Episode 7 – May I Ask for One Final Thing?

One of the simplest yet purest pleasures Can I ask for one last thing? Seeing Scarlett and her fists deal with the pointless and cruel divisions that our usual social dilemmas create in such a simple yet effective way. The fervor that fueled the Parmian hatred of the Dianetics is an old story, and the language of justice and faith is just a facade for the petty, silly divisions that Dr. Seuss explains to little children in the story of Star-Belly Snicket. Of course, these choirs can scream all they want about heretics and heretics. The condition of their faces and bones doesn’t change after Scarlett spends time with them.

Granted, it’s easy for an atheist like me to take pleasure in seeing a bunch of arrogant priests clearing the clock, and in a universe where magic and divine intervention are objectively real and have material effects on the mortal plane, the politics of religious hatred become even more complicated. Still, Scarlett’s rage is more about damaging the system strengthrather than a belief system, and you can tell by the way the Palmian fools cry over their failed plans, they were punished either way.

After the requisite spanking is over, though, “Can I execute a plan that shows a new side of you?” veers in another direction and begins to focus more on Scarlett and company’s personal escapades. On the one hand, the events of Palmea lacked a strong focus on Scarlett’s quest to defeat the Prime Minister, so I wasn’t initially excited to see the plot turn so quickly. On the other hand, it’s quite endearing to see Scarlett playing wing to the lovestruck Diana, especially since the man who ultimately diverts Diana’s affections away from Scarlett is none other than brother Leonardo.

As hysterical as Leonardo is about Scarlett’s antics, it’s time for him to do something as a character other than being a comic relief, even if that just means being Diana’s love interest MacGuffin. That said, the problem for me is that the actual prospect of an episode centered around Diana trying to win Leonardo’s heart has limited appeal. For one, the girl does look like a child, so I can’t blame Leonardo for only seeing her as the little sister type who needs to be protected; no idea how much this show costs want to We’re actually rooting for these two to end up together, but even as a one-off little side story, this episode can only go so far. In that respect, it ends up feeling a bit like killing time.

Then there is another way is Can I ask for one last thing? Falling into a common trap that plagues many fantasy and isekai anime: despite the infinite potential of the setting, the show can’t think of a more creative Diana and Leonardo plot than the hot springs and summer festival tropes we’ve seen a hundred thousand times before. At least these fallbacks make sense in a story set in the small island nation of Japan—shared cultural touchstones, limited options for leisure activities, I understand. I know, this is a minor and ultimately silly criticism, but when these ostensibly foreign-coded characters from another universe started donning yukata and prowling for cheap takoyaki stands, I just couldn’t help but be taken out of the experience. I’d be just as pissed if the cast suddenly wore matching rat-themed headgear and went on a roller coaster ride at Bizconi World.

Overall, though, this was a pretty solid episode. Mind you, this show is far from the best, but it’s going to take more than some lazy time-killing sitcom shenanigans to kill my enthusiasm. Can I ask for one last thing? Scarlet El Vandimion has earned a little patience, wouldn’t you agree?

Episode rating:

Can I ask for one last thing? Currently live broadcast
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James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop culture, which can also be found in blue sky, his blogand his podcast.