Episode Rating: A-
Episode 1 may have established the series’ operating premise, but episode 2 is the series’ make-or-break episode, the one which determines whether or not viewers are around for the long haul. That’s because most of the episode is one on-and-off conversation between Holo and Lawrence on a variety of matters, so the appeal almost entirely depends on the chemistry between the two. This was the episode that made me a major fan back when the original version first aired, and I am pleased to say that its new version (which covers exactly the same material and mostly the same dialog) captures every bit of the interpersonal charm that is as much a cornerstone of the story as the economic aspects are.
Plot-wise, very little transpires here beyond the formal beginning of the first story arc and the introduction of the first economic conundrum. (I’ll get back to that shortly.) Holo and Lawrence have their initial few days of journeying together, wait out a rainstorm in a church, and converse with some fellow travelers. Along the way, Holo delights in teasing Lawrence and showing off her superior wit, though we also get the first indications that she’s not too fond of anyone else getting the best of her in a match of wits. That leads to one of the episode’s pivotal scenes: Lawrence getting truly upset with her when some of her sharpest teasing (in response to him getting in a rare good verbal jab) unwittingly touches on some past trauma. Watching how Holo reacts in both body language and expression when she realizes she’s gone too far is a great bit of both writing and visual portrayal and a stark contrast to her delightfully spirited, almost playful behavior elsewhere in the episode. Viewers can also easily sympathize with Lawrence over how much of a handful Holo is to deal with, and yet there’s never a sense (beyond the instance mentioned above) that Lawrence minds it all that much.
And that spirited, playful behavior includes spending a fair bit of the episode nonchalantly prancing around naked in front of Lawrence when they dry their clothes out in their room at the church. While this could definitely be looked at as an extended fan service scene, the camera isn’t particularly lurid in framing Holo during these scenes and they definitely serve a point: to show that she regards being naked in front of Lawrence as a triviality. (It’s also entirely possible that she’s doing some of it deliberately to tease Lawrence further.)
But another key point in this episode is that Lawrence isn’t entirely helpless or a fool. He is very worldly and shows that he knows his stuff on the business front when he’s speaking to the vintner in the common room and dealing with Zheren. The currency manipulation scheme Zheren introduces Lawrence to constitutes the beginning of the series’ other major draw and cornerstone: an intricate look at period economics which goes well beyond what you’ll see in virtually any other anime series. The scheme being described has its current-world parallels – it’s not so different from what sometimes goes on in stocks and cryptocurrency – but the details of how it’s supposed to work in this setting are fascinating and give an introductory sense of economic scale, too. Holo’s ability to tell that Zheren is lying about some aspect of it, but not exactly which detail, also adds a fine sense of mystery and intrigue to the situation.
On other fronts, Kevin Penkin’s use of music in this episode impresses me a little more, though it still has a ways to go to catch up to the original. And the more I hear and see of energetic closer “Step by Step,” the more I like it. It will never fully replace the charming “The Wolf-Whistling Song,” but it is feeling more like a fine alternative and is easily one of the season’s best EDs.
With the plot also now starting to roll, the series is pushing full steam ahead. If this is your first experience with the franchise, there’s a lot of great content to come.
USA Anime 