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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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[series:4879#628] | ||||||
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(11 episodes watched): What difference does smiling make if a Saint's job is to create 'barriers' that protect the people from monsters? Would you rather have a Saint who can call an end to a drought or one who is cheerful? The basic premise of this show made little sense to me--I thought at first that it was nothing but a joke, but maybe not. We never get a very in-depth or convincing explanation of Philia's lack of emotion. "It's because of my lack of charm that I sought to be perfect" she says. For all her remarkable powers she is actually very insecure and emotionally vulnerable. And the people are inexplicably and irrationally ungrateful to her despite all the amazing things she has done for them. Some seem to think she is ridiculing them by refusing to smile. Others are jealous and want her to slip up. How can Philia be 'arrogant' when she hardly displays any emotion at all? Some people even feel Philia is 'taking their jobs' by performing miracles. Everyone in any position of importance within Girtonia is a two-dimensional asshole who thinks they can do whatever they please to Philia without any undesirable repercussions. The affection of her younger sister Mia is what keeps her going. This is just stupid. For all her Goddess-like abilities Philia refuses to stand up for herself while everyone takes a dump on her. The message of this show seems to be that no good deed goes unpunished. But I don't want to watch a show about a girl who allows herself to be treated like shit even though she is actually very powerful. Philia annihilated a pack of werewolves but is so naive that she cannot comprehend that she might in fact be a powerful person who could be giving orders rather than obeying them. The new and radically different situation Philia finds herself in after being 'sold' to the neighboring (and Saint-less) Kingdom of Parnacorta perked up my interest a little, but trying to make sense of this show makes my head hurt and the plot seems so ham-fisted and simplistic that it's hard to believe this show will ever turn around. It demands too much of a suspension of disbelief. Nevertheless I watched episode two. In Parnacorta Philia is treated much better than in Girtonia, and has caught the attention of a Prince (who apparently was scouting her back in Girtonia). Philia's servants/bodyguards are amazed to find that her abilities are off the scales compared to the previous Saint Elizabeth (and they are no slouches themselves). Philia's sister Mia was told nothing about her basically vanishing and vows that if her sister was screwed over somehow she will take revenge on the people who were responsible (which might be interesting). Still not exactly novel and original, and Philia's naivete is painful to watch. Philia's previous master, the Prince of Girtonia, is a 2D asshole and thus not very interesting. In episode three Philia informs the Prince of her disturbing theory that a catastrophic surge of monsters from the underworld may be brewing. However, she has already worked out a defence for Parnacorta that ought to work. Meanwhile, the prince of Girtonia proposes to Mia, who pretends to accept though in fact she has figured out what this man did to her sister and intends to punish him. Mia just happened to overhear a couple of guys discussing the plot, which could happen I suppose, but could also be done better. This Prince and the Adenauer parents definitely deserve judgment which is one thing keeping me watching. In episode four a way is found to slip messages between Philia and Mia (using Philia's personal Ninja bodyguard, of course). Still, I was modestly intrigued and glad to see that Philia isn't so emotionally and intellectually impaired that she can't take the risky actions that are called for. Her precautions against the monster surge have been so effective that she basically has nothing to do, so it is suggested that she act as a tutor to some sort of backup Saint. In most shows we would just be fed a steady diet of monster fights (one little one does take place during this episode but it doesn't last long), but I would much rather learn more about how Philia and Mia are resolving the basic problem, i.e, Philia being betrayed as she was. In episode five we meet Grace, Philia's new student. Grace comes from a family in a neighboring country that has a long history of producing Saints, but she's the fourth sister and little is expected of her. She has read Philia's book on Sainthood, which Philia had almost forgotten about, and adores her. Grace must be meant for a fairly major part in this story but what it will be isn't apparent yet. Nothing new regarding Mia in this episode, but episode six had plenty. Mia learns even more about Prince Julius' scheme and finds that the man is even more corrupt, selfish, sexist and irresponsible than she had thought. Himari, the Ninja, offers to assassinate him, but Mia isn't willing to go that far. Instead she wonders if Julius' older brother, who should be next in line for the throne but is a 'shut-in', might be persuaded to join her in bringing Julius down. Basically, Mia is willing to take the drastic actions that Philia never would, which makes this show interesting. In episode seven Mia visits the shut-in Crown Prince Eugene, who she finds to be disillusioned and uncaring about what becomes of Girtonia. She makes a sincere effort to persuade him to join forces with her, including an interesting talk about how failing is nothing to be ashamed of. Meanwhile, Philia has an idea for how the protective magical dome she has created over Parmacorta might be enlarged to protect the entire continent. She will need the help of Grace and her fellow Saint sisters. In episode eight (which began with some abrupt revelations that made me wonder if I had watched all of episode seven) Grace attempts to persuade her sisters to cooperate while Mia is pleasantly surprised to find Prince Eugene doing likewise. Mia gets a shocking revelation from her aunt about her true relationship to Philia They are cousins not sisters. This didn't make complete sense to me; if their father was so desperate for a daughter who could become a Saint, why didn't he return Philia to her actual mother once Mia was born? Still, I am enjoying this show and the plotting and counter-plotting that are underway to determine who becomes the next King of Girtonia. I had figured the power struggle wouldn't have a winner until the final episode or so, but in episode nine Prince Julius makes his move. Fortunately, Mia and Eugene have taken countermeasures. It was good to see the despicable Julius get what he deserved, though when you think about it Mia and Julius must be espers to have predicted every action he would take as accurately as they have. And good thing he confessed everything he had done when he thought he had won. Meanwhile, expert exorcist Ezra Notice informs Philia of the liklihood of the resurrection of the Archdemon Asmodeus. Curiously, during his last appearance Asmodeus fell in love with Fiana, the Saint who defeated him, and will almost certainly come looking for her--and Philia has a definite connection to Fiana. The thought occurred to me that maybe Julius and Asmodeus might turn out to be one and the same, which I wasn't looking forward to. But since Asmodeus loves Philia while Julius hates her, I figured with great relief that that wouldn't happen. And then it does. Out of left field comes the revelation that Mia hates herself and might sacrifice herself in battle in episode ten. This made no sense at all; Mia was completely blameless in the matter of Philia's betrayal, and ought to be feeling pretty good right now seeing as she has played a major part in the overthrow of a despotic ruler. Basically, what had seemed a fairly sophisticated plot for a while now seems to be rapidly falling apart. In episode 11 Asmodeus appears and seems to gain the upper hand for now. Only a limited number of fighters can be sent into his lair. 'Limbo', and while it made dramatic sense the last person to be chosen didn't seem to possess much demon fighting skill or experience to me. Last updated Sunday, June 22 2025. Created Tuesday, April 08 2025. | ||||||||
