Arum Journal

Basically, this episode gives a terrifying perspective of how young these child soldiers are and how it’s ultimately cruel and unfair to send them out for war. Seiran was only fourteen. The fact that no one has ever thought to overthrow the school and its system makes it even more terrifying. I don’t know how long the school has been around, but some of these teachers were former child soldiers, right? They should know this better than anyone, yet it still happened. I get that Seiran volunteered and was eager to be deployed, but remember that she’s still young and has yet to experience the horrors of war until the real thing. Mock battles were fine, but war is war. On top of that, this story’s world has it to where soldiers’ bodies disappear when they die. Seiran doesn’t have a physical evidence of her passing other than the necklace Ari gave her. I think this is the cruelest aspect of this story. No body remaining means she’s only left as a memory that will be distant as time progresses. People who remember her will gradually forget and only those closest to Seiran will do.

Speaking of the duel, you can kind of tell Mimi was going to kill Seiran before being stopped. Mimi never gave much thought towards death, so for her to make that face and almost killed Seiran definitely meant that she doesn’t distinguish between friend and foe. However, it does change towards the end when she witnesses Seiran disintegrating. In the manga, Seiran disappears while Mimi wasn’t looking. The fact that they changed this specific detail honestly hits harder. Now this will make Mimi understand how valuable life is.

Poor Ari, though. She’s now a widow. It’s so sad. I feel bad for her. She loved Seiran a lot and even shared a kiss with her, but now she’s gone. Seiran did this so that Ari wouldn’t have to fight, but who knows when Ari will decide to volunteer and deploy herself into battle… To be honest, I thought Ari would gradually go on a path to defect the school and find a way to resurrect Seiran, but nothing of the sort has happened in the manga so far. I think the most unfortunate thing about these two is that while they’re an established couple, there’s still not a lot we know about Ari. Seiran was from the slums and was taken in. The only instance of Ari’s past was that she used to work as a maid in a brothel. I don’t remember if that was mentioned in the manga…

The ending song temporarily changes the usual song for a duet with Seiran and Ari’s voice actresses. The song is called Statice. In flower language, the flower symbolizes remembrance, sympathy, and success. The first meaning hits the hardest as the remembrance part is about honoring one’s memory as well as “you are not forgotten.” I know this flower and its symbolism very well as it was a significant flower in Pandora Hearts, my favorite manga…

Seeing people’s reaction to the famous scene is honestly something I like reading about because we can all relish in the depression together. What are your thoughts on this scene and episode? Let me know!

Wy-yes is back, which means you know the episode is going to be weird. I honestly like that Mollie warns the kids about him and while Liko is skeptical, her friends are not, which is why she gets caught up in the whole Area Delta shenanigans. It’s always funny how some of his tall tales are actual truths; the ones that involve the RVTs actually do become true, since Captain Pikachu did see a glimpse of an actual Mega Rayquaza at the end. Also, is it just me or is the machine he bought the same one the Explorers used to find Rayquaza early on? Does that mean they sell their stuff online often? I’m a lot more curious about that…

The funniest part of the episode was where the group when inside the illusion world and all start going out of character. Liko gets more chipper; Roy uses a mix of English and Japanese in his speech pattern; Dot makes Pokemon puns in her dialogue; Ult’s art style changed briefly. It’s a different type of personality change from the Mochi Mayhem episode, but I still like it!

It is interesting how Navi mostly sits this episode out as she fell asleep due to her being younger than the rest. I think this is the first time since her debut where she takes a back seat. I’m glad that her little squabbles with Ult haven’t gone away. I think they liven up their characters. Also, why are people upset that Ult didn’t catch the shiny Ekans? I thought y’all hated that Shiny captures were frequent.

Did you notice how the beginning of the episode is a nod to the real world where the group is stuck in a heat wave like how we all are in real life? Thanks for reminding me how hot it is, Horizons… Anyways, let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Because of the lack of available older students who can fight, the faculty now has to resort to sending out someone from Class 14 with the utmost potential. The chosen student is Seiran who now has to pass her exam to see if she’s qualified to get deployed. As someone who read the manga, I am NOT liking where this is headed… I want to scream into the screen, but it’s futile… Still, I do like how Seiran accepts the recommendation with grace because she’s grateful to the school for taking her in when she was just an orphan living in the slums. I do like how Sheena points out that Seiran doesn’t like war in particular and is only taking the exam to give back. It’s a nice little detail about how the school does some good for the students despite it being a very cruel place.

If you’re familiar with flower language, the flowers that were chosen by Mimi for her new flower crown have all interesting meanings. The ivy can symbolize eternal life, resilience, fidelity and deep affection. Baby’s breath can symbolize purity, innocence and everlasting love. Bluestars can symbolize hope, endurance, steadfastness and transformation. I feel like the author did a really good job with the symbolism because a lot of these meanings describe Mimi, Sheena and their relationship very well.

Is it just me or is there an excessive use of 3D CG for minuscule details in this episode? I don’t mind 3D CG, but it does get a little obvious when it’s used for character movements in some scenes… Yes, I am pointing out the CG because I want to get my mind off of what’s to coming either next episode or the one after… Let me know your thoughts!

Still, Asuka is honestly one of the best brothers in the Digimon franchise by far. Heliosboamon was born because of his desire to protect Tomoro. Heck, Asuka even frantically searched for Tomoro when he got abducted by a Kuwagamon when he was eleven and Asuka was around eighteen or nineteen. It does make sense why Asuka never told Tomoro about all his knowledge of Digimon until now. His grandfather went missing and parents were all targeted by the Ministry just for being anti-Sapotama, so Asuka couldn’t trust them. Revealing about Digimon to Tomoro early on would’ve been risky for both brothers. However, I can’t help but to feel bad for both Asuka and Heliosboamon. I feel bad for Asuka because he knows a lot about his family situation than Tomoro does but since he’s protective of his little brother, he kept quiet about it. I feel bad for Heliosboamon because they were born from Asuka’s warm protective emotions, which made them a warm, gentle Digimon, but their ability of absorbing the e-pulse of anyone they touched only caused others harm hence why they retreated into a slumbering state, aka the White Core.

However, this does raise a lot of questions. How did Asuka birth a Digimon that’s already in its Ultimate form? Why is Heliosboamon so special that it had a harmful ability despite its gentle nature? Since Heliosboamon’s Mega form seems to be the rumored and elusive Atratusmon that showed up in the TCG, it does make me wonder if it’ll be the final boss and if the Shangri-la Project results in the same phenomenon that occurred during that incident. Since Tomoro’s glitchy e-pulse also seems to be a factor into the evolution, it does make me wonder if they need all of it or just some of it. I feel like they might need all of it since the first time was incomplete. This also raises some question on how Genjo was able to figure everything out when the incident happened around four years ago. In some cultures, white snakes symbolize purity, spiritual transformation or a deceptive force disguised as something holy…

How Kyo got his burn scar was also revealed in this episode—it was all to protect Heliosboamon from Flaremon and Kaito. The rivalry between Kaito and Kyo did feel like it’s more one-sided on Kaito’s side. The fanbase does like to joke that Kyo has a lot of evil ex-boyfriends, but Kaito might be the one who can’t get over him the most. It does make me wonder if Kaito will switch sides once he makes amends with Kyo because he has all the qualms to turn because he doesn’t care much for Wong and is also suspicious of Genjo.

I also noticed how Beatbreak has this tendency to make Tomoro get abducted once per arc. The only time he didn’t get abducted was the Kyo arc, so they made up for it by having him get abducted on-screen twice in this episode. He got abducted when he was eleven and then during the ending present day. This makes the total go up to five. Usually, younger siblings in Digimon are used for plot device, which is still true for Tomoro’s case, but this time, he’s the plot device younger sibling AND the MC. Kid cannot catch a break; he’s legit the story’s Princess Peach at this point…

Anyways, young Kaito is voiced by Umeka Shoji who voiced Eri in Appmon. Honestly, a surprise casting choice, but a welcomed one since Beatbreak loves to cast Digimon returnees; remember that Kaito’s adult VA, Yuichi Nakamura, voiced Charismon in Appmon as well. The burglar, Miyama (as stated in the credits), is voiced by Reiji Kawashima who voiced Yuto Takanashi in Ghost Game; outside of Digimon, he’s known for voicing Fushi in To Your Eternity, Finn Ames in Mashle and Nakao in Hana-Kimi. Kuwagamon is voiced by Ryosuke Asano who voiced Snimon in an earlier episode.

I do wonder if Tomoro will get fully Cold-Hearted for an episode or two. I feel like Tomoro being in danger might be the trigger that can snap Asuka out of his controlled state, if it is possible. I’m just worried that next week’s episode is just full of fighting between GD and the Five Stars. Let me know your thoughts on this episode…

You can tell that Sitara mildly looks down on the Mongols’ supposed lack of intelligence due to the lack of scribes and people who can do reading and writing jobs. This is due to all the intelligent people being a part of Tolui’s faction; does that mean they’re fighting alongside Tolui or is he just hoarding them all? Anyways, this is why Sitara revealed her prior allegiance to Sorghaghtani so easily to Boraqchin because Moge isn’t the brightest, so she assumed the Great Empress would be the same.

I do like that the talk of immortality is brought up again. Sitara knows that immortality isn’t a real thing due to her meeting Master Changchun but she still knows the concepts of alchemy and the components to create an elixir via the text. The way she mentions each ingredient does make me wonder if Boraqchin is going to poison someone with all this newfound knowledge. While it does seem like she’s seeking out immortality, there is some emphasis on how some ingredients are poisonous and that Sitara points out that Boraqchin’s sickly constitute could be a result of poisoning. The way Sitara made medicine from the jada stone and gave it to her does indicate that she’s scheming something, especially since she did get better with Sitara’s help.

By the way, there is some mentions of Christianity during Sorghagtani’s segment where she was praying to God on a cross. It turns out that she’s Christian, but a specific type called Nestorianism. If you look up some texts, the real Sorghaghtani Beki was actually Nestorian Christian, so I found that cool since Christianity is mostly a Western religion and probably not commonly practiced in 13th century Asia (Please correct me if I’m wrong). Other than that, the way Sorghagtani was praying despite Hulegu commenting on it does make it seem like Tolui won’t be successful with conquering Kaifeng…

Other than that, it was cool seeing the cooking segments. I’m going to end my review here because this episode was mostly one where questions are formed for answers later on. I can’t wait to see how everything will transpire next episode. Let me know your thoughts!

The whole Gratitude Day stuff is honestly adorable. However, I can tell it’s foreshadowing Sheena’s possible future: finding a way to get reverse Mimi’s immortality. All the hints are shown with her interest in finding a way for Mimi to stop fighting and that she has healing magic that’s not brought into the spotlight just yet due to its weak powers.

The two older girls who were kissing on the staircase in the first episode are revealed in this episode—well, just one of them. The brown-haired girl’s name is Esther and she lost her roommate and girlfriend. This is the first time an older student is shown and it just showcases the cruelty of war. No matter how much you love someone, war will drive them apart and only grief remains. Esther uses Gratitude Day as a way to get rid of her girlfriend’s stuff, which is sad, but understandable. She is voiced by Haruka Shiraishi who always seems to appear in some anime I watch for reviews… I mean, she’s still a talented voice actress nonetheless. She voiced Luna in Champignon Witch, Reiko Kujirai in Kowloon Generic Romance and Karen Morita in Blue Box.

Because of the nature of war in this story, Mimi’s status as a living weapon has made her take lives without much thought. This has made Sheena conflicted because she cares a lot about Mimi, but her taking lives without hesitation does raise a question if Mimi will kill her fellow students without remorse if given the orders. It’s also risky to make Mimi think about the preciousness of lives. Fran even makes a good point: it’s either Mimi or the students. Mimi has to keep fighting to protect the world and prevent an increase in student casualties but if she refuses to fight, then the students have to fight in her place and there will be more deaths. Both sides warrant unhappiness either way. It’s really unfair, in a way. 

I’m doing my best not to reveal too much since I read the manga, but the theories I’ve concocted are the ones I genuinely had when I was reading it. Oh yeah, Haru also showed up in the episode, but she didn’t do much; she’s still very elusive. Anyways, if you’re not familiar with daisies, in the flower language, it symbolizes innocence, purity, loyal love, etc. All of these fit Sheena and Mimi both in their relationship and them as characters in a way. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Akiha is quite the character. Him being on campus to scout boys does make him seem like a weirdo at first, but it turns out that he’s allowed on campus as he’s an alumnus. He also had a crush on Umeda when he was a student that still seems to present even as an adult; he’s quite something if he can make the resident man-killer Umeda start panicking. However, he’s also a divorced man and his ex-wife Ebi is still a co-worker. He has quite the spontaneous life, honestly. Regardless, he takes pride in his job as a photographer. Honestly, I do like that the anime’s budget went up a bit for this episode because all of those photos were really good quality. The fact that he mostly does monochrome photographs is quite interesting. I know nothing about photography, but I do wonder how monochrome differs from other types.

However, what the whole modeling thing did bring on a positive note is that it made Mizuki horny for Sano. I honestly like that Mizuki’s eyes are only for Sano and her feelings are both pure and impure. I need more shoujo heroines horny for their love interests, honestly! That girl was dreaming about Sano to the point that it made her sleeping habits even worse by clinging onto him like a koala to the point that he had to sleep on the floor because his feelings for her are also growing stronger by the day.

Ebi is voiced by Yumi Uchiyama who voiced Fran in Kimi Shinu and Sakurazawa in Daemons of the Shadow Realm. The entitled model Mari is voiced by Yukiyo Fujii who voiced Sailor Saturn in Sailor Moon Crystal and Stella in Digimon Beatbreak. Given that the next episode continues with the modeling mini-arc, I can’t wait to see more of Ebi. She seems cool; Mari, not so much…

Also, props to Ebi for figuring out Mizuki’s gender unknowingly. Hopefully, Sano will forgive Mizuki next episode because he’s still a big softie for her regardless. I honestly wonder what the next part of the story will be about. I’ll have to wait a week to find out. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

The episode does jump around from several perspectives, but the main focus was definitely Gabby vs Akio. That flight was pretty cool. Though, I do have to commend Misaki Kuno’s voice acting because she’s usually voicing cuties, so for her to voice a hot-blooded loll like her and use a lower range to speak is honestly so cool. Akio’s Daemons, Mountain God, were pretty formidable, but they don’t seem too strong as combat-based mons. Gabriel easily annihilated them. Also, I was chuckling when Midori showed up and enveloped Akio in his balls. I think that was the most expressive he has been so far.

Gonzo Kagemori proves yet again why he is OP. His main Daemon is Hyakki Yako, which translates to Night Parade of Hundred Demons. It’s something that’s mentioned in some yokai stories, like Yohaji and even in The Case Study of Vanitas where the Charlatan’s parade is loosely based on that concept. He’s here collecting Daemons like Pokemon. Also, I find the switching between Natsuki and Asa creatively pulled because in the previous episode, Natsuki’s eyes were covered by her glasses, so it was hard to tell what was wrong with her. Natsuki and Asa share the same hair color and are about the same height, but they have different eye colors, so making the glasses shine conceal them was clever because the eye color would be a dead giveaway.

I still can’t help but to commend how active Yuru is. Even when laying low, he doesn’t hesitate to turn his situation into his favor. All those weapons he crafted with Ken had purpose: they were used for protection. The grappling hook he made was pretty creative. Still, Shingo had the upper hand since he has Daemons while Yuru’s are preoccupied with Ivan, which he doesn’t know about.

Anyways, the battle of the daemons are hilarious when you realize that they’re all voiced by Ayumu Murase, aside from Bunbun and Torty. Natsuki’s daemons are Namomihagi, which are based on the Namahage. If you watched My New Boss is Goofy, you might be familiar with them as Shirosaki is afraid of them.

Honestly, I feel bad for the Kuroya siblings the most. Their youngest is the traitor and they can’t do anything about it. I do hope they get some questions out of him soon. Why did he betray them? It doesn’t seem like Akio is working for Asuma or Shingo… who is he working for, then? Let me know your thoughts!