Know, WBAI may have complained a bit that this season was too slow, but that doesn’t mean you needed to open this episode by making me see Elias open his face. from inside. In particular, you didn’t need to include that horribly eerie crackling sound or the slimy membrane of the shadow to make it feel like watching a mute cicada hatch from its shell. Like, damn, even Chise is freaked out by it, and she’s literally snuggling up to him in full monster mode. What the hell?
Despite that bit of body horror, the opening half of “Slow but Sure II” is surprisingly welcoming. While there’s a constant sense of potential danger lingering about it all, much of the camping trip goes smoothly, and it’s a lovely chance to see Chise making (or trying to make) friends. I love how Lucy has seemingly given up on rocking her and is reluctantly becoming Chise’s friend, no matter how much her cranky reclusive instincts protest. Even when their conversations are purposely shielded, there’s a sense that both girls are opening up to each other, getting a feel for each other and seeing if it’s safe to be a little vulnerable. Chise even manages to annoy her roommate, which is amazing progress for our awkward turtle hero.
I love watching the magical camping trip, especially the late night moments with Chise and her companions. I’ve camped long enough to know how spooky the woods can be at night, and I don’t have any of the otherworldly baggage Chise has to deal with. As she grew up, she was haunted by the ever-present gazes and voices of the spirits that surrounded her and she was only saved from them after arriving at Elias’s home. Now she’s back in faerie territory, and those voices are there again to echo through the night. So it was incredibly moving to see Ruth and Elias snuggle up to her as she slept and reassure her that even if she faces family fears, she’s not alone anymore.
Of course, the progressive danger eventually boils over and unfortunately demonstrates the first real animated fights this season. Season 2 has looked solid so far, propelled by strong direction and an atmosphere that has maintained a sense of suspense even in the down times. That still holds true here, but the seams start to show once the characters have to move urgently, fleeing through the night on foot or horseback. It just never feels right, with characters moving too stiff and slow to sell the tension of Chise trying to outrun the nuckelavee or racing into the night on the back of a carnivorous water horse. It’s still conceptually exciting and certainly rewarding to see Chise facing danger head-on again, but she never quite has the oomph you’d want.
The only exception is Chise’s dragon arm resurgence, which rips her enemy apart before anyone knows what’s going on. That packs the scaly, clawed punch she wants and makes it clear that whatever stalemate her dueling curses have reached isn’t as stable as she’d hoped. Like the haunting voices of the Neighbors before, the nuckelavee’s vow that the spirits will always haunt her is a reminder of the fear that tore Chise’s life apart. However, instead of comforting company, what saves her from it is a much more violent force that she doesn’t quite understand. Like this season’s narrative, she’s been simmering just below the surface, waiting for the right moment to rear her head and reveal the darkness below her. It’s a fantastic harbinger of things to come as we delve deeper into the mysteries and machinations that await us at the University.
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The Ancient Magus’ Bride is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
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