Code: Realize ~ Sousei no Himegimi Episode 8

I AM SO TRIGGERED RIGHT NOW, I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, I KNEW IT. IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME SAINT-GERMAIN’S SECRET WOULD BE REVEALED!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Oh well you know what, that’s that, we have to live it with, at least I played so I am not spoiled, but if you haven’t played and you didn’t want to be, I feel for you, I really do. If you have not watched the episode yet, and you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading right here because I can’t hold back since they revealed Saint-Germain’s secret.

BUT MY EMOTIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I AM IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTIONS SAINT-GERMAIN PULLS MY HEART STRINGS SO MUCH, MY HEART CAN’T TAKE IT DAMNIT. AHHH! Okay truth to be told, even if you are spoiled, you’re probably going to enjoy playing his route because OF ALLL THE FEELSSSS!!!!!!!

This episode was really good. In fact, I would say this is the strongest episode to date. The pace was just right, not too fast and not too slow, it made the episode feel longer than usual but without feelings like wasting time. In the last post, I wasn’t quite sure how they were going to use the remaining episodes, but now I have a lot more faith everything is probably going to fall into place and this would mean the adaption wrapping up on a high note. It also helped how the execution of the events were exciting to watch as well. I knew Lupin was going to be shot, but I still shouted, “OH SHIT. LUPIN SHOT. AND DOWN.”

For one I appreciated the amount of time and detail they put into the terrorist attacks unfolding, and it’s very different to see it unfolding on screen than in literary text that doesn’t go as deep as a novel would in terms of delivering the event. I also felt the Queen’s delivery was much stronger this time than the last we saw her. Twilight is pulling a Coup D’Etat, but the lady’s a dignified badass, and tough as steel, so she may say its laughable to be working alongside a band of thieves, but when it comes to dealing with a common enemy she can’t stand, she isn’t going to pass up on the opportunity to crush them on a united front. Oh and I don’t know about you guys, I ship Leonhardt x Queen Victoria so hard, I can’t remember which route is it, maybe Victor’s, but AHHHHHHHH THE WAY THE TWO INTERACT AND THEIR BACKSTORY, I CAN’T!

Ahem, but most importantly, I liked the way they revealed Saint-Germain’s secret, and delivered his scenes, especially how conflicted he is over his task of assassinating Cardia.

So Saint-Germain is an apostle of an organization called Idea. Their job is to oversee Humanity and prevent them from going astray from their original path. One of his colleagues, Guinevere shows up to Saint-Germain tells him he needs to kill Cardia now since they are running out of time. But Saint-Germain doesn’t want to. He wants to believe she and their friends can defy the fate that looms over them, so he pleads for more time. He later finds Cardia, and confesses everything to her, he even tells her how he loves her and the others, (although I can go on and on about him loving Cardia, but I’m going to hold back because you’ll never hear the end of it) and how he has been tasked to kill her. Of course he’s not going to kill her, he loves her too much and wants to believe in her, but I think he (if I recall correctly) is going to introduce her to his leader in attempt to buy more time.

Now Cardia faces a tough situation. She is in a very difficult position because she now knows the true purpose of Code: Realize, a plot to rebel against God, and how it’s not just the poison, but her very existence is a threat to all of humanity. Eliminating her is essential for putting a stop to Isaac’s plans. Basically it’s the gist of it is, Finis is the Vessel and Cardia is the one who carries the Horologium, and in order to put the plan into action, they are to fuse together and reign destruction by basically ending the world to start anew. The girl has a lot of weight on her shoulders right now, and the timing is especially sad since she finally had the confidence to declare she is not a monster.

The only thing I realized that is sorely lacking so far is the fact I felt Cardia was more engaged with fights in game during this event than what we saw today. There were a couple of missed opportunities for them to truly showcase her “abilities” she picked from her lessons, but the only scene she actually contributed in any way was using her poison to melt the lock, which is disappointing to say the least.

Then there is the matter of Finis. I don’t know, I feel like he is being underplayed a bit, especially since they skipped Isaac’s Lab event. While they may have avoided repetitive dialogue taking place one episode apart, I still think it watered down his impact. Finis is an asshole, but a clever one. He is always one step ahead of the rest and outwits them, just as he had today. He knew they would try to save the Queen, so he blocked off their escape path and met them there. But if there’s one redeeming factor, at least his voice actor is nailing his insanity, the guy always sounds crazy every time he interacts with Cardia, not to mention his obsession with their father.

Lastly, while Saint-Germain finally had a turn of being in the spotlight for a bit this week, there is one man who also threw me off the cliff of feels and that was just Van smiling at Cardia. I lost it. THAT SMILE OKAY?! IT PIERCED THROUGH MY HEARTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!