Here is why I love Zetsuen no Tempest’s new direction: a second half transition is tricky, and most shows just head into the usual roads: be more dramatic. Zetsuen no Tempest however decided to add more comedy here. My question is: what’s wrong with that? As a story transitions and changes, it needs to use the build-up of the start and head into the most logical direction, while still being interesting. Nobody said that it had to be more dramatic or anything. In fact, Sakurasou is currently showing that that can also hurt a show in a way.
The point of Zetsuen no Tempest’s change of tone is not to just give it more romance. Instead, the romance is a tool to get the other areas to shine: Aika’s death is the center of the story. You really need this well developed. And the characters. I don’t know about you, but I find them hilarious. Their chemistry in this episode again was really fun to watch.
Also, here we have a series that makes excellent use of its main characters being teenagers. A lot of the charms of this series is watching adults go crazy by having the fate of the world dependant on the hands of a bunch of impulsive kids. And the big difference with the usual: despite all their hormones, they remain intelligent. Samon in this episode was hilarious again when he found out that all his plans were foiled again.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)
This episode was a particular delight and I’ll be glad to see the truths unveiled. Samon actually earned my respect for his intellect, I think what he lacks is the will to use brute force to get what he wants.
I’m still a bit worried to how this will all end up, but I’ll trust it for now. To be honest I like the laid-backness, but am still quite interested in the twists to come.
The time travel raises a lot of questions too.
The best is yet to come… Remember your Shakespeare everyone.
as a matter of fact i’m going back to them when zetsuen no tempest is over. i really enjoy it when anime borrows foreign literature and puts it in a context that’s interesting. makes you enjoy the source material in a new way.
I keep wondering if they are going to pull A Winter’s Tale, especially since both A Winter’s Tale and ZnT have a similar structure with a tonal shift halfway through. Actually, that might be awesome, but I’m probably far off and the answer is actually much more simple.