Knight’s and Magic: Season 1/ Episode 5 “Hide & Seek” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

We finally learn the name of the Order of the Bronze Fang’s leader but we don’t necessarily learn why she is trying to start a war. Besides a love for chaos.

The Siege of Fort Casadesus: Kerhilt, Ernie, Edgar, Dietrich, Archid, Adultrud

After killing and kidnapping a Silhouette Knight, Kerhilt and her team infiltrate For Casadesus, murder guards and steal Ernie’s version of the Silhouette Knights. However, thanks to Knight Commander Fredholm, alongside Edgar, Dietrich, Ernie, and the twins Archid and Adultrud, they don’t get far. In fact, only Kerhilt is able to escape with one of Ernie’s designs. The rest are defeated and the suits retrieved.

Commentary

It’s kind of weird to me how easy it is to sum up the episodes of this show. But, then again, outside of the mech fights, nothing else really happens. We learn a few names of the Order of the Bronze Fang’s members, but still, have no idea what their end game is. Much less, again, besides a desire for war and chaos, why they are doing all this. But, here is hoping the next episode provides more than this one did.

The Order of the Silver Phoenix: Ernie

After what happened in Fort Casadesus, and the valiant effort Ernie and his friends put in, King Ambrosius gives Ernie a great honor. He makes him the head of his own order: The Order of the Silver Phoenix. An order dedicated and lead by Ernie’s modified Silhouette Knights that the king wants to see continued work on in secret.

Its members will be the twins, Ernie of course, Dietrich, Helvi, Edgar, alongside the two engineers who have been with Ernie from the start.

Commentary

Maybe it is just me, but I feel like I get more story out of Netsuzou Trap, which is only 9 minutes, compared to this which is around 23. And while I get this is a mecha anime which means a lot action, isn’t there supposed to be some kind of story there too? Granted, there is Kerhilt and learning what she and her order are trying to do, but you don’t get this vibe of urgency out of her. More so, it is like she is from a rival Academy and is trying to get the upper hand in a Silhouette Knight exhibition contest. That is, rather than being the sole villain of the show.

But, let’s be real, things aren’t that much better on the hero side. The adults sometimes seem interchangeable for outside of Marquis Dixgard, the king, and the twin’s father, they seem to all have the same personality but slightly different looks. Then when it comes to the teens, and maybe this is just me, the only thing which makes them stand out is their style. That and Helvi is one of the few women, outside of Kerhilt, who gets to pilot a Silhouette Knight.

I mean, for all the time jumps and sped up world building this show tries to do, it really does feel it has left its character behind. Almost like the person who wrote this, very much like Ernie, was a mecha otaku and that was the only thing they really wanted to focus on. Different types of mechs, of various Gundam inspired shapes and sizes, and just enough story to connect the action scenes and us getting to watch and understand how these robots function.

Which I won’t say is necessarily horrible, but without any big personalities and everyone seeming rather hushed and basic, it is making for an increasingly dull experience.

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Where the hell are Ernie’s parents?