Rating: B
We’re in the fifth episode of the current arc, and as in the last two arcs, Lawrence is stressing out over the current financial crisis. This time the stakes aren’t potentially deadly, but a different kind of death potentially awaits him: the prospect that Holo might leave him. And while Lawrence is the nearest thing to a nervous wreck, he’s not going down without a fight – or letting anything in this episode not be couched in merchant terms.
That last point is both a little cute and a little annoying. As his friend Marc points out, Lawrence is a merchant through to the core, so he apparently can’t even describe relationships without putting it in occupational language. Would Holo be thrilled to learn that she’s being referred to as cargo (even if it’s precious cargo)? I rather doubt it. And while that reference is not objectifying her per se, I certainly couldn’t fault someone who makes that complaint. Still, it does lay bare how he really feels without him having to directly say how much he values Holo, and that is something that Marc, Batos, and Diana all seem to appreciate. Or they could just be entertained by watching this young man (and Lawrence, despite looking older, is only 25) make a fool of himself over a woman.
The bigger question, though, is who the real fool is at this point, and right now, both Lawrence and Amati are strong candidates for that title. Amati clearly thinks he has the upper hand at this point, especially with Lawrence briefly losing his cool when Amati hands him the money for the deal they struck the previous night. (And my, wasn’t converting it to gold coins a pretentious little twist of the dagger!) But how fully is Holo really on his side? That’s still suspect. Equally suspect is how casually dodgy Diana is being in her conversation with Lawrence this episode. Even though she has legitimate reasons for being reticent about the identity of the other person who sought pyrite from her, it feels more like an excuse here than a matter of principle, and Lawrence is making too many assumptions to notice. Her departing “good luck” comment also suggests that something is going on here that Lawrence is missing.
Unlike with some of the twists in previous episodes, though, even anime-only viewers have at least a chance to figure this one out. There are visual clues in this episode that Lawrence isn’t picking up on but sharp-eyed viewers might, and this adaptation is a little more obvious about it than the original was. In case readers want to figure it out on their own, I’ll only give a hint for now: one detail in the market scene is inconsistent with something seen earlier in the arc, and that inconsistency is both intentional and extremely meaningful. Kudos to the production team for being sly about it without making it impossible.
One more episode for this arc and then we can finally get into newly-animated content. For us novel readers, the anticipation is building. . .
USA Anime 