At last! Netflix finally added episode 13! This is coming months after it was initially released with the special edition copy of 8th Volume of the Novel in Japan. Fansubs had come out for it first, but I wanted to wait and see if Netflix would release it, and thankfully, about time they did! I suppose it’s fine that it only came out recently though, considering it’s a good way to get people to either rewatch the first season, or just get up to speed before season 2.
Truthfully not much goes on in this episode, it’s as bare-boned as it can get but that doesn’t mean you should skip on this. In fact, make sure you watch this episode before starting season 2!!! There are some crucial information (especially if you don’t read the novels) that will be addressed in Season 2, so I urge to you to watch this first. We don’t know yet whether they’ll include it in a recap or not, so best not to take any chances. Still annoyed at how they literally left out mentioning the whole “gift” thing in the first episode of the first season.
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pisode 13 continues directly where we left off at the end of Season 1 Episode 12, the party. We finally get to meet Hazuki’s son, and reveal that her ex-husband is actually none other than Masashi Ookaito, Kiyoka’s colleague. I really liked Kiyoka’s thoughts on how there’s no “fixed shape” when it comes to happiness. Hazuki’s situation is a good example of that. Masashi and Hazuki love each other, but his family was so toxic to her, it was deteriorating her mental health. He couldn’t bear to see her struggle and be miserable trying to fit the mold his family was demanding of her. That’s why it’s so nice that even after their separation, they are on good terms with each other, allowing them to raise their son Asahi in the best way that works for them.
For the first time, Miyo got to meet Prince Takaihito, who came to this party to take the opportunity to apologize to Miyo for how his father (Mikado) has really messed up her and her family’s lives. He had explained due to Mikado’s paranoia of both the Usubas and the Kudou’s family, he sought to weakened them or eliminate them at all cost. He was the one who was the mastermind of meddling with the Usuba’s marriage arrangements, as he almost destroyed their business, and propped up the Saimori family (who had completely lost their gift abilities at that point) to swoop in and have Sumi (gifted with Telepathic powers) marry into their family instead. That’s in part a large reason why Sumi had sealed away Miyo’s powers to begin with, and only once the Miyo left the Saimori family and the tree burned down, the seal had come undone. Only to add fuel to the fire of his extreme insecurity, he lost his powers of revelations. So then you had a situation where Miyo’s powers awakening, and engaged to Kiyoka, who is extremely powerful in his own right, now we have a power couple that Mikado considers a great threat. That was why he tried to kill them both.
There was one moment though where Prince Takaihito talked about how the Saimori family was “not to blame” that made me roll my eyes a bit. Sure the family may not have been to blame for being used as puppets to marry off Shinichi to Sumi instead of his beloved, but how they treated her and Miyo afterwards was 100% their fault. That isn’t to say they didn’t face the punishments, with Kaya being knocked off her pedestal by being sent out to serve at another household as a servant, and Miyo’s father and her stepmother losing their entire property and sent off to live in the boonies. But needless to say, Mikado’s meddling most certainly caused a whole lot of grief for Miyo, and that is where Prince Takaihito’s apology does feel appreciated. But props to Miyo for looking more optimistically, as she takes her hardships as the difficult path that allowed her to meet Kiyoka. Honestly Miyo handled herself very well in front of Prince Takaihito, so much so that even Kiyoka was impressed with how calm she was about it. She has grown so much! I’m so proud of her!
While the episode was fairly bare-boned, the ending made it all the more worthwhile wait though, as we were rewarded with Kiyoka and Miyo being so freaking cute with each other. First when the two are leaning in for a kiss, they get interrupted by Arata– who was there to pitch the idea of serving as Miyo’s bodyguard. It’s actually hilarious how grumpy Kiyoka is around Arata (understandably so, but it’s always fun to see his feathers as ruffled as they are). The icing on the cake though was Miyo deciding to give Kiyoka an ADORABLE headpat– it’s so pure I’m dying from diabetes it’s giving me. And to match that with a cherry on top, Kiyoka gives Miyo a forehead kiss in return. It’s these little bits of crumbs are what helps us get through waiting for their real first kiss. The sweetness overload is real!
With that, only a few more weeks till Season 2 begins! The first episode will premiere on Monday, January 6th, 2025 (JST), and now I’m just waiting to find out the date for Netflix international schedule. Can’t wait to start watching it again! 😀 In the meantime I’ll be preparing the Winter Anime 2025 Season Preview that I’ll be releasing on December 23! Until then, take care!
