[DreamSword]

Episode 10: Eleanor

This episode was nonstop character drama, which of course means I loved the hell out of it.

The short of it is that while everyone is fighting it out in the home base of Wraith, Eleanor is making contact with Wraith himself, which leads Eleanor into making a life altering decision.

The biggest highlights of this episode are the one-on-one bouts that happen between certain characters. X-On and Steel Ruler, I-Guy and Dead Wing, and of course, Eleanor and Wraith. Each of these feel like a huge leap forward in alot of the arcs that have been going all throughout the anime.

Steel Ruler is the one who shines in the first match-up: Berating X-On for being such an uncaring dick while showing more of her humane side that we saw a couple episodes ago. It's clear to me that she's envious of Eleanor, as while Eleanor has friends who care about her and help her along in her daily life, Steel Ruler very much does not, and she doesn't want to see that taken away from Eleanor, knowing how much of a precious gift that can be.

With the second match-up, it's a conclusion to a rivalry that has been going on ever since the story began, and it's here we learn why exactly Ian's' friends were killed: It was Dead Wing who did it, seeking revenge for all of the times that I-Guy humiliated him.

So what does I-Guy have to say about this particular revelation?

Quite alot!

And of course last and most importantly is Eleanor and Wraith, and to help set the mood, here is what I consider to be Wraith's' theme song, as it plays during the most important stretch of the episode.

It's all talking with these two, with Wraith highlighting just how exactly he managed to get so many Reflected to follow him. He's very much a cult leader, with all the mind games and charismatic talk that comes with such a position. He reveals that he knows alot about Eleanor; Even triggering the memories of abandonment that Eleanor received from her parents and making a solid point about X-On's' trash behavior. The atmosphere here is incredibly spot on and sells the entire thing flawlessly.

And in the end, it leads to Eleanor being possessed by Wraith, and one final, big, revelation.

Wraith is actually Ethan, the brother of Eleanor who was allegedly dead for all these years. It's a wonderful hook and brings a level of credence to Wraith's' claims that Eleanor was the centerpiece of alot of the plot that's been going on over most of the show.

In the end, I feel like this episode highlights alot about what I love to see in this show, and makes for a great lead-in to the final stage.