Zetsuen no Tempest ~The Civilization Blaster~ - 02

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After a shaky start, Zetsuen no Tempest is settling down. There is still work to do and a waiting game to play before the series really picks up but there is already improvement.

Just by narrowing the focus to a single point in the plot, there was significant improvement in this episode and that is not all it accomplished. The beginning of the episode drew me into the characters' past and made me care about Aika's involvement in the story and her past with Yoshino, a rather successful use of a flashback if I do say so. Aika's big role in this story without actually existing in the world of Zetsuen no Tempest is a nice artistic touch that fits the Shakespeare vibes seeing as how she's a big part of who Yoshino and Mahiro are. These snippets of flashbacks are really enjoyable nuggets of storytelling that take their time in explaining the background story of our main character(s).

Getting back to the focus of the episode, the mystery in Zetsuen no Tempest shows potential as long as it receives the proper attention. Aika is yet again at the centre of this, though what I'm really interested in how the trust between Mahiro and Yoshino will be tested and what else this lack of trust will affect the mystery as the story progresses. The mystery also comes with a nice dose of suspense created by the 'will they, won't they' potential discovery of secrets. I think there is potential for the created suspense to be taken advantage of later on in conjunction with the dual-protagonist setting.

Even with all this potential, there are still a few problems the series has. The biggest ons for me this episode was the overpowering soundtrack, which at times felt like the main attraction of the episode. I don't dispute that Zetsuen no Tempest has a very pleasant soundtrack but in this episode there were times when I was distracted by its overpowering nature. My other issue was from the half-assed job that was done in showing us a different side of Yoshino's character, which as I recall was a big event in the manga and here it was downgraded to a minor event.

Zetsuen no Tempest's Hamlet

Before wrapping up, let's take a look at this week's Zetsuen no Tempest Hamlet quote(s):

"Forty thousand brothers

Could not, with all their quantity of love,

Make up my sum" - Act 5, Scene 1

Yoshino's quote was said by Hamlet himself after Ophelia's death (when he was professing his love). Rather fitting as it includes the word brother in it and deals with the a guy telling another about his love for a deceased girl.

Now here's Mahiro's quote:

"O heat, dry up my brains!" - Act 4, Scene 5

Mahiro's quote was said by Laertes and it deals with irrationality and vengeance. Laertes pointed out that Ophelia could have persuaded him to take revenge and then dismisses her speeches as rational nonsense. I'm no Shakespeare buff but the quote fits the situation as well and shows us how far Mahiro's anger has spread and how he is able to throw away his rationality to exact his revenge.

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There was improvement in this episode and if it continues this way Zetsuen no Tempest should become a pretty interesting anime some time after a few more episodes. I'm surprised the Shakespeare referencing hasn't been toned down and as annoying as it may be, it does give the series its signature style. The one thing I haven't commented on is the animation, which has been top-notch and shone during the fight sequences.