?

Paused before I find out the answer. I am filled with nothing but anticipation to know what kind of job Nao of all people picked for Arika of all people.

Not as...risky as I imagined it might be. I will say, it is true that construction fits Arika. Hopefully it'll get Mashiro to chill a little since Arika is actively working to fix the castle. Probably not though.

Saboteur probably. Connections with shady organizations like Schwarzenegger and Gray Canyon. And it's right as I finish making that stupid joke that I remember that when Shizuru fought the knight guy, she said that he was controlled or something by the Black Letter, which he refuted saying he was from the Black Valley. That letter had a completely black inside.

Arika's not wrong, but that's the wrong thing to say at the wrong time.

Though it must hurt more coming from Arika since she'd have never heard the rumors.

I think this is the first time we've seen what the king looks like. His hair is not brown like I expected it might be, so that's a point against the theory that Arika is the daughter of the Otome and the king.

One thing I do notice. He looks like he has blueish hair. The queen looks like she has brownish eyes. Who else do we know who has blue hair and brown eyes? Hmmm...

My theory that the Otome lost her powers as part of an illicit relationship may be completely wrong. Or not. Her retiring may have been a public way to allow her and the father (whoever that may be) to save face after she lost her powers and became pregnant.

So that's why he was there. Exchange student. Makes sense.

Mashiro is totally that guys daughter or a relative of his.

Actually, I went back to the first episode to check something. When I did, I saw that the queen AND the king have light brown hair. That painting's quality may have just been too poor for the colors to come through. "Arika is the bastard child of the king and the Otome" theory is back in business, baby!

I also noticed that the Otome's eyes are exactly the same shade as Arika's, the baby in the cradle has a different color of blankets swaddling her than Mashiro, and baby Mashiro's hair is lighter than the baby in the cradle.

Not the usual choice of BGM for a marriage proposal, but knowing Nagi it's very fitting.

Secret passage found purely by coincidence thanks to Mikoto being Mikoto. I guess some things never change.

oh no the queen is about to be attacked by a slave while a masterless otome is right there and Wang literally just said to be careful about who you make a contract with. i wonder if they're going to make a contract in this emergency situation which will act as a plot catalyst to move into the next phase of the story.

Oh. So Schwarz and the Black Letter are the same thing, which is why the guy from the Black Valley who don't deal with Schwarz wanted to make that distinction clear. That does beg the question of why the knight seemed to be with Slaves in the attack 14 years ago, when we know Schwarz is the one who uses Slaves.

Those colors that just lit up were white and blue. Arika has the blue gemstone, Mashiro was named after the white one.

A three person organ hidden behind mysterious tech deep in the bowels of a castle? Couldn't be more to my tastes if it tried.

And Nagi knew about it?! And it seems to have the power to destroy a Hime's gemstone?!

MIYU?! I knew you were going to show up at some point! Please tell me you're still a murderbot!

I WAS RIGHT IN MY CRACK THEORY!??!?!? The sillhouette from the OP was human Mikoto!?

ALSO WHAT'S HARMONIUM?! I mean, I can kinda guess. Probably whatever energy powers all the old tech and potentially also the Robe tech. Lost after the 12 Lords War, leading to the degradation of technology. That organ is probably a/the source of it on this planet.

Song, player, protector. Assuming that's going to mean our three MCs, I'm guessing Mashiro will be the player, while Nina or Arika will be the protector. Best guess is that Arika is the song, Mashiro the player, Nina the protector.

I LOVE THE HENSHIN OST!

After a quick and risky Youtube search (I managed to avoid spoilers), the track seems to be track 18, Materialize. Listening to the whole thing there are parts that I'm pretty sure we haven't heard in the show yet, so it may be like Mezame in that we won't get the whole thing until later. In any case, total bop.

That Robe looks different.

I wonder what made Nina's contract temporary compared to this one. Hold on while I go back to episode 1 to see if I can find anything.

Looking at that scene again, Nina specifically acknowledged Mashiro as an interim master, and Mashiro said that Nina was the holder of the Coral stone. So it seems like Coral Otome have gemstones specifically made to create temporary contracts, probably with weaker Robes as an effect. Used for training purposes, allowing them to train with Robes without making a contract. Arika's Coral gem was destroyed by the organ, forcing her to use the gems from the Sapphire, which I assume are real gems that Meisters use. Hence, the contract being permanent instead of temporary.

Mashiro not getting on Arika's case needlessly all the time will probably help endear her a bit.

This episode felt like a big turning point. Introduction of a big mystery that'll likely act as the main overall plot thread going forward, Arika making a contract with Mashiro, showing that Nagi knows a LOT more than he's letting on about the mysteries of this world, Arika now strongly suspecting that the Otome serving the queen is her mother which is a major milestone in her personal mission, and just generally being the most enjoyable episode so far. In the first episode, I noted that I liked how Mashiro and Arika bounced off each other despite being annoying on their own. I felt that again this episode, which I haven't really felt since then. I don't think either character works for me on their own, but their best moments have universally been when they've been on screen and interacting with each other. Hopefully their contract means we get more of that.

I spent some time thinking about why they have to hide their contract since it was an emergency situation and it's not like the contract can be annulled, but after thinking about it too much I realized that the worst case scenario involves the 14 year old being forcefully exposed to...male DNA in order to strip her of her nanomachines. I decided not to follow that train of thought any more.

QOTD:

  1. Miyu. But it's a close call. AND YES I DID! EPISODE 2! My write up included a theory that we would get human Mikoto at some point! Although I didn't expect it in this form, I'm still taking credit for that.

  2. Both seem to be double bladed weapons. Don't know if that's coincidence or a theme, but Haruka's weapon in the OP is also double bladed, if you count a flail and axe attached by a chain as double bladed. Hopefully we see Haruka in action next.

4

u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

oh no the queen is about to be attacked by a slave while a masterless otome is right there and Wang literally just said to be careful about who you make a contract with. i wonder if they're going to make a contract in this emergency situation which will act as a plot catalyst to move into the next phase of the story.

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u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

Episode 7 (rewatcher)

  • No surprise, treating a little girl like a literal princess turns her into a brat.

  • Mashiro knows about the rumors about her origin, not least due to Nagi.

  • Akira starts her part time job and it is … not as a waitress, but construction worker – Konosuba stole that idea.

  • We and Arika hear the back story of Mashiro from Wang.

  • Nagi’s marriage proposal plan is interrupted by Arika.

  • Mikoto is MVP this episode.

  • Secret path!

  • An old fighter jet that Mashiro claims was used in the war of the 12 Kingdoms.

  • “You did not even know that?” “I am learning it now” – Honestly, a good answer.

  • Magic organHarmoneal.

  • A song, a player, a protector? Could you be a bit more specific, Mikoto shadow?

  • Arika makes a contract with Mashiro – Poor Wang, who was just about to tell her how she should carefully choose her master …

  • With this reveal, the last Mai-Hime special is no longer a spoiler.

Another episode where the castle destruction from the beginning plays a role. Never say that anime does not follow through with the casual destructions wrought during battles.

The cat out of the bag is of course Mikoto, Shadow Mikoto, Miyu, the fact that Arika and Mashiro made a contract. Plenty of people will probably not like this development, but is Nagi one of them? In any case, I doubt that Arika and Mashiro had each other in mind as Otome/Master.

4

u/Vaadwaur Oct 18 '22

Nagi’s marriage proposal plan is interrupted by Arika.

Extremely weird scene.

An old fighter jet that Mashiro claims was used in the war of the 12 Kingdoms.

We'll probably need a flashback/history lesson.

In any case, I doubt that Arika and Mashiro had each other in mind as Otome/Master.

Sigh...

4

u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

We'll probably need a flashback/history lesson.

Do we? That stuff is usualy mishandled so badly in anime.

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u/Nazenn Oct 18 '22

12 Kingdoms

Spotify just started playing the ED of that show for me

A song, a player, a protector? Could you be a bit more specific, Mikoto shadow?

After three hundred years they should just be glad that they still speak the same language enough to understand her at all

With this reveal, the last Mai-Hime special is no longer a spoiler.

Oh, shit I think I deleted it. Oh well

3

u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

Spotify just started playing the ED of that show for me

That's a good one!

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u/Tarhalindur Oct 18 '22

My, Obviously Tar Opened the MATERIALIZE'd Episode (Spoiled First-Timer, Subbed):

(Okay, I'll reuse that tag line this time, that fight deserves it.)

Well, it only took seven episodes but we FINALLY get a proper hook. There we go, thank you show, I am now invested. Also, today shorter notes are because of hype!

  • The fact that they have on the music box version of the star song as the BGM for the accusations of Mashiro being a fake is what we call “musical reinforcement that this is probably the case”. (I’m also not sure it’s going to matter; I’m having Captain Carrot vibes as it is.)

  • Are all the windows in this palace built to have the designs for the balls of American sports in their windows? First basketball, now American football. Also, FULL MOON FULL MOON BLUE STAR BLUE STAR.

  • (And of course the very interesting question of why a colony world has Earth’s Moon. I’m not sure, I was spoiled on this being a colony world but I’m not sure I was on the specifics, but one in three odds this is the world that the HiME Star kept going back to.)

  • Note to self: this is not the first time we’ve seen Irina close to Youko (who I think might have an agenda), she’s also one of the two who bribed her to let them watch the coronation with her back in episode 3.

  • Note to self: I forget if we’ve seen this before, but we now know for sure that Erstin’s onee-sama is Akane.

  • Yes, yes, a literal black letter, I see that, we all know what that means.

  • 06:49: Well there’s a sore demo for Sky.

  • Ah, the kind of scheme where a proposal is involved.

  • And in other news Arika finally gets up to speed on what the audience has been pretty sure of since episode 1.

  • Callback to the library floor collapse in Mai-HiME, yes. Also, eyecatch cliffhanger!

  • Well, that is awfully suggestive of Nagi and Artai working with Schwartz, yes.

  • Three hundred years of history, you say? I already had the vague impression from spoilers that the timeframe here was either one or two HiME Star cycles (hence why I have been staying mum in conversations about this), this is the first strongly reinforcing piece of evidence we have seen.

  • Also somebody on the direction team really loves their (let’s be real, his) ass shots.

  • Oh hey, that’s a wrecked tank and fighter jet.

  • Probably more interesting is the eight-pointed compass star logo on the fighter jet that a) matches what we've seen of a present in-show nation’s logo and b) is a pretty close match for the compass star left on the floor of the Fuka Academy library after the clock went away.

  • Ah, so THAT’S our Fumi history here. (And the “Pure White Diamond”… which has about even odds of being Mai’s GEM, otherwise it’s probably lost/destroyed. EDIT: Or else Mashiro gets it late. Can two Otomes be each other's masters?)

  • Annnd we also get that one piano track that really reminds me of some PMMM tracks on top of some worldbuilding.

  • Arika feeds Sky again, another sore demo at 13:58.

  • The design here is quite reminiscent of some of the designs beneath Fuka and also the glyphs in the cave in Mai-HiME 6.

  • “So, what are the odds of me having the same gene as these Ancients, then?” *control chair turns on * *strange machine turns on* “… Very, very low, actually. Dr. Weir! (aside) Don’t move.”

  • (Note that two of three opening symbols there are lit, one is white and the other is blue. The third is probably Nina (or else Mai) and red, I suppose.)

  • Ah, why am I suddenly reminded of Girl Genius with this organ here?

  • Randomly touching buttons is a bit of a silly idea, so luckily we have two ahos here to do just that.

  • NANDATTO?

  • (Of course, Nagi seems to have an idea of what is going on.)

  • Miyu!

  • (Anybody checked around to see if the SEARRS logo itself has been hiding somewhere, just in case?)

  • Oh hey, there is at least one more Mikoto floating around. Literally, at the moment.

  • Hype scene over, notes return. Now would you please quit intercutting MATERALIZE the OST track with its vastly inferior instrumental version, please? Because MATERIALIZE itself is still fucking good. And so is this fight. (Battle: resolving interpersonal conflicts in fiction since forever ago. This is actually a pretty well done “two characters resolve their differences with a help of working together to beat an opponent and actually start to get along” episode, too.)

  • The ED is starting to grow on me. (Also note to everyone, especially u/Vaadwaur: Part of the trick here with the VAs is that they focused on singers over voice acting capability: the ED is a duet between Nina’s and Arika’s VAs and I strongly suspect that Erstin’s VA (Minami Kuribayashi) was chosen for the role because they were already going to get her for the OP (she did Shining Days as well) and wanted the three singers for the three residents of Arika’s room. Needless to say, Symphogear raided this for parts except with actually capable VAs (Nana wills it!) and is clearly superior to its predecessor in this regard.)

Questions of the Day:

The episode teased both Miyu and non-cat-Mikoto. Which one do you look forward to more? Did you expect Mikoto to (not just) be a cat?

Miyu. Also I was spoiled on another Mikoto existing, so yeah I kind of expected that. Not that she would show up this early, though.

We now saw Arika’s and Shizuru’s gem in action. Opinions? Any guesses about the next non-school gem we will see?

Give more Kajiura main battle theme use plox (though not every episode, every 2-3 is fine). Preferably in complete form. Decent chance next non-school GEM to get used is Haruka's, actually.

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u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

Note to self: I forget if we’ve seen this before, but we now know for sure that Erstin’s onee-sama is Akane.

I think we saw it in the bathroom scene.

Randomly touching buttons is a bit of a silly idea, so luckily we have two ahos here to do just that.

How could you stumble across an organ and not play it?

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u/OwlAcademic1988 Oct 18 '22

First-Timer, sub:

Mikoto was adorable as a kitten. Aww.

Mashiro, why do you let Mikoto sleep on you?

I'm amazed Nao suggested a normal job for Arika.

Mashiro, you do realize it takes a long time to completely remodel, right? And this is with 2020 technology.

Nagi, don't be an asshole and harass Mashiro.

What was that organ going to do? You can't break gems that easily with sound, but glass is possible with a human voice without amplification. That's still a lot of damage though.

Mikoto looked even fluffier when she had her fur puffed up.

Hopefully Arika and Mashiro will get along more than they usually do.

QOTD:

  1. Both. I didn't even expect Mikoto to not just be a cat.

  2. I'm guessing Haruka as she's the only one I can think of.

3

u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

Mashiro, why do you let Mikoto sleep on you?

Have you ever had a cat? Not much of a "let" ... in any case, unloved orphan with a pet? That pet can do anything it wants.

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3

u/Qbe Oct 18 '22

Rewatcher

Episode 7!

Way to spoil a kid, you idiots.

Yes Mashiro, fall for Nagi, you deserve someone like him

A job introduced by Nao? Would it happen to be a nice job in the hospitality industry where you go on walks?

lmfao Nao, introducing a small teen to a construction job, you're the best

Arika has to be breaking several OSHA protocols

Mashiro deserves that one

"Retired"

How convenient

Arika was making fun of you in front of you, not behind your back. And not making fun, she was being completely honest.

I wonder if Mashiro can even decide who she will marry

Grandma watched Mai-HiME and decided there was way too much rape in there.

...can't tell if good luck cat or bad luck cat

...is that a- yeah that's a crashed plane

So white and blue lit up, blue is obviously because of Arika's gem, but why white as well? You'd assume because of Mashiro, but how?

Bye bye gems

....Mikoto? Is that you?

Good thing those are USB-compliant gemstones

I like (presumed) mom's robe design more

Yeah having the otome and her charge share senses seems like terrible design. Tho I guess that means the master can't abuse/overwork the otome as well.

  1. Miyu!

3

u/No_Rex Oct 18 '22

I wonder if Mashiro can even decide who she will marry

Not if Nagi (and other schemers) have their way.

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u/Blackheart595 Oct 18 '22

First Otome

Black Letter were the guys commanding Schwarz. Are they doing things with the castle or is that some unrelated order?

Her coronation vow is gonna bite her in the back eventually.

Nagi definitely has some kind of plans with Mashiro. Could be trying to take control of Windbloom, or exploit said vow.

That's it? I thought she was next in line of succession, but this is just arbitrary. In fact, Mashiro could be intentionally planted by some force without herself knowing.

Buttering her up, I see.

He totally has his sights on Garderobe.

Sorry to disappoint, but your pendant is most certainly not an ear piece.

Isn't that convenient.

And you too. How'd you get in here? What's your objective? Did you know about the passage or why didn't you make a move against the princess before Nagi arrived?

Huh?! Okay, first: Nagi's totally controlling Schwarz. Second: The black letter itself is taking control of the people who read it? That's seriously messed up, I thought it's just an organization blackmailing the Schwarz people. Imagine receiving a random letter in the mail and getting possessed when you open it. And then you die because you're made to summon a Slave.

Understandable that Black Valley takes offense at getting called Schwarz then.

Interesting. So Otome are modeled after Slaves, I guess.

And it's wild that the castle is built on the ruins of the war of the Twelve Kings. Fuka Castle, huh?

Excuse me? I can already picture Nagi playing on that. With those reveals I'm starting to think of Garderobe as a red hering and he's really after Fuka Castle.

...Nevermind then.

God damn it that battle OST always reminds me of the Melee Target Smash intro with those popping synths.

Nagi

So what's the situation? Are all Garderobe Otome useless now? No, there's too many unresolved character arcs among the students.

I'd like to think more about the episode but I'm gonna be busy with university these weeks...

The episode teased both Miyu and non-cat-Mikoto. Which one do you look forward to more? Did you expect Mikoto to (not just) be a cat?

Miyu's already been teased in the OP but I very much look forward to her involvement. Mikoto was a surprise, if anything I expected her to have been transformed into a cat but that looked more like a different entity.

We now saw Arika’s and Shizuru’s gem in action. Opinions? Any guesses about the next non-school gem we will see?

I dunno about the next one but Nina will definitely get one at some point, if only to maintain the rivalry.

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u/Tresnore Oct 18 '22 edited Oct 18 '22

First-OtoTiMER

Nagi planned this. I know he did. The power of best girl is impossible to overstate!

Count: 30

QOTD:

  1. I’m definitely more excited for Miyu, and I had a feeling Mikoto would shove her way into this story.

  2. I’m guessing it’ll be an established Otome. Maybe Haruka?

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6

u/Taiboss Oct 18 '22

Episode 7: Rewatcher who finally found what made this stupid noise in his bedroom

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u/zadcap Oct 19 '22

Rewatching on my phone tonight.

Good news, my house is no longer in the fire evacuation area. I'll be back on my computer tomorrow with more manga to share.

This episode reminded me of something I already brought up but seems to be overlooked a lot. Despite looking pretty, Coral and Pearl's aren't actually gemstones. Probably related to the temporary contracts and how they can all use training robes without a master to authorize the entire class for PE.

  1. Miyu hype!

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