Always a Catch!

Episode 5

Mimi is no damsel* in distress – she's a damsel in a dress, which is very different. For one thing, it's remarkably misleading, because no one expects her to be the ass-kicking dynamo based on what she's wearing. While that's been a regular theme in Always a Catch!, it gets its best showing in this episode, which has Mimi facing off against two different armed groups: some actual bandits, and a few who are putting on a not-great show of being bandits. Neither group expects Mimi to be as, if not more, formidable as her guards.

That's most pertinent to the real bandits, because their fool of a leader thinks that, even though Mimi walloped him over the head and then easily dragged him through the woods, she'll be easy to take captive. It's like all he sees is the full-skirted ankle-length dress with its big sleeves. All of those things are shorthand for “weak noblewoman,” and he's not smart enough to realize that on Mimi, they are in essence a clever trap. It's the in-world equivalent of a cat rolling over and showing you their enticingly fluffy belly: it looks safe, but for many kitties, it's just lulling you into a false sense of security before they bite. To be fair, Mimi's guards do help to play up this angle, telling her to stay in the carriage or to stay hidden while they deal with the importunate men, but that's either because she'll always be a little girl in their eyes or because they're protecting the reputation of the future crown princess. They know what she's capable of. (So maybe they're actually trying to protect the bandits from her?)

Because of the nature of where Mimi's been – the royal capital of another country – we haven't really gotten to see her fully cut loose before. Yes, she's taken out assassins and rescued kittens from trees, to say nothing of telling off a prince to his face, but it's not until you see her literally blow some guys away with the power of her fist that you realize how much she's been holding back. It's one thing to be informed of her prowess and another entirely to see it with your own eyes. And it's still another to realize that Mimi holding back hasn't been a whole lot of fun for her. While she clearly does like Renato, she always looks like she's having the best time when she's doing something physical: climbing trees, practicing her martial arts, or even just walking around a market. Having the possibility of fighting off bad guys taken away from her is more of a disappointment than anything. The mildly terrifying look on her face when she realizes that she's going to get to throw down says it all. This girl has been positively spoiling for a fight in the only positive use of the expression I've ever seen.

It is a little too bad that we don't get to see much of her in action. Mimi's opponents simply aren't strong enough for rip-roaring fight scenes, and I really would love to see her truly cut loose. The animation also seems to go out of its way to not have to animate too much of the fight scenes, which I do understand – I can't imagine that animating her heavy skirts would be easy. But we don't really get to see her guards fight, either, and they don't have that excuse. Still, the scene of the false bandits groveling their way towards Mimi is fun in its way, and at least some attempt was made to have the CG horses not just stand in their traces looking like unholy monstrosities.

We've heard a lot about Mimi's family, and it looks like next week we'll finally truly meet them. I'm most curious about her dad, because he (and she) both seem at least a little conflicted about what Teo's birth changed. But I suspect the real entertainment may come from Raimondo and Renato being presented with Mimi's stained handkerchief by a group of scruffy villagers. Bets that at least one of them thinks the grape stains are blood?

*The word “damsel” just means “unmarried young lady.” Or a projection from a millstone or an iron bedwarmer, but I think you know I don't mean either of those.

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