[ellymate]

11eyes - 05

「友と明日のために barátoknak, holnapra」 (Tomo to Asu no Tame ni)
“For Friends and the Future”

After watching Kakeru run away for four episodes, I was starting to wonder when the poor guy will ever awaken his ability. He may have been hotheaded at first, but his frustration is justified at this point. Luckily that all changes now; Kakeru awakens, along with his Eye of Aeon.

Considering that Kakeru’s character growth all happened in this one episode, all his previous development felt kind of moot. All it really took was Misuzu telling him not be blinded by his desire to protect Yuka and take in his surroundings better. That, and remaining calm. Sounds fairly straightforward, but I did like her method of teaching him this — slip on a handkerchief in battle and you’re dead. Seeing how Kakeru’s been taking Misuzu’s words of wisdom to heart, I think the biggest sigh of relief I can take away is that he’s not a stupid, stubborn protagonist. This seems like a fairly common theme nowadays, but I’m not a big fan of watching the idiot character mature into someone with common sense. Kakeru may have a one-track mind, but he thinks rationally in situations and knows when other people are right. Because of that, I was happy to see him regain his composure during the battle with Ira, awaken his Eye of Aeon, and finish the Black Knight off.

The other highlight was the proper introduction of Tachibana Kukuri, whose appearance before Kakeru and Yuka was more anticlimactic than I was expecting. Sure there was the whole shock factor, but the two of them quickly accepted that she just looks like Kakeru’s deceased sister and happens to have the same name. News to me though was the fact that Kukuri can’t talk, making Rikumaru Noriko’s job voicing her a lot easier I bet. As for the hot school doctor Akamine Saiko (Takahashi Chiaki), I definitely didn’t see her being a former bike gang member, even though it explains her menacing stares. More so than that, she turns out to be Takahisa’s guardian, having taken him in off the streets during her gangster days. I guess that explains why they get along so “well”.

Story-wise, Shiori’s role in all this is still fairly unclear. For now, she just seems content with hanging out with our side characters Natsuki Kaori (Mizuhashi Kaori) and Tadashi Teruya (Nemoto Kouta). (I think this is the first time I’ve mentioned their names and seiyuus.) In the Red Night though, two of the six Black Knights are down and Kakeru is having spasms because of his newly awakened powers. Much like we’ve seen before, his Eye of Aeon 「劫の眼」 gives him the ability to see into the future, which translates into obvious benefits in battle. In addition, it’s hinted that the eye provides him with the memories of its previous owners, including a king of a ruined country named Verard (Bifu Hitoshi), whom Kakeru’s dreams have been linked to. I may not sound totally enthused, but I’m actually quite pleased with how the story is unfolding. The ultimate mystery of course is the Red Night, which I don’t expect to be explained until the end, so I’m pretty much hooked on the plot alone. Next time, it looks like Kakeru’s awakening is taking a toll on his body, judging by the ritual that Misuzu’s performing and the kanji for “life” on her hand.



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Reviewed by DIVINE