天下制覇

 

Man…. I finally have to do a full Shana entry? ^^;

Impressions:

Well, that Tomogara was immensely lame. I’m also not particularly relishing the eventual reveal that Konoe is Hecate. The painfully obvious should not be dragged out, especially in a magical world when god only knows what spell could be used to fool them. The episode was still pretty decent, though I really wish the throwaway villain hadn’t been quite so throwaway. I guess it’s good to see Shana effortlessly killing a monster every now and again, but aside from 20 minutes spent on “is Konoe Hecate” to which the audience knows that the answer is “no shit, Sherlock,” it felt like it was spinning its wheels just a bit. 

Shana vs The Lamest Tomogara Ever 

We pick back up with Hecate/Konoe being introduced to the class. Shana leaps up and forms her barrier. Everybody is frozen but Yuji and Yoshida. Shana walks up to Konoe and wonders what is going on. They wonder why Konoe was frozen too. Yoshida asks what’s going on, and they explain that the girl looks exactly identical to Hecate of the Bal Masque. The only problem is that she’s frozen with the rest of the humans.

Shana thinks it’s a bluff, so pulls out her sword and points it out the girl. She asks Alastor if it’s possible for a Tomogara to imitate a human. Yuji thinks that it might just be a coincidence, but Shana basically says ‘no way’ and holds her sword to Hecate’s throat. She relents and dispels the barrier.

The teacher finishes the introduction, and tells Konoe to take her seat. She walks over to a seat next to Yuji and stares at the girl, wanting to take her seat and asks if it’s okay. The teacher relents and tells the other girl to move. Konoe is a little weird in class and quickly becomes the center of attention by spilling out all her books and a particularly lacy blanket which she then puts over her desk.

Margery and her punks nap at their house. They get up and contemplate going to school, with Marcosious getting in a word edgewise about youth. Margery stirs and says that she feels something. They ask if it’s a Tomogara, but she says no way and goes back to sleep.

Above the city, a man floats with the aid of flaming wheels, wondering what kind of Flame Hazes are here.

Class ends. Shana and Yuji decide to keep an eye on Konoe. Ogata goes up to make friends with Konoe, and calls her a princess, then drags her off with Yoshida to go get ready for gym. As she leaves, she fires back a look at Yuji which really reminds him of Hecate.

Shana heads off to follow them, leaving Yuji alone with his thoughts. He wonders if Shana’s going to be okay.

Konoe and the other girls are getting dressed for gym. Yoshida wonders if Konoe really is a Tomogara.

During volleyball, both Shana and Yoshida are watching Konoe closely, but other than being clumsy and a little out of it, she doesn’t really do anything. Yoshida mostly loses herself in thought and then takes a spike to the face. Konoe starts tearing up over Yoshida’s injury. Shana, on the other hand, serves the ball into a flaming explosion.

Yoshida takes the break time to talk to Konoe about Yuji. She says that she say Konoe checking him out. Yoshida starts going on and on about Yuji, but Konoe falls asleep and then collapses on Yoshida’s knees.

Later, back in class, Ogata tries to drag off Konoe again for lunch, but she grabs onto Yuji. He says that he has his own lunch and she lets go and relents. Yoshida tries to tell him that she thinks Konoe is normal, but Shana isn’t quite so convinced. Margery’s punks finally make it to school and the Shana/Yuji conglomerate try to ask her advice on it, but she’s still drunk.

Flame Wheel dude keeps watching from above.

Ogata is buying food, but Konoe has wandered outside to look at the birds. Margery flies in to take a look at the girl. She chants a spell and attacks her with a spell, but it passes right through her. Ogata runs up, scaring off the birds.

The Flame Wheel dude looks over and says that he’s found them.

Shana and Yuji walk home, talking about Hecate and how strange the latest happening is. Shana suddenly hands her bag to Yuji and tells him to go home. She takes off running, telling Alastor that he’d only get in the way.

Konoe walks home. On the way, she comes to a shrine. She heads inward and comes to an alter. Shana walks up behind her, saying that she knew the girl would come to this place. Shana addresses her as Hecate, and then creates a barrier.

Before she can deal with Konoe, the Flame Wheel man hopes down and introduces himself as Cassha (?), but Shana doesn’t recognize the name. He attacks by flicking off his rings, which turn into flames and then explode. He walks forward to keep attacking, but Shana runs out of the flames and slashes his side. One of his rings rolls towards her and explodes at her feet.

The man gloats for a second about her own name being meaningless, but Shana leaps from above and slashes off his arm and keeps slashing into his body, saying that she is the Red Haired Flame Hunter, Shana. The man starts crawling towards Konoe for sustenance.

Yuji runs up, but Shana blocks him from stopping the guy, saying that this will reveal Hecate’s true form. Yuji isn’t convinced and says that Konoe is a human. As the man reaches her, Yuji pushes past Shana and runs towards them. Shana reverses her grip on the blade and throws it past Yuji, spearing Cassha and killing him. Yuji grabs Konoe as the two fall.

Looking down at her, they see her bleeding from the injury and Shana finally relents that she’s human.

As the two walk home, Shana fully explains her plan to Yuji and tells him to be ready to train with Wilhelmina tonight.

At Bel Masque, another demon is getting ready while whose-her-face remarks that all is proceeding as expected.

At school the next day, Yoshida is relieved that they’ve decided that Konoe isn’t a Tomogara. Once again, she walks in and dumps her books all over her desk. Yuji helps her pick them up, and notices a feather in her hair. As he tries to pull it out, Konoe grabs his sleeve and blushes… to the annoyance of the rest of Yuji’s harem.