Things are definitely ramping up, especially in the case of Riddle’s temperament. Not to mention more and more students seem to appear having a bunch of collars on. And while I have played the game… I don’t remember some of the details of what happens in this arc. So I knew that the tart wouldn’t go over well, but wasn’t sure exactly how it went because it has been a while. And what’s frustrating about the whole thing is that Ace actually was trying to get back on good terms with Riddle, but Trey unfortunately hadn’t remembered the rule of not bringing a Chestnut tart to an Unbirthday. To which, the rules really do be wild for such small slights over things that don’t particularly matter in the whole scheme of things.
And while Ace is completely is rightfully upset over Riddle demanding he toss the tart, he definitely handled it very poorly. If someone is getting angry and yelling, yelling right back at them isn’t going to help. So of course it escalates to Riddle having another breakdown and throwing collars on Yuuken, Grim and Deuce who had all agreed with Ace’s stance. Though it’s still funny how Yuuken has to deal with the collar despite him not even having magic. So what’s even the point of it on him lol.
We finally get a little more backstory on Riddle from Trey’s point of view and how he grew up in a terribly strict household. Considering his parents essentially planned literally every second of his life to the dot, it’s no wonder how emotionally unstable he is when others don’t abide by the rules. However, I do appreciate that while it certainly explains why he is the way that he is, it is not excusing his behavior. I also can empathize with Trey’s position since he’s seen how badly Riddle was treated growing up and how much damage its caused him. So I can understand his point of view of not wanting to push Riddle into breaking. It must be extremely painful to have to see your friend go through something like that and be powerless to do anything. However, this could also very easily turn into a toxic relationship if it hasn’t already. Especially since if he’s walking on eggshells around him and unintentionally enabling this behavior.
As much as I don’t like Ace, he did raise some very valid points. I agree that there’s nothing he could have done to change his living situation, but I have to disagree with the notion of doing something when he was a kid. I can’t blame Trey for not stepping in because as a kid, what can you really do at that age? However, I can also agree on is that Trey needs to put his foot down on Riddle’s behavior NOW. It doesn’t matter if he feels bad for him, Riddle is actively hurting others and if he continues on this path, he’s going to wind up hated and alone. A true friend will tell you if you are doing something wrong, not enable you. So I do agree that Trey NEEDS to speak up against Riddle if he truly wants to help him.
But we know things are going to get a lot worse before they get better considering that Riddle’s wand gem seems to almost be completely black at this point. What that means for people who haven’t seen this series is yet to be determined, but I’m sure the answer will be coming quite soon. Especially since Ace and Deuce have essentially challenged Riddle to a match to determine the Housewarden seat. Though not sure how much they can actually do now that Riddle has put the collars back on them. This episode did really good in setting up the inevitable crashout that Riddle is going to have. Not to mention that Trey is bound to stand up to him and he is NOT going to take it well at first. Though I’m not sure what the point of Chenya appearing since he didn’t give them any information aside from Trey having a connection to Riddle as kids, but Trey approached them about it anyways without them having to go looking for him. The animation and expressions were also looking a little stiff here and there, but hopefully they’ll pull out all the stops for the last two pretty important episodes and will stick the landing for this arc.
