Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma✫Illya 3rei – 8chte
Letting the days go by…
 |
Of all the dimensions in all the alt-Fate multiverses, Illya just had to waltz into Miyu’s…or is that the other way around? |
..and you may find yourself…
…running in long attic…
It doesn’t really matter who went were as you can probably see where this one is going. But I’m getting ahead of myself on this episode, so far as the long term story 3rei has to tell. So…let’s take it back a notch. We pick up where we left off, in the attic of Chez Ainsworth, with Illya in some clear and present danger. She’s got access to Sapphire’s power and that’s a bigger boost than she had before (she’s low on magic circuits anyway, which is a bummer) and she’s still a bit mousey in more ways than the obvious stuffed one.
…as a disembodied head…
For the most part, that was the tenor of the battle in the attic; and indeed the rest of the combat. But, facing two implacable, mind-controlled allies (and then a third OP one), is only going to get the story so far. So it’s a change in latitude…er, height, that brings a change in the stories’ attitude, as it’s down into Erika’s room (and then outside), and a show down with a typical Archer’s greatest weapon at hand: talking people to death, or near-enough…I mean Illya had a few good hits in that were more necessary than tactical, and I really like the use of the Spare/Junk cards, as it seems to tie right into the muck this world has found itself in – at least on a metaphorical level, if not story-level. But as always, with Fate, there’s more to all of that later. As for now, Illya’s got her hands full defending herself against three attackers, and no holds are bared when they are this desperate…
…with a beautiful card…
I like our formal introduction to this specialized magic, Flash Air. It’s a nice touch for the visual medium of manga/anime and they use it pretty good here. It’s also a neat underscore to the Ainsworth that we we also explore later. However, I wish they, the animators, were a bit more creative with it. Flash Air as a visual can play with perception as much at it does potential combat line of sight, so they could have dramaticized it from the character’s OTS or POV instead of the rather tepid/plain audience’s POV. Play with the camera position and focus, move that stuff around like they did the last few cours’ (yeah, I know I complained about it’s overuse/misuse, blah blah blah). But for all intents, in terms of story, it get’s the job done, right? Puts the opposition in place…
…in another world…
I mean way to go, picking on an 11 year old, Angelica! But that’s par for the course when the Ainsworth side wants to full out make Miyu into the Magical Cup of Be Careful What You Do When You Wish For It, Wishes. So of course, Illya will fight to get her friend back, this is a magical girl show after all! Which means we have to have a huge over-arching reason for why the bad guys are the bad guys, right? One that maybe paints them as not so bad? Then, between both Gil and Angelica we get the low down on Miyu’s World. It’s pretty much on it’s last legs. They don’t go into the deep reasons, but mana has abandoned this world, or has been used up to the point of collapse…
..and you may ask yourself….
They’ll explore more of the why’s and how’s of that later, but for now the effects are where the focus is, that that leads to solving the problem. And their explanations aren’t a waste of time/silly speculation, both Gil and Angelica take turns to line this up as an “it is what is it” presentation, Save the Girl, Doom the World. It’s just one little girl after all, only she’s really a wish granting magic thing. Clear cut right? Well, I love that fine touch, as they don’t really know if the Grail can really save the world, but they will take any chance they can to do so.
World, how did I get here? *
She’s already trying to find a third option…
* Apologies to the Talking Heads
Well, I’ve not reported on this fact for quite some time but, this episode covered chapters 16, 17, and 18 of the 3rei manga. I just got done rereading (or at least scanning) those chapters and I have to say, Silver Link is letting our side down. For all the hum-drums in the story – expositional narration, OH MY – at least the manga made it look pretty darn cool here and there. But, I guess this one is, still, part of the studios budget savings. Next time around there will be battles, despite Gil’s warnings of it, and since it’s getting closer to the end, they should have more consequences; keeping in mind that this slate has 12 episodes instead of Prisma✫Illya’s usual ten-pers-cour affair. So there’s more story than we are used to. But all in all I enjoyed this one, it gets back to more of it’s pure Magical Girl roots, and I enjoy that. Thanks, I’ll see you again…
So are they gonna get a combat budget or not….?
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
