Score: B+

Things are really moving along now. Of course, we are heading into the second half of the show so that’s unsurprising. But at least the various pairs are being further developed and it feels like the story is steadily heading to a positive conclusion. There are still elements though that haven’t been fully dealt with yet. The Witch of Yore in general is still a very vague entity and that could be further explored. But there is also the Actor who has a strange connection to all this and is still mysterious. Until those elements are tackled it is hard to say how this will all play out.

Looks like she’s got a plan

I do think it is a smart move to gather as many allies as possible. It isn’t simply a romance simulator anymore. They can draw on allies beyond simply the romance options for Fiene. Let’s get Fiene’s mother to play her cards if she can. And I’m all for getting Lieselotte’s father in on this. He’s got a lot of resources so let’s use them! The main cast will play the central roles in this I’m sure. But there’s no reason at this stage to hold back on getting every kind of help possible. While Liese’s father has messed some things up in the past, he’s still got the resources to lend help in the present.

The approach does still reflect a certain emotional gap between Endo/Kobayashi and the game cast. There’s no harm in being a bit silly and that can be good for alleviating tension. But I don’t think they could be this calm if these events were happening right around them and in the same world as theirs. They do care and want these characters to be happy. But so long as it is a “game world” I’m not sure they can feel intensely worried about it. But they are still doing their best and that should be enough. Although depending on outside influences things could get complicated.

Seems like a nice club

Events are going well for Endo and Kobayashi personally though. You can feel how much more relaxed Endo is at this point. The most nervous either got was when suddenly put in charge of commentary for the basketball game. But that was only at the start. Good call by the club President. Not only did they get great commentary out of it, but she got to fulfill her wish to keep pushing these two together. Though she did seem to have a vengeful side in calling them out as a dumb couple in public XD. The only thing holding them back at this point is just talking out their feelings. While focusing on the game they may hesitate to do that, but things are looking good overall. Not like either side looked truly troubled at being called a couple in public.

All that romance really burned her out

Fiene’s side really developed nicely here. It is understandable that she’s nervous about all this nobility and royalty business. But it’s even more understandable how she feels about her strength. People can enjoy having skills and strength for various reasons. But it is fair that she can’t truly enjoy hers. It was strength built up through conflict, struggle, and desperation. We had a scene of her literally sticking her severed arm back on and fighting against attackers. Compliments about her strength making her feel uncomfortable makes sense. Maybe she can grow to love her strength, but that’s not where she is right now.

Good on Bal for pushing and coming up with a nice perspective on this. He can aim to surpass her and make it, so she won’t have to fight again if she doesn’t want to. Of course, on that logic she’ll really have to take on this nobility position since otherwise all she’s got are careers that tap into her powers. But I do like how he openly can aim for that and how valuable it is for Fiene. Having someone that she won’t have to worry about next to her would be a huge comfort. Not like she’d have some dilemma over not being the physically/magically stronger person in the relationship. And she’s got a caring family all around her. Her mother is supportive and Liese’s father is happy to treat her as a daughter. Life is looking promising for this girl.

Overheating is a real issue for Sieg and Liese

The Sieg and Liese relationship remains a highlight. I do think it’s a good move to have Sieg show jealousy himself now and then. It could get dull if Liese is always pure tsundere and he’s just easily seeing through it. Having the Prince himself struggle with seeing Liese beside other people just furthers his own character growth. Things have been looking promising with the two showing a great deal of mutual embarrassment. Both sides are deepening their love for each other and that can only serve them well going forward. Fair enough both sides got a bit shaken up. Considering they really aren’t going to be waiting that long before getting married. The kind of topic that is going to be on their minds at times.

It was nice seeing Liese handling Fabian so well. While her tsundere side is a main part of her character, it is good to show other sides as well. She doesn’t have to be all tsundere at all times. And it’s especially good in an episode where Liese’s father admitted that he handled her poorly. It makes you think that she’ll be able to get closer to the girl she was in the past by the end of all this.

These characters really play to their emotions

Things played out reasonably well in this episode. All three couples got some more focus and we are moving closer to the end game here. We’re even picking up allies even though I’m not sure how well they’ll all cooperate when the time comes. Fiene seems a lot more comfortable with Baldur now which is great. Liese and Sieg are a bit goofy, but things are going well for them outside of the whole witch business. And even Endo and Kobayashi have been proclaimed a couple by the school so it’s only a matter of time until they make that official. This show just makes each episode enjoyable to watch.