Witch Craft Works – 08
Time for your checkup
A little break from the magic battles this week, and some character development. I think my favorite translation of this week’s title is “Takamiya-kun and Kagari-san’s Pain” (as in heartache).
Confusing?
The first meeting
Perhaps I’m more immune to weird storytelling, but there were a lot of people on twitter who thought this episode kind of fell down in what it was trying to do, and I just didn’t have that issue with it. It felt like a pretty standard character-building two part episode, with the first being a flashback to Ayaka’s past, seen in what we ultimately learn is a dream that’s implanted in Honoka’s head by Ayaka, and the second part establishing Honoka as the leader of the school, ultimately through combat.
The search begins
There were definitely two things of note, and one thing to speculate on, with the first part of the episode. We get to see where Kanae Hoozuki and Touko Hio (whose name is as cold – “frozen girl icetail” – as Ayaka’s is hot) first encounter Ayaka, having been called to see Kazane, and told by their mothers that they should gladly accept whatever task Kazane gives them. That task is to be companions for Ayaka, who is new to school, and not particularly used to being around people. In fact, she’s so not caring about other people, that I’m starting to wonder how, exactly, Ayaka came to be in this world. Is she really Kazane’s biological daughter? Where has she been until first year of middle school? It certainly wasn’t in any sort of school, because she doesn’t know any of the basic things about school. Yet she’s brilliant and capable. She just needs help from Kanae and Touko to deal with other people. And it’s not really like Ayaka is ‘friends’ with Touko and Kanae, either. It’s more like they’re just more personal servants than ordinary maids are.
She’s finally found him
The second thing about Ayaka is that she seems to have her own quest. We know that that quest is to find Honoka, but how does she get set on it? And does she really think that the ‘make yourself more attractive’ articles are what she needs? I don’t know if those parts were trying to show these three bonding, or maybe to show them NOT bonding, because that’s what it really seemed like. But they stick with her while she stakes out all the other middle schools in town, hoping to catch a glimpse of Honoka, and when she does, she instantly knows that he’s special. So what’s Ayaka’s purpose in showing this to Honoka, I wonder? Is it to convince him more how she feels about him? Because Honoka still seems to be stuck not really thinking of Ayaka as a girl. She’s his protector, she’s the school princess, she’s amazing, but she hasn’t really been ‘a girl’. She’s putting the full-court press on now tho, especially with a nurse outfit and ‘checkup’. At least Honoka’s starting to be mindful of her breasts (in his face) and her being close to him. But I wonder if we’ll see that switch to him thinking of her as someone he loves.
Maybe Ayaka won’t wait for Honoka
Banchou!
The showdown, and Touko getting in more trouble with Ayaka
Yes, that made me think of Haruka Minami, the undisputed banchou of Minami-ke. But this one is Rinon Otometachibana, the bad girl of Tougetsu. Friends with the ousted seitokaichou, she doesn’t hear the whole story, and gets the impression that Honoka has violated the seitokaichou. So she and her gang of animal cosplayers decide to take over the school, wreaking havoc and challenging Honoka. He ends up having to fight for his position, and despite being unable to call on any more magical power, he’s still a much stronger person with the power that he’s already got. And with some advice from Ayaka on how to fight her, he gets himself in a position to win, but true to his nature, he really can’t finish her off. That job falls to Ayaka (although Team Rocket gives it a shot and fails, as usual) who punches Rinon out and sets up Honoka to take the credit. Of course, the whole thing was supposed to be a setup in the first place, but it got a little out of hand when the seitokaichou got carried away with the idea of possible revenge on Honoka.
Honoka gets in position to win, but can’t finish it off
Ayaka’s single-mindedness is definitely a long held trait. She’s been focused on Honoka since first year of middle school, even though Honoka didn’t get into the same school as her until second year of high school. I wonder what the delay was for, and if Ayaka spent time protecting him even then. I liked the cameos in the flashbacks by Team Rocket: Kotetsu and Rin on the train, Kanna and Mei at the different schools, although I didn’t catch Tanpopo anywhere. This was a good episode to take a break from the nonstop action and witch battles, I think, and gave us more background on Ayaka. I think we’re heading into the final stretch last week, as the preview showed us that it’s the entrance of Weekend. This may be another great vocal performance, this time from Aya Hirano. Definitely something to look forward to.
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Mmm… Nurse H-play.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I’ve always suspected that Ayaka was an “other” of some sorts; but never really do I expect her to act as if everything she does is done as if she “read it in a manual somewhere”.
New Trend: Delinquents cosplay as animals. Weird.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Her early days here certainly give a feel of a robot that’s been incompletely programmed. I didn’t even get ‘read in a manual’, more of ‘has never encountered anything of the sort.’ Of course, that feeling, in 5 years, has gone from ‘never encountered things’ to ‘air of supreme confidence, where she doesn’t care what your conventional thinking says.’
It also is interesting considering that while Komachi mentions Honoka and Kasumi’s father a few times, Kazane hasn’t, to my knowledge, mentioned Ayaka’s father. Just Komachi, who said that both she and Kazane married ‘other men’, who are now completely out of the picture. I also wonder if Komachi overstated the mutual feelings in her relationship with Kazane. I know Kazane was probably a bit distracted, trying to find Medusa, but Komachi’s bearing toward Kazane really felt a lot more like Touko’s bearing towards Ayaka.
Don’t you know that all the delinquents are wearing animal hoodie pajamas?
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
backflash time!
and
Honoka’s fight with the hoodie girl was disappointing…the manga made the battle seem so much better…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
As someone who’s not too picky about the grandiosity of battles, it was fine for me. She was a minor roadblock, not a big bad boss (although maybe that was played up more in the manga).
I’m intrigued by Ayaka giving that dream to Honoka. Is it to share with him to get closer? Is it something she was thinking about and just unintentionally shared? That seems unlikely given her following actions. Or is it her way of opening up to him, given how closed-lipped she is.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
If weren’t for the fact most of the first part of the episode was Honoka’s dream, I’d have said Ayaka was more socially inept than I thought. Unless the implanted dream was based on true events she went through.
By the way, while Ayaka was searching for Honoka, did anyone notice one of the Tower witches was among the crowd of students riding her wolf? That needs a bit of an explanation because that was just out in the open.
The second part was wild. It was nothing short of bad luck that Chronoire was appointed temporary principal just in time for a bunch of delinquents to lay siege to the school and plunge it into all out anarchy. It brings up one the famous movie quotes:
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
*hem hem 😉 *
We’ve seen other scenes where the Ivory Quintet members are just background characters. My second picture up there at the first school has Kanna on the sidewalk to the left. and Kotetsu was on the train twice, Rin just the second time. I think they’re just other people in the world, and they can’t be enemies all the time.
I’m 98% sure that Honoka’s dream was the actual events as they happened with Ayaka, Kanae, and Touko. It shows that she had the single-minded task of finding and protecting Honoka.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
And seeing what Ayaka did to those students that tried to push her around, she was far less restrained before finding Honoka.
PS: Congratulations on reaching 4000 comments, Highway!!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I don’t know if you can call her ‘restrained’ now, just that her adversaries are more resistant. She doesn’t normally blast normals these days. I did like that they reused King, the leader of that pack of sempais that tried to put young Ayaka in her place. She was the leader of the group that threatened Kasumi’s friend in the third episode.