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EP. REVIEW: The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent


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michizure



Joined: 28 Jun 2006
Posts: 177
PostPosted: Wed May 26, 2021 8:50 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
... the bigger fear should probably be Yuri locking her in a lab somewhere to study her or chaining her up like one of the books in the Forbidden Archive.

But that would be an entirely different sort of story, wouldn't it?

Don't Toy With Me, Mister Drewes.
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3627
PostPosted: Wed May 26, 2021 10:29 pm Reply with quote
As I was watching I thought that Sei would have to look through previous Saint's diaries or something to get some hints and then work from there, but I suppose this is fine too, if a little typical.
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The Scream Man



Joined: 01 Mar 2020
Posts: 148
Location: Sydney, Australia
PostPosted: Sat May 29, 2021 9:38 am Reply with quote
I do kind of wish we would get Sei and Airi to interact soon. Sei has enough agency and self awareness to get off her butt and go say hello.
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Dian Z





PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:22 pm Reply with quote
Okay, I'm somewhat disappointed by how the Kyle-Aira problem was resolved. It feels sudden, out of nowhere, simplistic, underwhelming? Not that I want it to be complicated when it's unnecessary, but this problem is what makes this title get my attention in the first place, how two women are summoned and how Kyle makes it hard for the whole unusual summoning issue. I also wouldn't want Aira to become the antagonist along with Kyle. But maybe at least Kyle can be one for a longer time.

Maybe it would be less out of nowhere if there's more Aira-Kyle PoV scenes, or if that Interlude episode came right before this one, so there's more continuity supporting Kyle's decision.

There might be more to see from the premise of this unusual summoning. But this conclusion makes some of its interesting consequences simply gone. I take it that this title seems to be unsure about whether to make the story stays on the lighter side (with fluffy romance and all the guys are actually all good people) or more meaty with obnoxious (supposedly immature) Prince and fake saints and the looming miasma threat. Because this conclusion is too uneventful for the potentially riveting story progression hinted by the premise and some character and plot development.

Edit: I still haven't forgotten that Kyle hasn't apologized to Sei nor even seem to think about doing so. I wouldn't actually mind it if it's shown that the thought actually crosses his mind, only that he can't considering his sticking to his plan. He's still a brat in my book.
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blahmoomoo



Joined: 27 Jan 2020
Posts: 457
PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 9:08 pm Reply with quote
Dian Z wrote:
Maybe it would be less out of nowhere if there's more Aira-Kyle PoV scenes, or if that Interlude episode came right before this one, so there's more continuity supporting Kyle's decision.


I don't think this is out of nowhere. At this point everyone thinks Sei is the Saint since she did something that only the Saint can do. So Kyle chose to take the fall now, as he said he would in that Aira-focused episode. There was no advantage to waiting any longer.

One thing that did bother me is how much Kyle's display seemed to hurt Aira, and nobody addressed that. At least now she's in good hands with Liz.
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Cryten



Joined: 19 Jan 2019
Posts: 978
PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 9:19 pm Reply with quote
Review wrote:
"But to have the conversations imply that Kyle did it with good intentions, that he manipulated the situation into him looking worse than he already did so as to keep Aira above the fray…well, that just doesn't feel natural or particularly rewarding. Sometimes people do stupid or bad things because they get stubborn; there's even an idiomatic phrase about it, to cut off your nose to spite your face."

I think the review covers my feelings perfectly for the episode and neatly intersects with your own discontent. I do not hate the series for it since it set up Kyle in the Aira episode. But I feel like the political ramifications are too neat. No vying for power by the nobles houses exploiting the royal family. Perhaps it could of gone better if the fight wasnt broken up with the King literally putting his foot down and solving it all in 1 fell swoop.

Dian Z wrote:
Okay, I'm somewhat disappointed by how the Kyle-Aira problem was resolved. It feels sudden, out of nowhere, simplistic, underwhelming?
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Dian Z





PostPosted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 9:49 pm Reply with quote
blahmoomoo wrote:
Dian Z wrote:
Maybe it would be less out of nowhere if there's more Aira-Kyle PoV scenes, or if that Interlude episode came right before this one, so there's more continuity supporting Kyle's decision.


I don't think this is out of nowhere. At this point everyone thinks Sei is the Saint since she did something that only the Saint can do. So Kyle chose to take the fall now, as he said he would in that Aira-focused episode. There was no advantage to waiting any longer.


I didn't mean that it should address the resolution to Kyle problems longer, it's just that I think it's handled in a way that there's little build up to the point where the confrontation happened. As I said, we only have limited PoV with Aira and Kyle, and before today's episode we only see Sei and her problems in the previous episode. I think a continuity from the interlude episode could help the development to the confrontation to be less jarring, but it's separated by another Sei-centered episode, her problems and from her own PoV. Even sharing the perspectives between Sei and Aira and/or Kyle in each episode would progress it better in my opinion. Episode exclusive PoVs make them less cohessive. So instead, for us who mostly follow Sei, it feels like we were just watching her casually taking a stroll with Drewes when out of nowhere, there's a fundamental-plot-changing confrontation with Kyle in a park on the side of the walk.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 1:16 am Reply with quote
Jeez, Albert and Johan were sure messing with her there at the end. They knew the King wanted her to go, they kinda wanted her to go, if for the sake of the troops and the people, and they figured if she didn't they'd have a hard time getting her out of it. But when she's making noises assuming she's going with the expedition, they're both all innocently wide-eyed, "What? What are you on about? It's not like you're going or anything." Jerks. (I'm not really mad at them, just a tad disgruntled at them deliberately making her feel stupid for assuming she'd be going.)

I'm glad Sei and Aira finally got to have a chat. That was nicely done.
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YoshiChao



Joined: 22 Dec 2020
Posts: 39
PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 6:46 am Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
Jeez, Albert and Johan were sure messing with her there at the end. They knew the King wanted her to go, they kinda wanted her to go, if for the sake of the troops and the people, and they figured if she didn't they'd have a hard time getting her out of it. But when she's making noises assuming she's going with the expedition, they're both all innocently wide-eyed, "What? What are you on about? It's not like you're going or anything." Jerks. (I'm not really mad at them, just a tad disgruntled at them deliberately making her feel stupid for assuming she'd be going.)


Not sure what you're on about here, they literally said they were planning on working out a way to not have her have to go. Not sure why you're completely ignoring that and framing it as they were just messing with her and knew she was already going.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:25 am Reply with quote
I wasn't ignoring any of that. But it felt like they were messing with her when she said she'd make sure she was ready by then. They knew exactly what she meant by that -- that she was expecting to go (having just been officially declared the Saint and all) -- but they both acted like they couldn't fathom why she'd say something like that or why she'd just automatically assume she was going. "Huh? Ready for what? Potions? Clothes? Don't tell me you think you're going with them?" even though as she pointed out, they'd just talked about that very subject. That's the sort of thing that can really make you start doubting yourself and your understanding of your relationships with people, and how they really see you.

And then they confess that Albert wants her to come and the King requested her. So why make her jump through those hoops to get to that? It just struck me as needlessly condescending on their part to play dumb. The only other reading I can give that conversation is that they really are that dumb.

Sure they wound it up with saying they were initially opposed and potential problems that could arise, but as soon as it was obvious she wanted to go, they could've just skipped all the, "Wha...?" faux incredulity and been upfront with her as if she were, you know, an adult. Instead of replying to her "I'll be ready" comment with "Why do you need to get ready?" he could have said something like, "Are you saying you want to go with them?" Then it could have played out with her having more agency in saying, "Yes, because..." rather than it ending with her having to ask permission to do them a favor.
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Cryten



Joined: 19 Jan 2019
Posts: 978
PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:32 am Reply with quote
I understand where your coming from, they did indeed seem to be slightly trolling Sei, but I think you took it far too negative. They emphasised being willing to protect Sei and give her more time, their desire was beneath their care for her. Treating it as an attempt to undermind her trust in them feels very off the money with every single bit of story telling we have experienced so far.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:41 am Reply with quote
I think you've read my comments far too negatively. I never said they intended to or tried to undermine her trust in them. I said that was a possible effect of that sort of behavior (which you admit was trolling her), and I think that could have had that result especially since Sei seems to be so unsure of her standing in this world. But it didn't, and the writers weren't about to go there either, so that part was more me trying to explain why it bothered me than anything to do with the story per se.

In my original comment I even said I wasn't really mad at them, just a tad disgruntled, but in trying to explain further, I realized there was more bugging me about that whole scene than I originally recognized. Namely that she ended up having to ask permission to do her job. Smile
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Violet Park



Joined: 18 Jul 2018
Posts: 115
PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:00 am Reply with quote
Changing Kyle's motivations from the manga (where he was just a stubborn, arrogant ass who couldn't even phantom being wrong) makes everything really confusing. If he wanted to take responsibility and didn't want to drag Aira down with him (why would he think that would happen?), then why not just go to his father and apologize instead of making everything worse for everyone?
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3627
PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 2:55 pm Reply with quote
I'm surprised Albert could grab a prince like that without anyone saying something. I suppose in defense of the Saint who could be considered of higher standing then the even the King would be a good reason, but no one even batted an eye. I guess that could have been something cut for time though...

I hope Aira does have something saintly about her discovered in the future. I'd feel even worse for her if she was literally just an accidental extra caught up in Sei's summon.

Violet Park wrote:
Changing Kyle's motivations from the manga (where he was just a stubborn, arrogant ass who couldn't even phantom being wrong) makes everything really confusing. If he wanted to take responsibility and didn't want to drag Aira down with him (why would he think that would happen?), then why not just go to his father and apologize instead of making everything worse for everyone?


I'm guessing he needed to put on a show for the other nobles around so that the word would spread around the court. Doing it in private wouldn't get the same results.
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Violet Park



Joined: 18 Jul 2018
Posts: 115
PostPosted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 3:02 pm Reply with quote
Quote:


Violet Park wrote:
Changing Kyle's motivations from the manga (where he was just a stubborn, arrogant ass who couldn't even phantom being wrong) makes everything really confusing. If he wanted to take responsibility and didn't want to drag Aira down with him (why would he think that would happen?), then why not just go to his father and apologize instead of making everything worse for everyone?


I'm guessing he needed to put on a show for the other nobles around so that the word would spread around the court. Doing it in private wouldn't get the same results.


He could have done a public apology after explaining the situation to the king. This way he clears Aira's reputation, doesn't alienate the saint even further and maybe even saves his claim to the throne. I don't think he had to be the braindead moron he was in the manga but maybe having him realize his mistake earlier yet being too proud to back down would have made more sense.
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