Welcome ladies, gentleman, and others. Alicia is back after 2 years! This was an enjoyable episode of RekiAku overall, but the last few minutes were slightly annoying. Alicia finally stood up to Duke, but then felt misplaced guilt immediately afterward. You can read my thoughts on that in the following episode review.
Episode 8: The Villainess and the Return
Episode Rating: 7/10
Immediately after finishing her 2-year magic training in the shed, Alicia heads to the village of Roana. Gill accompanies her, wondering why she’s in such a hurry. Once in Roana, Alicia is impressed to see that the village has improved immensely. The central well is clean and even has a working fountain. The empty space in the village is now filled with potato fields of the variety that grows well in the shade of Roana. Over the last two years, Rebecca never gave up trying to “save” Roana as Alicia instructed.
A character we met briefly in the previous episode – Nate the village guard – reappeared in this installment. Although he’s grateful to Alicia for making sure nobody starved in Roana, he still doesn’t trust her. In order to earn some respect, Alicia challenges Nate to a contest of skills. The two of them engage in a mock-duel with real swords. Nate has a reputation for being skilled in Roana, but he quickly lost and was disarmed by Alicia.
Rather than being a sore loser, Nate attests to the fact that Alicia has real talent. I still don’t know what the sword-fight proved, but all’s well that ends well, I suppose. Just then, Grandpa Will appears. He’s happy to see Alicia, but before he can even say much, Alicia encloses herself and Will in a magic enclosure and begins a high-level spell. When it’s complete, the result shocks everyone. One of Alicia’s eyes was magically transplanted into Will’s face. He can now see again!
Though he is alarmed at first, Grandpa will accepts the blessing from Alicia after she tells him how much she genuinely wants him to be able to see. Next, Alicia leaves Roana and goes to see her family at the Williams Estate. The conversation she has with her father is both humorous and heartwarming.
Arnold is initially appalled that his daughter gave away her eye, but he ultimately respects her decision, or at least knows it can’t be undone. When Alicia said she would never compromise on living her own life, Arnold said he would likewise never compromise on being concerned for his daughter’s wellbeing. I think that’s a good thing for a father to feel, provided he treats his sons with equal love and care and doesn’t single out the daughters. Anyway, it was a cute scene.
To cover the missing eye, Gill makes a black silk eyepatch for Alicia. She likes it so much she designs a whole villainess outfit to match the eyepatch. The following day, decked out in her new gown and accessories, Alicia returns to school. Almost immediately, one of Liz’s ardent followers calls out to her. The girl’s name is Jane, and she’s not happy about Alicia being back at school to continue her “rival” relationship with Liz. In Jane’s eyes, Liz is superior in every way, and nobody has the right to go against her.
Alicia “defends” herself against the aggressor by pointing out the flaws in her reasoning and insulting her appearance. Liz then arrives. She defends Jane, but is still willing to hear Alicia’s side of the story. An intense conversation begins between Liz and Alicia. According to all appearances, Liz is remorseful about what happened two years ago, when she magically restrained Alicia and put her in danger. She explained that she always planned to save Alicia and would never have let her get hurt.
Despite how things seem, Alicia doesn’t completely buy the goody-two-shoes act. She leans in close and points out the fact that Liz hates her. As the Saint, Liz doesn’t want to admit negative feelings toward Alicia. She’s at a loss for words when Alicia points out that there was definitely malice in the way she was restrained two years ago. After all, Liz clearly had the skill to restrain both parties in the fight – but instead, she only chose Alicia, putting her in danger. Liz retreats from the intense talk, looking rather disturbed
It’s finally time for the last scene. Duke hears from his familiar – Mel – that Alicia lost one of her eyes. In response, he suddenly appears in front of Alicia and demands to know what she’s done. He’s all up in her space and acting intimidating, so Alicia rightfully slaps his hand away and tells him to back off. She never asked for his attention, she told him, and he has no right to force his creepy affection on her.
Duke is clearly wounded by this exclamation, so he withdraws. Despite being 100% correct and justified, Alicia immediately feels shame over yelling at Duke. I think she likes him back, so it’s natural for her to be bummed about hurting his feelings. However, she was completely right in this situation. Even if Duke hadn’t been creepy for years prior to this, it still would have been okay to tell him to back off. It’s Alicia’s body – not Duke’s. It’s absolutely none of Duke’s business, no matter how entitled he feels. The fact that he’s been creepy since Alicia was eight only makes things worse.
This scene left me quite frustrated. Hopefully, in the next episode, Alicia will come to terms with her feelings without compromising on her independence. I really don’t want her with Duke, but that’s always been where the series is headed. So, all I can do is hope her romance with Duke isn’t too gross for me to watch as it unfolds. That’s all for today.
~Thanks for reading~
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Written by 7Mononoke
Anime Rants 
Interesting. I had wondered a bit about Liz restraining only Alicia, and I had my suspicions about it. When Alicia called her out on it, the way she reacted was telling. I mentioned before that she lies through her teeth quickly and easily, but the way she seemed flustered, and said, “the Saint,” referring to her role in the third person, “wouldn’t harbor such feelings,” makes me suspect that it’s more subconscious than conscious. She’s been forced into a role which it appears she is doing her best to play, so she may have had to suppress her true self all this time, while Alicia strives towards her desired role while always being true to herself. Liz might not even acknowledge that little corner of herself which is actually “negative,” but which no human can truly stay sane while trying to suppress forever. Sooner or later, everything a person buries within will explode in unhealthy ways. Like restraining the wrong person in a fight, and wanting them – the only person to ever really dispute with her and rile her up – to be wrong.
Also interesting how she knows that everything she’s always desired will always work out, which means that if she, now knowing she’s “the Saint,” has negative, evil desires, will those come true as well? Such as, for instance, if she wants there to be a rift between Alicia and Duke? She was clearly jealous two years ago, and then Alicia left the school, and now, within five minutes of getting back, she and Duke are on the outs the moment they first see each other. What Alicia said isn’t what she wanted to say, but whether that was herself, or whatever it is that makes Liz’s every wish come true at work, remains to be seen. At this point, I’d say the odds between the two possibilities are fairly even.
That said, Duke was certainly being too forward and possessive, and he always has been. (since she was EIGHT!) My only concern, really, is that this might drive him towards Liz, and make him more vulnerable to whatever brainwashing she’s been doing to everyone else around her. Alicia seems to be the centerpiece of those who are NOT under her sway, so cutting Duke loose could have some serious repercussions. But when my concerns are so tactical instead of sympathetic, this says something about how creepy and uncomfortable the Duke situation really is.
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