Asura Cryin EX015

Summary:

Tomoharu has a nightmare of Misao's soul being totally consumed by Kurogane. While putting up Tanabata decorations, he asks Shuri to put him in touch with Naotaka but she suggests he speak to Toru instead. The next morning Toru demonstrates that she is the Strongest by stopping Mahiwa from using his familiar Vivian to bust the latercomers' cordon. As an ex-handler, she is immune to the powers of Demons and Asura Machina. In the club room, Toru charges in and slices up the koala - it is a device used by the hikkikomori Science Club President Kagayaki Tokiya who also made Mahiwa's widget and Shuri's armaments. Toru agrees to get in touch with Naotaka through the Royal Dark Society on the condition that Tomo gets Tokiya to attend school. On the way they meet Reishiro who is delivering Hisui's altar trunk to the Guardian Dragoons.

They discover that Tokiya's house is an enchanted impregnable cubist fortress and that Toru and Yoh are his neighbours. Yoh tells of how Tokiya and Toru are extremely sad when Aki, the latter's elder sister and Kurogane's burial doll, was completely consumed. A horrified Tomo bangs on the gate, begging Tokiya to come out but it's to no avail. Back home, Tomo finally makes his Tanabata wish - to change the fate of the handlers and burial dolls. While searching for Naotaka, Shuri encounters a Torishima family goth girl who rides an ice phoenix.

At school, Toru is a panic and faints - Tokiya left a note saying he was going to see Aki. The group, led by Yoh, search Aki's death location. Yoh tells of how the GD team, led by Tokiya, had subdued an Asura Cryin but no one realized that Aki had reached her limit until it was too late. They finally find him at a cliff's edge; Tokiya and Toru have been avoiding each other, thinking each is causing the other pain. The misunderstanding resolved, Toru unleashes a rain of cute little chest blows and "Tokiya-no-baka"s and is finally able to cry. Back in school, Tokiya sends the koala in his stead again and confirms even the Dark Society cannot contact Naotaka. Having overheard Tomo's wish, agrees to help him and promptly runs into trouble with Toru.

Reaction:

Toru is easily my favourite character in this series so I was delighted by the focus on her and the amount of screentime she got. I was rather shocked by how thoroughly her characterization uptil now has evolved - we get to see her sadness in a raw form (different from her usual gloominess), hysterical and obviously very much in love with Tokiya. In no way does it diminish her strength as it makes her more complete as a person and, more importantly, someone who can now start to move on from a terrible past. The ending scene with her meting out sword punishment to Tokiya koala now seems oh so tsundere.

Misao continues to remain in the dark about the danger that she is in. Although it should have become manifestly obvious with the revelation about Aki, she "spaced out" during the crucial scenes. As a plot device, this is somewhat lazy, lame and thus annoying - it cheapens the dramatic irony surrounding the situation. Unless Misao is pretending not to know to try not to worry Tomo.

What Others Are Saying:

• Aroduc found this a "much weaker episode than last week" - I can see the point intellectually though not emotionally - I am a Toru fanboy after all. I am in complete agreement that the "art was also really dodgy this episode" - particularly the faces being pointed to almost Toei Kanon proportions and StrikerS-type overall shabbiness. Speaking of which - LOL Nanoha

Related posts:

1. Asura Cryin EX014
2. Asura Cryin EX016
3. Asura Cryin EX017