However you thought the show was going to follow up on last week’s episode, you’re probably mistaken. Let’s see how Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 7 tried to deal with the fallout of the previous episode.
Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 7 Overview
Reign of the Seven Spellblades, or Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru in original Japanese, is an action and fantasy anime set on the backdrop of a magical world that is being produced by anime studio J.C.Staff. The studio is also known for producing and animating popular shows such as Toradora and One Punch Man. This episode is also known as Nanatsuma Episode 7.
The series is based on a light novel written by Bokuto Uno and Ruria Miyuki and is directed by Masato Matsune. He has been behind several smaller-scale productions before this, even directing shows like Megido 72 and Chronos Ruler. Click here to read the review of the previous episode in the series.
– Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru Episode 7 Review does not contain spoilers –
Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 7 Review- Reversi
What a weird, weird episode of television. After murdering a teacher and putting on a mask which gives him the reigns to a group that aims to destroy the school from the inside, Oliver spends the entirety of this episode being an ally. Now, let’s get it straight from the start- this isn’t about the subject matter of this episode, and I am glad that a fantasy anime like this can deal with matters of differing gender identities in such a level-headed and progressive way. What’s confusing is the point of time in the story that it happened.
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The show was coming in hot off of two game-breaking reveals- the possession of spellblades by both Nanao and Oliver, alongside Oliver’s quest for revenge on the entire school for the betrayal and murder of his mother. The show followed up on none of those things in the very next episode, this one, except for the very first scene, which saw the teachers meet up about it and not being too concerned about the death of one of their accomplices. They all looked suitably evil, but none of their characters have been explored beyond that.
What we did end up exploring in Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 7 is Pete’s gender identity and the fluid nature of it. It is refreshing to see a positive take on it for once, where a character going through these changes wasn’t overtly sexualised but welcomed by a community that was built to help kids guide through this journey. When you feel different from everyone around you, a little support can be all you need to feel just as welcomed and appreciated and turn you into a more productive member of society, which was illustrated well by the show.
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But, and you knew there was going to be a but, none of this felt necessary to the show as it exists right now. Sure, it gave Pete a character like the show gave to Katie, Oliver and Nanao and like Guy and Michella are probably going to get. However, none of that is the actually interesting part of the show. There is a conspiracy with murders and destructive weapons of a fatal kind that no one even knows about, and this is what you choose to build an episode around.
Oliver is also really good at pretending, or the writers seem to forget about the revenge side of his character whenever he is not actively working on it. He doesn’t appear to be hiding anything at all in the other episodes. It’s like the Oliver who is on the screen in most episodes, and the one who is out for revenge against the school are two different characters. It wasn’t a bad episode overall and had some decent moments. However, this episode wasn’t what anybody expected after the previous one and shouldn’t have come at this point in the story.
Overall
Reign of the Seven Spellblades Episode 7 was a weird and off-kilter follow-up to the best episode of the season, and while being remarkably positive in its portrayal of gender identity, it didn’t move the storyline forward in any meaningful way.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!
Really what this episode is doing is laying some of the groundwork for the next story arc. The guy in the window during the stinger is going to be formally introduced next episode, and Pete being a reversi plays a fairly important role in the volume 3 story (somebody confirmed there will be a thirteenth episode, so it’s likely they’re going to try to do all of the first-year volumes).
Also it should be fairly clear by now: this series TAKES ITS TIME, and there’s good reasons for it. Oliver can’t afford to draw undue attention to himself so he can’t overtly use his mother’s powers, and he didn’t simply inherit those abilities either and using them too much in a short time could outright kill him. Even being stronger than average for first-year students, he’s no match for a teacher in a straight fight (and neither is Nanao for that matter: episode 3 left out a scene where she spars with Luther Garland and gets her ass handed to her on a platter). Darius made himself a target of opportunity by bringing Oliver into the labyrinth alone; Oliver’s conspiracy otherwise has to plan their assassinations extremely carefully and avoid being noticed. And he makes a couple of costly mistakes with the next one (which is part of the second-year books, so they’ll probably only get to it if the series is renewed).
You make a good point about Oliver being two-faced. Personally I think the “nice guy” personality he presents to the world is actually his real one: make no mistake, the mage world is awful (mages play the game of thrones, non-magic humans are second-class citizens, and intelligent nonhumans are third-class IF THEY’RE LUCKY), and it’s possible the whole revenge plot may not have been completely his idea but rather something he was encouraged into by his extended family. Also, he picks the targets, but Gwyn and Shannon are the ones doing most of the planning and logistics.
As always, really insightful comment! However, the one thing that I will say this time is that this is a review of the anime Reign of The Seven Spellblades as it airs. I am trying to look into a currently airing series to see if it is worth giving a try. At the end of the day, it doesn’t actually matter what happens in the manga beyond the point of the anime coming to an end.
I am trying to see how the anime stands up on its own and the decision that it makes. This was also the same criticism I had for Chainsaw Man as an adaptation. It doesn’t matter how the story continues in the manga and gets much better. All I am looking to see is if the anime had a good enough ending to the season and still left the viewers wanting more. Chainsaw Man did not do that for me, but the Jury is still out for Reigns.
I’m hoping that the Reversi storyline gets a good use, but since I won’t be there to see it, it doesn’t faster into my review of that particular episode. Same goes for Oliver’s overt carefulness. In any case, I do have high expectations for this show!
Yeah, I recognize that “anime only” viewers are coming into this from a different perspective from a guy who’s been waiting for the adaptation of a favorite book, and I do agree that adaptations need to be able to stand on their own two feet. As a rule, I tend to be critical of people who say to go read the tie-ins to explain away plot holes (2001: A Space Odyssey and The Rise of Skywalker being major offenders).
IMHO it is a bit different with adapted anime, though, since most of them nowadays tend to only adapt the first parts of stories that are often much, much longer and it’s rare to get more than 12-13 episodes. Realist Hero for example only adapted the first four volumes of a series that’s run to 17 books and counting. Reign similarly is time-budgeted for a 21-volume novel series (it’s up to nine volumes in English) but, as I said, we’re likely to only get the first three unless it’s renewed (which I really hope it is).
I hope it is renewed as well! It is a fascinating series with a power system and a plotline that I would love to get explored a lot more!