We and the characters get a breather from tests and action, and we get a more mellow episode. This episode was filled with more much-needed character interaction, as well as information about the next test the participants will take part in. I’m a little disappointed that they didn’t go into more detail about the test and what the point of it is, but maybe they’ll mention that later. The episode ends with a confrontation that was waiting to happen, against Endorsi and Anaak. We get a big reveal about Anaak, and learn a bit more about the Jahad princesses as well.
I’m still not sure how the swords are given out, but at least we know why Anaak wanted the Black March so badly. Based on what we learned about the princesses, I can guess what exactly happened to Anaak’s mother. As the new friend group are eating together, Bam asks if Endorsi would like to be friends with them, and she turns down Shibisu’s flirty advances. She explains that her family isn’t allowed to love, which I would assume goes for all Jahad-related tribes/families. Learning that the Jahad princesses are like a brand name is really interesting. Anaak mentioned that her mother (the real Anaak) fell in love and married and had a child with a cook, who then were both killed by her own sisters/Jahad princesses. Endorsi wasn’t wrong at all when calling Anaak an imposter since she’s taken the name of her mother and is calling herself a princess, when technically she’s not? Since she’s the daughter of a fallen princess, it would kind of make her the next princess, but I’m not sure how they go about picking them. The only reason Anaak is taking part in these tower tests is to find the princesses and kill them for revenge, and this also includes stealing their weapons. I wasn’t sure before if Anaak was going to become a bigger character, but with this revelation it sure seems that way. It also makes sense when Endorsi said that Anaak’s mother chose the path of misfortune, since you’re not supposed to fall in love. It’s very unfortunate, but also your average revenge story. The whole Jahad drama is really interesting and we still don’t even know everything, but we got a taste of what it’s like.
The next test consist of team battles where everyone is going to be assigned to certain positions based on their skills. It sounds pretty cool but we didn’t really go into depth of how the test will go and what the point of it is. I’m guessing they’ll be divided into a certain number of teams in the end fighting each other, with a certain amount of people from each assigned position. Teams of six maybe? We’ll probably get proper explanation for when the test actually starts, but I would have appreciated the explanation now. I know the anime adaptation is really going through the webtoon chapters fast, but this time I could really feel it as I felt things kept going quickly one after another with Bam waking up, assigned positions, Rachel’s depression/inner conflict, everyone being buddies, bits of training, then the Anaak and Endorsi fight. With certain things I feel we need more time with them, such as the training. Even if the test sounds cool, I don’t want it to start just yet.
Training arcs can be hit or miss, but seeing everyone training, especially Bam, sounds like it’d be a treat. The characters are actually pretty fun when we actually spend time with them, like we did this episode. It was fun and kind of cute that they’re all hanging out, Bam, Shibisu, and Serena’s gangs. Mostly because it was an assignment for the Scout group, but still some fun interactions anyway. I’m also looking forward to more training, mostly for Bam’s sake. I’d like to see him get stronger, though it looks like he’s already pretty damn strong, he just doesn’t realize it yet. Bam stills needs way more development, so that’s another reason too. Also wow, nice Cool Guy outfit.
Then there’s Rachel. Just like I had guessed, Rachel tells Khun to lie to Bam and keep him away from her. She says that it’s because they’ll both be a burden to each other, but it might be moreso on Rachel’s side Khun thinks. Personally I think it is both, since like I mentioned last week Bam turns much more reckless when she’s involved. Though Rachel shows she can also be just as reckless. But it seems that her own decision to stay away from Bam is slowly eating away at her with how depressed she seems. She has a dream where the Bam she knew before has a large group with him, walking away from a Rachel with no voice. He’s basically growing up without her and it’s making her miserable. I’m not really sure what Rachel wants other than to grant her wish, but why would she leave him and then be depressed about it, so depressed that she eats ten chocolate bars. Endorsi calls her a troublesome girl so there must be something else that Rachel is hiding, and it may be another reason why she doesn’t want Bam to be near her. I’m not sure what to make of Rachel right now, she’s too mysterious and we don’t really know much about her yet for me to have an opinion right now. I’m looking forward to when we’ll actually have a Rachel-centered episode.
This was another okay episode. The pacing was a little quick and jarring, but as usual there are some tidbits with characters and lore that continue to keep me interested. I’m hoping for a training episode next time, with more character interaction since I liked that a lot this episode, before we jump straight into the next test. More Bam development would be fantastic too.
