Season 2 kicks off with everybody’s favorite thing in anime…a meeting! As somebody that has read the manga through what is likely to be covered this season, I like how Couran is depicted here. When he was first described in the manga, it made him sound like some kind of blundering buffoon, like a dim musclehead type of character. However, once you actually meet him, he is kind of a bro, and is more than willing to listen to the smart people around him. I always thought it was weird how the manga spent time trash talking him through rumors before we meet him and then it never becomes a plot point again. So, I am glad we just jumped straight to the meeting and seeing Couran in action.

The ultimate outcome of this meeting is that we are going to “negotiate” with a neighboring territory and win their assistance through some well placed bribes. Who better to entrust this high stakes operation to than a literal child? Also, I love Lycia, but I do find it funny that we are relying on her negotiation abilities, but she is completely outdone by Ars this episode. Let’s take a look at Lycia’s initial proposal to Ars:

But then Ars counters:

She could have opened negotiations with him with a much more ambitious starting position! Come on Lycia, the future of Ars depends on your negotiation skill!

In any case, it is nice to see this show kicking off again. @rikka@ani.social