In this episode, Mash faces off against Abel, a puppeteer. The episode begins with an anticipated battle between the two characters.
Abel uses his puppeteer abilities to control Mash's movements. At first, he manipulates Mash's fists, which are his main strength, against himself. However, Abel is unaware that Mash possesses no magic and relies solely on his physical abilities. Since Abel realizes this tactic isn't very effective, he quickly abandons it.
Throughout the fight, Mash skillfully dodges the puppet strings Abel uses to control him, disables them, and renders them harmless. The action sequences between Mash and a puppet-controlled Finn are fluid and meticulously animated. Although Abel employs an advanced puppeteering technique as his final move, Mash manages to neutralize it.
During the entire episode, Abel incessantly explains and describes his abilities and intentions, which may come across as repetitive. Another character, Love Cute, also chimes in mid-battle to narrate what's happening.
After Abel's defeat, he reveals his tragic backstory. These background details feel unnecessary, as his motives were already clear through his actions and behavior earlier.
Without much pause from the concluded battle, the episode quickly transitions to another scene involving the characters Rayne and Lance. Here, they face a feigned attack from a new enemy. This episode introduces a new group of antagonists and their plans, which is unexpected considering this is the penultimate episode of the anime series.
The episode ends with the introduction of the new enemies and uncertainty about what will happen in the final episode. The narrative is action-packed, with the fight between Mash and Abel as the highlight, though some viewers might find the pacing and the introduction of new elements abrupt.
This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical support and editorially reviewed before publication.