First Impressions: Zero no Tsukaima F12

After nearly four years since the airing of its third season, Princess no Rondo, way back in 2008, Zero no Tsukaima is back with the much of the same old ecchi flair and familiar dynamic love polygons. To avoid starting the season blindly, I took the time to watch the latest season as a refresher since my memory of the prior plot was somewhat cloudy. Sadly, my ambition got the best of me and I crammed everything into the short lapse between Summer and Fall—for those who took part in the hype that was the Fall season, you know that it was a challenge even recalling what you ate for breakfast that day, let alone the plot of an entire series a month prior. Not to mention 2008 marked the time in America where most people spent the day fearing the banks would explode, plunging the nation into a zombie-ridden, post-apocalyptic landscape while the rest subsist on a diet of canned corn and dehydrated milk (unless you’re Will Smith, then you had nothing to worry about).

Fortunately, Zero F wastes no time reminiscing about lost ecchi boob-gropes (except the quickie above), swiftly reintroducing the cast and taking us straight into the plot. Colbert-sensei interrupts another one of Saito and Louise’s heated morning feuds with news that their presence, along with Tiffania, is requested in Romalia—the italian-esque center of the Brimir faith—by Queen Henrietta to meet with religious leader, Pope Vittorio Serevare. In a twist of events, we discover that Louise is not the only Void Mage present, as the Pope and Tiffa as well possess the ability, and the classy blonde prince, Julio (introduced back in the second season) is the Pope’s familiar. In addition, we’re already treated to a fantastic ‘fight sequence’ involving Louise, Saito, and a pair of treasure-stealing goons, concluding the episode with Saito fumbling into Tiffa’s attempt at a summoning ritual and a characteristic love kiss between the two leads—made only better as Tiffa obliviously stumbles right into the thick of it, making for a final laugh that reverberated with much of the same humor that made the prior seasons so successful.

The thing that impressed me most about the plot of the first episode was that nothing felt rushed at all. Events seemed to flow naturally with near flawless transitions, making for a really easy-to-digest episode. What’s more is that the episode managed to check the boxes of the key points I look for in a series debut. Firstly, the characters displayed coherence. In so many series—especially the one’s that advertise humor as a selling point—the director feels inclined to make the characters appear outright stupid, as if a transparent-brained cast would fuel comedy. Of course, Zero no Tsukaima has been guilty with similar attempts in the past, but here they made sure to stay within the bounds of what would be expected from each character, as seen with Louise and Saito’s brief schism in the morning where the sequence was familiar, but not overbearing. Even many the other characters who have a reputation for being overly-zealous, like Kirche Zerbst, appeared to be more docile than I remember—a huge score for the new-and-improved plot. Secondly, I enjoyed watching the plot not only assemble quickly, but also take its first steps forward. Louise and Saito’s efforts in stopping the thieves proved fruitful with Jacques being carried off in custody gave a great sense of resolution, and the humorous part involving Tiffa “summoning” Saito played well to round off the episode.

If I had to pick out a specific complaint about the debut episode, it would most likely relate to my confusion during the final moments of the episode. From the way things looked to me, Saito’s plunge from the roof through the ‘portal’ created during the ritual technically makes him Tiffa’s familiar as well. Plus the earlier argument where Saito stormed off saying that he’d rather be Tiffa’s familiar was an obvious tip-off. As much as I enjoy seeing Saito with his harem of beautiful ladies, I can’t deny feeling a little bit duped at not having another protagonist thrown into the mix—I suppose we’ll just have to hope for some new introductions along the road (as long as it doesn’t involve cross-dressing men and dragons that can change into busty imoutos).

Zero no Tsukaima is one of the shows that I often attribute with sparking my more recent interest—meaning no DBZ, Original Evangelion, Pokemon, etc.—for anime, alongside distinct others like Railgun, the K-ON! series, and Toradora!. Though I enjoyed much of the comedy/ecchi take on the first three seasons, I’m excited to see things take off in a new direction that promises some decent plot development. Yea, maybe the OP “I’ll Be There for You” by Ichiko wasn’t my favorite compared to the others, but by the look of things from a plot perspective, I’d say I’m quite confident that the final season will do well.

For those who’d like to check out the brand new OP, which seems hard-set on juxtaposing Louise’s flat-chest with the “mountain ranges” possessed by the others with its clever panning, watch the video below: