Theatrical Malice

I-it's already started in some places, but for the author it starts in 15 minutes! Once again, I'll be live-tweeting under the hashtag below, so if you don't want your timeline cluttered up, please mute or otherwise protect yourself!

A third anime season is an incredibly great honor, but no matter how many times I experience premiere day, it still makes my heart race...! Hold out for 90 minutes, my heart...!

Cheers! Let me make a toast!

It started!! Right from Subaru's breathing, haha.

The athletic course Subaru is tackling is an area built so he could train over the past year. Maybe not quite on SASUKE's level, but close! Garfiel helped build it. I imagine he was really into it.

As for how close Subaru and Beatrice are, over this past year Beatrice has gotten quite thoroughly corrupted by Subaru. Thinking back to how she was in Season 1... it gets me a little emotional.

That athletic area built out in the forest over such a vast field... maybe that's the territory Subaru got after becoming a knight, haha.

Doesn't Petra seem just a little taller than she was in Season 2? Maybe? Maybe? Well, she's a kid that age, after all.

Garfiel calling him "Otto aniki" caused quite a stir among readers. At first Okamoto-san was like, "Wait, really!?" and Amasaki-san was like, "Wait, really!?" too.

You can really feel the brotherly vibe from the atmosphere...! If you want a good Julius and Joshua brother story, I think the Short Story Collection 11 coming out in October will be just the thing. As the author, I really like the bond between these brothers.

Really, setting Reinhard aside as an exceptional case, Julius is basically the kingdom's number two, so he really is amazing. Marcos-san in the top spot is pretty outrageous too, but Julius is straightforwardly strong. As expected of someone so cool. Subaru stubbornly refuses to admit it.

Just imagining Mimi clinging to Garfiel the whole time offscreen is slowly getting to me...!

That scene where those four stand in a row to see them off, with Otto, who's surprisingly tall, looking over at Garfiel, doesn't it make for a really nice picture?

The part where Emilia tells Subaru about things she's learned in her studies is one of my personal favorites. If they went to more places, it would be fun to do patterns where Emilia's explanation and what it's actually like are totally different!

I can feel Uchiyama-san pressuring us with "Where's Puck already?"

Otto and Garfiel have Roswaal's deep trust. In return, Roswaal is trusted remarkably little by the two of them. Given how Arc 4 turned out, that's only natural.

And even more than Otto and Garfiel, the one Roswaal trusts deeply while trusting Roswaal remarkably little is Beatrice... which is also only natural.

In Season 2, Otto and Garfiel were really butting heads, but just like the brief exchange showed, they've become much closer. That's probably because Garfiel has an honest personality, and Otto responded like a proper adult. Even after getting punched, he lets bygones be bygones. He's a good guy.

It's the explanation part where Amasaki-san talked a whole lot!

What you shouldn't misunderstand is that defeating the Witch Cult or the Three Great Mabeasts has nothing to do with winning or losing the Royal Selection. Those are only being brought up as easy-to-understand achievements; the Witch Cult and the Three Great Mabeasts are basically treated like natural disasters.

In the explanation part for the Felt camp, there were a few characters who looked like they might be important, but that camp, like Emilia's, was built up from zero, so they're in the middle of their own success story over there too. Check the short story collections and the like for details!

There's no way Patrasche would wobble around just because Beatrice tried to take the reins! That was probably Patrasche's own protest over how Subaru was being handled! But man, that commercial was short!

When he's standing on the ground on his own two feet, there's a pretty high chance Subaru is holding hands with Beatrice, haha.

Hyuuh! It's Anastasia-san and Julius!! Those eyelashes are going hard, huh, you!

It's rare to see Emilia with her boots off, so it's kind of surprising she can sit in seiza like this. A character's personality really shows even in how they sit. And then there's Subaru with his tall sitting height.

Joshua's manners are incredibly polished, but he definitely must have practiced like crazy after arriving at the inn so he wouldn't bring shame to Julius. The inn is written as "Mizu no Hagoromo-tei."

The feel of the BGM is so stylish... Since the stage has changed from before, it's a masterful touch that really makes you feel that!

"Actually, I know." Cute.

The "Penalty for dirtying the water" idea was inspired by that JoJo Part 3 episode where Polnareff nearly got fined in Singapore for putting his bag on the ground, haha.

Subaru got seasick, but the author is also relatively fine with cars and planes while getting seasick fairly easily, so I think that adds some realism.

As for the named character "Kiritaka Muse," the anime is using the route where they meet for the first time here. In the books, there's actually a story in the first short story collection where they had contact before, and I wrote that quite a long time ago now... which means he's actually a character with a long history!

What a waste of Yamane-san's singing ability, haha. By the way, they recorded it just as-is in the dubbing booth, which is amazing. It was a feast for the ears.

Th-th-there it is! It's Subaru-san's rap battle! If you're a guy, you can rap at least a little, right?

They're also using the route where it's Liliana's first meeting, but in the book short story collections, well... same as above. Which means she's actually a character with a long history!

As a result of the fame Subaru built up over this past year, the epithet he won for himself was "Lolimancer"!! When Julius is the "Finest of Knights," Reinhard is the "Sword Saint," and Ferris is the "Blue," well, sure, sure, sure, sure.

Liliana's phrase, "Want to know, want to hear, want to sing!" was inspired by "Mitai, kikitai, utaitai!" from Yoru mo Hippare!.

I hear a voice you really should not bump into in passing...!!

Subaru feels used to keeping people at a distance, but over this past year Emilia's face and name have become well known too, so it feels like her crowd-control technique has improved. But that commercial is short!! haha

Th-th-this guy!? You all! You know this man!!

Emilia's telling him "That's far enough" again.

Th-th-this guy! You all! You know this man!! PART II

Emilia saying "our boy" really gives the sense that the bonds within the camp have deepened. Though Garfiel has bigger things to worry about right now.

Rachins is quite a big deal too, being able to take this attitude with Reinhard. That's probably because he sees up close how Felt treats him! You'll probably understand a little later what kind of attitude that is.

By the way, Joshua and Mimi came to the Emilia camp, but Hetaro went to Crusch-san's place, and Tivey went to Felt's place as messengers.

You can see Reinhard's perception in "Reason won't get through to her" and "Then, to Priscilla-sama" ... maybe it's the Divine Protection of Reading the Room. No such thing exists.

If this were the Subaru from Arc 3, he'd have gotten really mad here and ended up fighting with Emilia again.

I really love Crusch-san here. Even without her memories, she's still very much Crusch-san.

With a fresh new look, it's Felt Version II. You can really see Felt's growth too, and that's very nice.

During the year before Arc 5 began, Felt and Anastasia also secretly had some contact, and that is depicted in the short story collections. So Anastasia was the best choice to call on Felt's side, since there was the least need for an excuse.

That outfit aside, what was with that angelic behavior just now...?

The expression "our useless knight" really shows how Felt treats Reinhard. No wonder Rachins and the others act like that.

Ferris's joke here, but-but-but.

What Garfiel sees before him after ending up alone is Elsa's apparition, and we've had it depicted even more vividly than in the books! Very nice. Elsa appears and speaks in all of seasons 1, 2, and 3. Feels like she's doing something not even the royal selection candidates have managed.

By the way, about that story Felt heard in the bath about Reinhard and Garfiel, I think Emilia probably told it like, "My boy picked a fight with Reinhard..." or something like that. Then Felt heard the details and went, "Ahh."

What Garfiel did was basically his own Hasso Tobi, but it really shows how amazing he is in ways beyond just straightforward fighting. Like when he was running alongside the dragon carriage on the way to Priestella, too.

By the way, when Garfiel was running alongside the dragon carriage on the way here, it wasn't some kind of punishment game. He did it on his own because sitting there silently the whole time was making him restless.

Even though they have sashimi and something like soy sauce, Subaru goes with a fork instead of chopsticks. I do think it might be worth popularizing chopsticks too, but there's also the danger he'll spread mayonnaise for free while he's at it, so... that's just the kind of thing Subaru does.

Looking at it this way, in Arc 5, more than Subaru, Garfiel is the one going through the kind of events that make him seem like the protagonist. I'd have to ask my past self, but I was probably doing that deliberately? Maybe? Maybe.

By the way, Emilia's depiction is meant to evoke the image of the moon, and since Subaru's name is Natsuki Subaru, I gave him something meant to feel like an accompaniment to the moon. The nature of Subaru and Emilia's relationship was decided from the very beginning, so it all stems from that.

I heard this from Kobayashi-san, but when episode 1 was screened at an event in America, apparently the biggest cheer was for Wilhelm-san's entrance scene. I get it. Excellent taste.

There are all sorts of complications with Wilhelm-san, Reinhard, and the Astrea family's mess. The third installment of Wilhelm-san's past arc, Sword Demon Battle Ballad, is scheduled for release in December!!

So there's only room for one commercial break, huh? (lol)

This is the regular Emilia camp thing where Subaru wanted to make "Rajio Taiso" a civic duty once Emilia became king, and Otto shot it down.

For anyone over there thinking, what is even up with Subaru's arm strength?! Beatrice is as light as a feather, so it's fine!

Our "(martial-type) civil official."

The "What a Lovely-Dovey Feast Scenario" got reverse-imported into the books, and then imported again into the anime. Idea laundering...!

As the author, I actually really like the name "Daisukiyaki." By the way, when I first had Otsuka-sensei draw an illustration for it, I only told him "Daisukiyaki," and as a result he came back with a rough sketch of sukiyaki, and I remember thinking, "Well of course he did!" (lol) For the record, Daisukiyaki first appeared in an Anastasia camp bonus SS.

While everyone was properly talking, Kiritaka's announcement was continuing in the background, but he gradually got more and more excited and what he was saying started getting unhinged, so if you recorded it, go back and listen!

So this is the rumored Sword Demon Love Ballad!!

Wilhelm-san...! Well done...!

Hyuuh!!!! It's here it's here it's here it's here it's heeere!!!

This unpleasant redheaded guy! The author is very fond of him!! I like him about as much as the Sin Archbishops!

Wilhelm -> Heinkel -> Reinhard, three generations of the Astrea family! Mmm, there's a certain rich flavor to the kind of knot only a long-established family can produce...

Reinhard van Astrea and Wilhelm van Astrea. As for the sword-name "van" that also appears in Theresia van Astrea's name, that's something only people in the Sword Saint's family who have accomplished proper sword feats are granted...

A bed of nails...! This isn't what I was told!

Impossible! He wasn't supposed to have been invited!

It's not that she's looking down on him or anything, it's this expression... Priscilla genuinely doesn't remember him!

Yes, yes, this is the flow of events I'd heard about!

This bit where Felt points the fork and says, "Be quiet and look like you belong here." "Yes." I really love it as an exchange between Felt and her subordinate.

Impossible! This isn't what I was told! PART II!

That may have been quite a way to carry him out, but actually Heinkel and Schult-chan get along fairly well... well, not get along, exactly, but Heinkel doesn't treat Schult-chan all that coldly either. Not that they're close.

Felt's wicked grin looks strong and is just really good. I like it.

When facing Julius, Subaru looks like he'd be putting on not just mental armor, but a helmet and gauntlets too.

It's nice how clearly you can tell the difference in Subaru's attitude on the same engawa, between when he's with Wilhelm-san and when he's with Julius.

That "Where should we go hang out next time? Or something?" really shows how Subaru and Julius look from Emilia's point of view. She might even be at the point of, "I want to come too."

It's not often that Priscilla performs a dance, so this really brings out just how genuine Liliana's skill is. Yes, she may come off like she's fooling around, but Liliana really is an amazing girl.

At the "Oh?" part, you properly get that brief sharp tension, but Liliana's answer is composed too. Yamane-san handled this part incredibly well, and I'm deeply grateful and thoroughly impressed.

Priscilla's way of thinking here is Priscilla's philosophy itself, so I'd be happy if you'd keep it in mind carefully.

At this point, what kind of song was Liliana thinking of performing, exactly? I figured maybe something like, "Right is good, left is good, we're all good friends!"

Just what is with Subaru being so overly familiar with that Latchins...?

I actually calculated the seconds properly here! It's different from the book, but in the anime, try counting!

"I'm sorry." "Thank you." These are important words you must never forget as you go through life, so everyone, don't be shy about using them!

Sirius's little detailed movements are comical and cute. Her appearance has a bit of impact, but the series has entered a new phase, so I guess she's the new heroine.

A man gets three chances in life when it's okay to cry: "his patience bag, his mama, and his wallet"... yeah, I've mixed the sayings together.

Tina-chan came up in conversation, and the illustration of her is unbelievably cute.

This part was already pretty, well, fun to write in the novel, but the anime turned it into such a fun scene too, and I can really feel the power of the people making it. Thank you. I'm sorry.

I really like the way this episode closes.

Hah! 90 minutes! Amazing! Packed all the way through! That was so satisfying!!

Still, 90 minutes really is something! I posted a lot! I want to keep talking about what I can each time like this, so please stick with me starting next week too! By the way, what's playing over the staff roll isn't the ending theme, it's actually the opening theme!

So with that, there's still a lot of lingering afterglow, but thank you for joining me for Season 3 Episode 1!! And from next week on, it's every week! Amazing! Seriously? I'm really looking forward to it, so stick with me next week too! Thank you very much!!