Temporary Note: Unrelated but I have my fourth and possibly final episode review poll up and running! The poll ends on Sunday, March 31. You will most likely need a Twitter/X account in order to vote.
Back to featuring entirely new characters this time around. I doubt there really is a pattern at this point but I can’t help but speculate on this season’s structure.
Season 2 Episode 7’s first half features two new characters. The first is a samurai named Soemon (Tsuyoshi Koyama) and the second is a diviner named Doshun (Daisuke Hirakawa). Soemon hails from the Land of Mountains while Doshun hails from the Land of Sea. Because of their different backgrounds and the heated rivalry between their respective nations, the two men bicker at each other every time they run into each other at Nekoya. I’m surprised to see that they’re allowed to argue in Nekoya, putting aside the fact that almost everyone seems to be used to it. The Master made it clear back in the series premiere that he’ll refuse to serve anyone who gets too violent. Plus, we have our murder goddess dragon elf waitress guarding the place. Funnily enough, Kuro does intervene at one point and both guys immediately figure out that it’s best not to provoke her any further and calm down.
As the segment continues, you see why the Master isn’t too concerned. After Kuro intervenes, Soemon and Doshun surprisingly take a seat at the same table and chat about their respective nations. They get especially friendly with one another when the food arrives. As the Master puts it, there’s some mutual respect between the two underneath all of their bickering. I must say, it’s pretty clever to have both characters order the different variants of okonomiyaki and then try each other’s variant when they order seconds. That’s a solid metaphor to convey the nature of their relationship. Having Aletta and Kuro observe the two and understand what the Master is talking about is also a nice touch.
We get a very brief interlude where the Master adds shaved ice to his menu and gives some to Aletta and Kuro to enjoy. I’m kind of shocked to see Kuro try shaved ice, if only because it’s unrelated to curry. I half-expected her to slap some curry onto her cup of shaved ice. Maybe I’m overthinking this but I wonder if it’s intentional that Aletta chooses red syrup for herself and blue for Kuro. I’ve always seen these two as opposites to each other, both in appearance and in personality. Definitely the cutest part is the girls experiencing brain freeze for the first time. I guess if you’ve never had a frozen treat while growing up, that sensation is bound to be quite a shock. It’s especially funny with Kuro considering that she’s one of the strongest characters in the show. She helped kill an Eldritch horror. Very few characters dare to cross her. And yet, brain freeze intimidates her.
The second half of the episode introduces us to Ilzegant (Akeno Watanabe), an elf who lives on a floating island created by his parents after an epidemic (which is easily one of the most unique bits of lore in this show). Ilzegant has a bad case of ennui, due to living on his island for centuries, so he gets extremely curious when he first steps into Nekoya. I’m kind of disappointed that he isn’t accompanied by one of the robotic golems he has to help maintain his island. It’d be unrealistic but I really wanted to see a golem hunched up at one of the tables.
Unsure of what to order, Ilzegant simply asks Aletta for the most unusual dish on the menu, leading to him ordering some green tea shaved ice. Given that it’s a new item on the menu and it’s prepared differently than the other desserts, I can see how the shaved ice would come across as the most unusual item at the moment. Like with Aletta and Kuro, Ilzegant gets struck with brain freeze. That the girls feel his pain, even though they’re not eating shaved ice at the same time as him, is very funny. I think the poor girls have been traumatized by their first bout with brain freeze.
I like how the shaved ice remedies Ilzegant’s ennui. For starters, it’s the most refreshing thing he’s eaten in centuries and it’ll presumably give him something to look forward to every week (until the Master pulls it off the menu but don’t worry about that). While eating, Ilzegant realizes that many of his crops could be used to replicate the green tea shaved ice. He is missing some of the more modern-day ingredients though fortunately for him, the Master shares those with him for free (the Master’s kindness never ceases to amaze me). It seems that Ilzegant has found an endeavor for him to pursue, one that’ll liven things up for the time being.
At this point, I really want an episode where the more food savvy characters compete against each other. Like, have Ilzegant compete against Fardania and Sirius and see who can get the closest to reproducing Nekoya’s menu. That would be a lot of fun to watch.
Watch Restaurant to Another World 2 on Crunchyroll
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