Queen’s Blade 2nd season 7

Lured into a match against Listy in a cave filled with giant crystals, Irma realizes too late she’s fallen right into queen Aldra’s trap and she soon finds herself battered under the powerful blows of Listy’s heavy spiked mace.

Watching the battle being broadcast, Echidna remembers teaching young Irma and how even back then she couldn’t convince the girl to drop her quest to take queen Aldra’s life, though it had never the wild elf’s intent to teach Irma assassination techniques so she could enact revenge on the queen.

Injured, Irma knows she will have no second chances to strike while slowly creeping up behind Listy. Seeing her own reflection in the crystals, Listy has an episode, her brainwashed mind trying to break free while she grabs her head in agony.

Using this mere instant to launch a desperate strike, Irma lunges her blades straight for her opponent’s heart but her attack misses and the girl is violently crushed underneath Listy’s mace. Coughing up blood, Irma’s lifeless body slumps to the floor and as her consciousness ebbs away, the last thing she sees is Echidna’s image and she desperately cries out the wild elf’s name.

Witnessing the battle’s outcome on the broadcast, Airi reflects how Listy is the worst possible opponent to have since she’s possessed by an evil spirit.

Asking Rana why he helped her back when they faced queen Aldra who had then just petrified his mother, Airi blushes when the young boy tightly embraces her, calling her onee-chan. Not having fed of anyone’s life force for some time, Airi has trouble keeping her maid clothes from disappearing, much to her own embarrassment.

Finding Irma’s body in a grim back alley where it was dumped by queen Aldra’s servants who had left the girl for dead, Echidna picks her up for she still barely clings to life.

Facing Elina on a dark, icy plain in the midst of heavy snowfall, Tomoe’s resolve seems for naught when Elina exploits the miko’s most obvious weakness, her gentle nature.

Berating Tomoe, Elina’s psychological attacks soon have effect as she’s able to unsettle the miko and unexpectedly strike at her. Hesitant to counterattack because Elina is Reina’s sister, Tomoe feels her bond with Reina doesn’t permit her from going all out against her opponent.

Hearing Tomoe is acquainted with Reina, Elina gets the wrong idea about their relationship and soon descends into a sheer frenzy spawned from unhealthy jealousy. Mercilessly attacking the miko, Elina soon has Tomoe down on the ground and she lunges in to deliver the final blow.

Taking the initiative back at the very last instant with a formidable counterattack, Tomoe’s advanced martial techniques disable Elina with a bone wrecking strike that twists the girl’s spine.

At the church, Nanael laments her empty stomach while she’s forced to join Melfa in a training session of empowering poses which more than anything, turn out to be embarrassing poses.
Seeing one of queen Aldra’s minions appear before them, Nanael rejoices at finally getting to fight her first battle.

Scooping up the last of his food, Rana sees one of queen Aldra’s minions has come to take Airi to her next match.
Visibly worried her chances of winning are slim to none if she cannot suck enough life force from her opponent, Airi nonetheless tells Rana to stay behind when the young boy clings to the maid, saying he will accompany her.

Finding themselves in queen Aldra’s palace, Nanael and Airi both lament their empty stomachs before they come face to face with each other and the queen.
Realizing Aldra is surely up to no good, Airi fruitlessly tries to warn Nanael that the queen intends to petrify them but the cheeky angel has gone off into a self-advertising solo about her own grandeur, leaving the maid to sigh in despair.

Returning after her own battle, Tomoe finds Shizuka has left, leaving behind only a note telling the miko where to find her.
Joining the sly kunoichi, Tomoe is utterly shocked when Shizuka asks if the miko really thinks she stuck with her for that long out of any sense of honor, friendship or even their supposed goal to save their country.

Unsure what to think of Shizuka’s maniacal laughter, Tomoe cannot believe her eyes when the kunoichi dons the emblem of her ninja assassination clan once again, intent on taking the miko’s life.

Unable to believe the one she thought of as her dearest friend would take up the bloodstained path of her assassin’s clan again, Tomoe hesitates to fight all out, even though Shizuka doesn’t hold back.

Saying Tomoe will be unable to win any further battles in the tournament, become the new queen and save their country if she doesn’t stand firm and show resolve, Shizuka clashes blades with the miko until she sees that Tomoe finally has the resolve needed to win.

Realizing Tomoe would else only end up losing her life in upcoming battles, Shizuka chose to seriously fight the miko, even sacrificing her own life in battle against her beloved friend, knowing that such a drastic measure was necessary to get Tomoe to attain the necessary mental plain she’d need to win the tournament.

Clashing blades one last time, Shizuka drops to the ground, thinking how much she loves Tomoe and with her final breath, she tells her beloved friend not to cry. Reading the kunoichi’s parting message hidden on her headband, Tomoe endlessly cries over the body of her treasured friend.

The previous episodes already surprised me by being better than anticipated and taking “Queen’s Blade” overall level up a notch but if they keep on track like this week’s episode, “Queen’s Blade” may have an unexpectedly good second half and finale.

Quite surprising for them to have Shizuka sacrifice herself in a mortal battle with Tomoe, all to take Tomoe to the next level she needed to achieve if she would have any chance at all in winning the tournament.
The entire scene was well played out and Shizuka’s sacrifice was well done, Tomoe not hesitating to slay her dear friend and crying her heart out once she read Shizuka’s parting words.

Airi continues to raise in my esteem, loved the scenes of her with Rana. Though am curious to see how her fight with Nanael will turn out, will it be one big comic relief event as both Nanael and Airi have been known to be used as comic relief characters or will we once again have more daring plot choices?

The unexpected twists in this episode make me regret they put in so much typical fanservice with explicit bare bosoms, because an episode like this shows “Queen’s Blade” has tremendous potential to be a serious martial combat series with heart wrenching scenes such as Shizuka’s death.
Would have been even more powerful if Irma would have perished as well since the blow to the spine she received should have been lethal or at least crippling. But gather killing off two characters in one episode would have been a bit much.

Still, respect and like such bold decisions to kill off a character to enhance the storytelling and development. Will miss Shizuka but will be interesting to see how Tomoe evolves from now on.

Now how will Airi and Nanael fare being stuck in queen Aldra’s lair?