Source: Crunchyroll
Overall 8.4/10
Story 9/10
Yor moves in with Loid (code name: Twighlight) and Anya. Loid makes an attempt to prep Anya and Yor for the upcoming interview at the prestigious academy that he needs Anya to get into. He finds that the duo is woefully underprepared. So he gathers them for a family outing to deepen their cover and broaden Anya and Yor’s horizons with a taste of high society and culture. After all, they will need to convince the interviewers that this world is the one they come from. Loid has a lot riding on this. His mission lies at the heart of everything. Get Anya into the academy, so he can get close to his target.
So Loid drags Anya and Yor around the city to different cultural events. It starts well. For the most part, it seems like a traditional family outing. That’s until the Forger family has to decide to stay on mission or risk blowing their cover to right a wrong.
The writers continue to excel at storytelling. Pacing remains key. Up to this point, they seem to be sticking with very short recaps, which gives the writers a lot more time to deal with the story. They don’t let it go to waste. There isn’t much action this week. So the quiet moments and familial interactions push the story and reveal character.
Character 8.5/10
We already know that Loid ordinarily does solo missions. He’s not used to depending on others to accomplish his goals. So he doesn’t put much stock in the capabilities of others. Loid easily loses faith in Yor because he still thinks she is just an ordinary civilian, who happens to be skilled in self-defense. And he still doesn’t know that Anya is anything but an ordinary little girl.
Loid is a great spy. But as talented as he is, maybe one of his weaknesses is that he can’t see potential in others. If he could, then maybe he could trust in their strengths. As it stands, he only has faith in his own abilities. Asking a spy to trust others is a pretty tall order. And it’ll probably be a tough wall for him to get over in order to complete his character arc.
The audience may find it a bit difficult to believe that Yor is so singleminded as an assassin. Not since Light Yagami has a character been so infatuated with death. Yor even blushes at the mere sight of killing tools. It makes for great comic fodder. But it leaves this viewer wondering how realistic it is.
Wouldn’t an assassin need to be a bit more worldly? Wouldn’t she need to know the proper behavior to blend into her target’s environment, so she could get close enough to make the kill? But Yor seems somewhat uncomfortable in upper-crust society. Her first time at an opera nearly makes her head explode. Generally, Yor is a lovable three-dimensional character. And the tender moments Yor has with Anya do even out her depiction. If not for those interactions, her character would be flat in this episode. She’s so consumed with death that she hasn’t learned how to truly live life.
Viewers also learn in this episode that large crowds with intense thoughts make Anya feel weak. But crowds with ill intentions aren’t Anya’s only weakness. She has issues with trust. That makes sense based on what the show reveals about her backstory. That might be why Loid and Anya seem close. They have similar issues with trust. It's possible they have a similar background.
Animation 7.7/10
The animators and artists in this show continue to meticulously pay attention to detail. Everything is impeccable and well thought out, from the color schemes to the way they play with light and shadows. The expressiveness of the characters also goes a long way to aid the story. The animators use gags like Yor’s brain exploding at the opera. Viewers literally see smoke come off her head as she sweats profusely from the heat of the experience. These gags are rich comic fodder and aid in the storytelling process.
Final Thoughts
The great thing about the show is that although the characters have their own reasons for hiding who they are from each other, they are all truly invested. They all need the situation to work. And they need each other. The writers and animators have done a phenomenal job conveying that message through their storytelling again this week.
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