Reel Tastes & Travels – a light dose of entertainment to wake you up

Ask and you shall receive … It certainly felt that way with this episode. I just mentioned in my last recap about how narrow the focus has been so far and now we are suddenly introduced to a whole host of new characters, albeit still with a disproportionate focus on HeartsLabyul.

Ace continues to prove he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, running afoul of Riddle again over (of all things) eating his pie without permission. That sees him slapped with the magic blocking collar and in frustration he runs off to Yu and declares he’s bunking with him. Yu continues to be the voice of reason and helps Ace calm down and see the error of his ways (reaffirming the Headmage’s judgement that Yu can help unify the Night Raven students).

All this pretty much serves as an excuse to get everyone to the HeartsLabyul dorm, and later the cafeteria, where we get to meet third years Cater and Trey. and further expand our understanding of the Night Raven College lore. Of course the houses are all typified by a single character type/field of magic. You have the disciplinarians of HeartsLabyul, the jocks of Savanaclaw, the scheming dealmakers of Octavinelle (who naturally manage the school’s student-run cafe), the fortune-tellers of Scarabia, the appearance obsessed potioneers of Pomefiore, the socially challenged techies of Ignihyde and the skilled mages of Diasomnia. The source material is a videogame after all so perhaps a deeper characterization is too much to expect, especially given the breadth of characters. Or this is setting up a storyline for everyone to realize they are more than just the stereotypical personas associated with their houses.

I do wonder how Ace landed up in HeartsLabyul though (leaving aside the obvious card motif). The very basis of the house is a dedication to discipline, no matter how illogical or arcane the rules. And that feels like an antithesis to Ace’s personality. He even ends the episode the exact way he start it, by running afoul of Riddle yet again.

Frankly, not too much happens plot-wise this episode. But it is always fun to get more world-building and for a Disney fan (though perhaps not a Disney purist), it’s a hoot to see the show live up to its name of twisting the classic fairytales we all know and love.

Stray Musings

• Hmmm… Interesting that Yu, despite having no knowledge of the Disney verse, seems to be dreaming of the original Alice in Wonderland cartoon. Some sort of foreshadowing of hidden powers or a clue to how the worlds are interconnected?
• We learn another rule of HeartsLabyul.. that a stolen item must be replaced before the offender can re-enter the house. Setting up the next quest for our main quartet?
• Riddle is the strictest house warden HeartsLabyul has ever had? I wonder if there’s more to that story that we have to find out
• We get to meet a few of the teachers as well inspired by other classic Disney villains (Cruella DeVil, Lady Tremaine, and Gaston).
• Yu’s kendo training coming to the rescue during PE – he’s the only one who looks completely unphased by the punishing exercise routine.