Princess Connect! Re: Dive (Episode 18) – Light and Darkness as One ~Churrasco of Indecision and Resolve~

The Gourmet Guild finds themselves in trouble when Pecorine vanishes in the middle of a battle with a giant Golem. Pecorine, however, may have things worse as she faces the person that took everything from her!
Princess Connect! Re: Dive (Episode 18) – Light and Darkness as One ~Churrasco of Indecision and Resolve~
What happened?
Pecorine finds herself in the throne room of the Landosol Palace facing the person that stole her life, but apparently, that’s still not enough. Mana Senri, or Kaiser Insight as she’s also known, tells Pecorine that she has brought her here to see if she’s ready for harvesting. She’s been watching over her, waiting for the time to break her and feast on her despair. Will Pecorine be able to stand up to Mana even when faced with losing everything once more?
Back on Monster Island, Yuuki discovers that the shadows are drawn to Kiiri, the copy of Kasumi that seemed to gain life through Yuuki’s support magic. They use that to draw them away from the populace, but something happens and Kiiri’s erasure begins. Yuuki desperately tried to stop it and regained some of his memories, but that wasn’t enough. Kiiri dies leaving the shadows to return to their original path. Yuuki and the others fight back and then Pecorine appears overhead once more and unleashes a monstrous Princess Strike.

What did you think?
These last two episodes have been incredible. The scale of the revelations and the quality of the animation was as good as anything. This could have been the climax to a season and it’s not even the midpoint here. I can’t wait to see what else happens this season. In my review of Episode 16 – Tea Party in the Mysterious Forest ~Afternoon Carries the Scent of Danger~, I mentioned about Mana possibly being a virus that had trapped them all within this world, which is also possibly a digital reality. Well, we don’t have anything concrete yet, but I think I may be on to something.
Anyhow, I have no idea how they managed to pack so much emotion into one episode even skipping the OP and ED. The scene with Pecorine and Mana was tense and terrifying. Then, seeing Yuuki claw back some of his memories was insane. We saw him die at the hands of Mana, although not like the last time. We saw a memory of Kasumi and Kiiri where she appeared in a school uniform and Kiiri was a cat. Then, we had the decision that Yuuki had to make about restarting the world or giving in. Finally, there was that moment between Pecorine and Karyl which was beautiful, in every way imaginable.

What have you learnt?
So, maybe this is an isekai or something live Sword Art Online, however, they’ve pretty much kept that a secret for a whole season and a half and even now, it’s not confirmed. That’s some gutsy storytelling. Having that much confidence in your story to be able to keep something as huge as that a secret is incredible. For most stories, that would be the hook. That’s what they would use to make you watch.
This series has maintained a mystery and while there have been very small hints littered throughout, they have pulled us in by focusing on the world and the characters. There is something undeniably fascinating about the members of the Gourmet Guild. The way their bonds have developed over time has been a joy to watch. I’ve said it before, but if you get the characters right, people will watch them do anything just to spend time with them. Having a story like this is just the icing on the cake.

Episode Highlights










Other reviews in the series
- Season One
- Episode 1 – The Adventure Begins ~Sautéed Mushrooms at Sunset~
- Episode 2 – A Moody Cat’s Mischief ~Warm, Golden Rice Balls~
- Episode 3 – The Epicurean Frontier ~Heavenly Fruit Is the Secret Ingredient~
- Episode 4 – Welcome to the Gourmet Guild ~Beef Stew at Nightfall~
- Episode 5 – Porridge Made With Love ~Topped with a Twilight Fate~
- Episode 6 – Melody of Departure ~Aromatic Spices under the Starry Sky~
- Episode 7 – A Light to Pierce the Darkness ~Like Two Sisters in a Pod~
- Episode 8 – A Little, Lyrical Kids’ Meal ~Country-Style Fried Eggs~
- Episode 9 – A Gourmet Getaway ~Fragrant Tentacles on the Beach~
- Episode 10 – Flowers in Eternal Darkness ~Cursed Pudding~
- Episode 11 – Evening Home ~A Crispy Quest Hot Dog~
- Episode 12 – The Whimsical Patissier’s Specialty ~A Memory of Labyrinths and Crepes~
- Episode 13 – Lost Princess ~Garnished with Smiles~
- Season Two
- Episode 14 – A Walk on the Gourmet Side ~Curiosity Is the Best Bouquet Garni~
- Episode 15 – A Moody Cat’s Hesitation ~Antipasto in the Moonlight~
- Episode 16 – Tea Party in the Mysterious Forest ~Afternoon Carries the Scent of Danger~
- Episode 17 – The Budding Detective ~Mirror Glaze on the Mind~
- Episode 18 – Light and Darkness as One ~Churrasco of Indecision and Resolve~
- Episode 19 – Code Name: Monika ~Bouillabaisse Is Best Enjoyed Hot~
- Episode 20 – The Prankster Pixie ~Cuore in the Mist~
- Episode 21 – A Letter to Join Feelings ~Arancini on the Green Hill~
- Episode 22 – Converging Hearts, Passing Souls ~Crepes the Flavor of a Promise~
- Episode 23 – Landosol at Sundown
- Episode 24 – Those Who Fight Back
- Episode 25 – Connecting the Pieces with You Once More
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