I also liked how the fanservicey elements like Elliot’s yuri lust for Rena was integral to how the plot unfolded. Those feelings were the cracks through which Lena’s belief in Sifr reached her, causing her to realize that her original mission was strategically sensible but morally wrong. Erstin’s sacrifice also saved Arika from Nina and the latter’s eventual recovery but Elliot had a higher impact facotr probably due to her screen time relative to the total screen time of the series.

BTW Doremi did a great job but I think they fluffed the line about ‘Mama Rena’. My own understanding was that the presents were for Rena’s mama – an attempt by Elliot to make a good impression on her hoped-for mother-in-law. LOL And the silly ED sequence didn’t hurt either.

Despite Sakura’s appearance in Ep 2 in her red bikini, she didn’t really register in my memory. However Kyoko’s terrorized reaction to her appearance was pure winnage. Some imoutos terrorize their oneesamas by dint of their forceful personality but the very best examples are those who manage to also draw on a sort of social blackmail where every word, expression and glance reminds the senior and elder that they are not living up to the demands of that higher social status.

So Sakura, like Mai, is a member of the Sun Kingdom royalty that serves as an Otome. But for Artai? And for Nagi’s ancestor? Lovely how Yukana plays Sakura with a tsun-tsun flourish and I wonder how else she’s related to the rest of the Otome cast.

I’m actually looking forward to more from this particular iteration of the Mai Otome franchise.

ADD: Gai’s Zaku eye was also a plus point. But the off-handed way that Lena shrugged him as a mere nuisance reinforces my belief that people called Gai are morons.

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

As Meister Sara Maya said to Kazu-kun: ‘When you are Emperor, you can have your own harem!’ It should have been obvious that Lelouch wasn’t planning on sticking around when he didn’t immediately conscript all the captured bishoujos into a harem led with C.C. wielding the whip as Chief Concubine. And he didn’t even have a nekomimi Otome’s objections to deal with either!

P.S. Seirei no Moribito was excellent.

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

Evirus compares Moms. I’m more focused, of course, on the blonde yuri character who apparently is also the girl of Rena’s dreams. :3 It’s like seeing a level-upped Erstin. :3

Not surprisingly I enjoyed most about this second episode is how Elli-chin’s love for Rena trumped her duties as a Column. In the first episode, the Ellis x Rena angle was mostly played only for lesbian sexual harassment laughs but the conflict of feelings in the former had already arisen over her orders to kill a Schwarz-captured Sifr versus Rena’s mission to protect her.

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.