Rosemaries are Blue

At a glance, the world seems heavily German-coded, from Parsley's lederhosen and the beautiful mountainous scenery.

I don't know why they bothered, not much is done with it.

I was thinking up ways to make Amaryllis and Snapdragon more interesting, and I think I got it:

Make them foils to Rosemary and Sage-but Amaryllis is the fighter while Snapdragon is the mage to have a fun reversal of the usual trope.

Amaryllis is a rich girl who wants to be a guardian after one saved her life when she was little. Her bratty attitude hides that at her heart, she is dedicated to protecting innocent people.

Snapdragon is unsure of themself, not all that familiar with magic and yet feels inexorably drawn to it. They are nicer than Amaryllis, and isn't afraid to keep her in line.

The thing that strikes me most about the first episode of High Guardian Spice is how little of anything seems to matter. Rosemary and Sage never develop past their first impressions, Thyme looks like a major asshole, and there is the scene where a cute magical animal steals Rosemary's locket.

Sage asks what's in it, most lockets have sentimental pictures inside them. But the absolute nonces in the writing room, saw an opportunity to make a bad joke. Something along the lines of:

"It's my dad's prize-winning strawberry shortcake, it's iconic!"

And at this moment, I truly felt nothing for this pink haired joke. Instead of being invested in this conflict of a missing sentimental item, I see it as padding because the writers couldn't figure out what to do.

Yes, later on, Rosemary does show that it's actually an old happy picture of her family, her mom included, but why couldn't she just tell Sage that? The audience would be a little bit more engaged, at least.

As a fun little experiment, I decided to rename the main characters of High Guardian Spice as actual spices. Rosemary, sage, parsley, and thyme are herbs.

Rosemary - Cinnamon

Often used in baking, it is a sweet and very popular spice. Good for branding.

Sage - Cardamon

Known as “the Queen of Spice” in India, it is used in both sweet and savory dishes. Its use in traditional medicine works with her caring and helpful personality.

Parsley - Paprika

Made from ground-up bell peppers, it can be sweet or spicy. The earthy flavor works with her being a dwarf.

Thyme - Saffron