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Review: Wolf Girl and Black Prince, Episode 3: A Precipitous Drop

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Review:

Well, I didn’t expect the actual love plot line to start soon into the series. I thought it would be something that gradually developed between the two characters. Obviously, I was wrong, so at the very least the show shed some of its predictability from my perspective. One inquire as to what, exactly, Erika has found to fall in love with, though, as Sata has been nothing but twisted towards her (save for that one time he stepped in to defend her). Whatever it is, though, one thing is clear: Sata doesn’t return the feeling.

To be fair, though, the show has begun to paint a picture of Sata’s past, which seems to play into why he is the way he is, and why he has no desire for love. Something has happened (as symbolized in the flashback with the crushed snowman) that has either made Sata hard-hearted to love, or completely cold to the emotion. Even accepting care from Erika while sick seemed to be hard for him at first.

One thing that is interesting is that Erika’s lying seems to have quickly taken a backseat in terms of plot relevance. Yes, we still see elements of it pop up (such as when she states that she and Sata went to the mountains during break), but it doesn’t seem to play much of a role in the overall plot. Considering that her lying was such a big issue (and was the basis for the entire series, basically), it is interesting that this part of her character has quickly taken a backseat.

I still think it’s pretty obvious that, eventually, Sata and Erika will be a legitimate couple. I suppose it’s not all that original that the plot seems to be moving towards the “girl fixes guy’s emotional scars” trope, either, but it is still an enjoyable show, and (in this writer’s opinion) worth looking into if you like romance anime.

A Christian Perspective:

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. (Matthew 13: 3-4)

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. (Matthew 13: 19)

At the end of the episode, Erika works up the nerve to finally confess her love to Sata, only to be quickly turned away and (at least seemingly) her feelings changed. At face value, it seems that Sata was easily able to make her doubt that her feelings for him are false (of course, I guess it’s possible that Erika just went along with it, but only time will tell). This could be compared to the above sections from the Parable of the Sower, where Jesus describes some of those who hear the Gospel as having the message snatched away from their hearts by Satan. As He explains in verse 19, this happens because they hear the message and do not understand it. Similarly, Erika has never fallen in love with someone before, so when she confesses her love to Sata, he uses this against her to make her doubt her feelings.

This is also a good place to talk about placing too much emphasis on emotions and feelings. If our faith is based too much in how we feel in the moment as opposed to the truth of God’s Word, then it is easy to struggle with believing we are sincere in our faith when the feelings begin to fade away. In the same way, if Erika had examined herself a little closer and found that her love for Sata was deep and rooted, then perhaps she wouldn’t have been so quickly persuaded to walk away.

Content Guide:

Language: 1 “da**it”, 1 “d*rn”, 2 “p*sses”

Alcohol/Drug Use: None

Nudity/Sex/Fanservice: Tezuka is shown in a cleavage-revealing bikini; Marin is also shown in a bikini; it is implied that Sata had sex with a random woman

Violence: Sata pinches Erika’s cheek (twice)

Blood/Gore: None

Review: Wolf Girl and Black Prince, Episode 2: A Rash and Blind Act

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Review:

Well, so far my fears seem to be unfounded. This episode, at the very least, did not contain even a hint of sexual humor. That’s always a good thing. In essence, the episode focuses on Erika’s desire to find true romance, which would then break her need for Sata and enable her to break free from his control. Enter Kimura, who saves her from some bullies, checks up on her, and bandages her knee. He even takes her on a date. In short, everything that Erika could want in a guy is embodied in Kimura.

Truth be told, this is a predictable episode. From the get go, it’s easy to figure out that things clearly aren’t what they seem. This isn’t the boring kind of predictable, though, as it becomes a game of figuring out exactly how things are going to play out. We may be able to figure out the general direction of the events, but it’s still fun to see the specific details, and that’s what makes this episode worth watching. You’re essentially waiting to see when and how things will turn sour.

That’s not to say this episode is without some sweetness (at least, by this show’s standards). While it’s hard to argue Sata as being even remotely a “good” guy, the ending of the episode suggests that he might have a heart somewhere in that chest of his. It would even be endearing that he stands up for Erika, if not for the fact that he basically makes a statement labeling her as his property. In all of this we see what was another inevitability: the start of Erika falling for Sata. I mean, come on, we all know that’s where this is going, right?

A Christian Perspective:

A valuable lesson to take away from this episode is that our love should not depend on our emotions. Of course, we all have those times where we say we love someone and have that statement backed up by our emotional feelings. That’s how it was for me after I was first saved, and I imagine I’m not the only one. In another sense, when we first meet our spouses and begin dating them, we grow to love them, and that knowledge is backed up by emotion. Some might use this to define being “in love”. But what happens when those feelings fade? Is our love based on something more solid and true than our fleeting emotions, or do we fall apart and find ourselves disappointed because we relied on something so flimsy?

Spoilers ahead:

This is essentially what happens to Erika in this episode. She assumes that she is in love with Kimura because he is nice to her, and that in turn makes her feel a certain way. In the end, with her heart broken and with Sata as her only source of comfort, she is informed by Sata (of all people!) that she couldn’t rely on those feelings essentially because she was actively looking for romance. While this particular explanation doesn’t meld well with the overall lesson above, the general theme is what’s important here: our feelings can lie, or at the very least deceive. It’s not so much how we conduct ourselves and devote ourselves when we feel emotionally strong towards the one we love—be it our love for Jesus or our love for our significant other—that matters. It’s what we do when we don’t “feel” that love. Do we rely on the truth, that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that He will never leave us or forsake us, and is therefore worthy of our loyalty? Do we rely on the evidence that we may have read in support of the resurrection (my apologetics fans will know what I mean)? Or do we turn away and assume that what we felt for Jesus was just a passing wind and not real, because we don’t feel the same way?

Admittedly, I don’t have a particular Scripture to point you to. Yes, Jesus makes it very clear that we are to trust in Him, but offhand I cannot think of any Scripture that specifically tells us not to rely on our emotions (though, I also cannot think of one that tells us to do so). The best I can offer you is personal experience, in that serving Jesus, sacrificing for Jesus, and even the idea of dying for Jesus were much easier things to stomach when I was on that “spiritual high” of first being saved. It becomes much more challenging when we don’t “feel” some kind of great emotion to drive us on, perhaps because we don’t feel like we’re getting anything in return when we don’t feel the “warm fuzzies”. It is at this point that we must determine if our devotion to Jesus was real and based on the foundation of who He is, or if it was simply based on the fact that He made us feel good at the time. My pastor once explained to me that sometimes God will do that—He will pull away a bit to see if you will stick with Him, or if you’ll walk away from Him once the feeling’s gone.

Content Guide:

Language: 1 “a**”, 1 “dumba**”; 1 “h*ll”

Alcohol/Drug Use: None

Nudity/Sex/Fanservice: None

Violence: Three girls start tugging on Erika; Erika is hit with several different types of sporting balls (volleyball, basketball, tennis ball, etc.); a character is punched in the face; Sata flicks Erika in the forehead

Blood/Gore: None

Review: Wolf Girl and Black Prince, Episode 1: Caught in Her Own Trap

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Review:

Erika has a problem—she is a liar. In all fairness, she is a high school girl who wants to fit in, and if memory serves this reviewer well then having a group is almost a necessity in Japanese social life. I could be wrong, but it would certainly explain the anxiety of Erika wanting to find someone to accept her. Then again, this happens even in American society—how many kids transform themselves into something they aren’t just so they can fit in with the “cool” and “popular” crowds? So I suppose Erika’s situation isn’t all that unique. Nevertheless, it doesn’t justify lying, but this seems to be Erika’s modus operandi, and as we quickly see this gets her into trouble.

By the time Erika actually makes it into her homeroom, the only “group” she manages to find consists of a couple girls who are of dubious morality. As her newfound friends begin to talk about their boyfriends (including one friend’s comments about her sexual relationship with her boyfriend), Erika feels the need to step in and talk about her non-existent boyfriend. Her new friends become suspicious, of course, which requires Erika to step up her game. How does she do that? By snapping a picture of a random guy on her phone and claiming him to be her boyfriend. Things become more complicated when the guy not only ends up being a student at her school, but also turns out to be a high-profile student known as the “prince of class 8”.

The plot continues on a downward spiral from there, as Erika drags off Sata (the aforementioned “prince”) and explains the situation to him, gaining his support at one cost: she has to be his “dog”. It seems that Sata has something of a sadistic side to him. My prediction for this series is that it will ultimately result in Erika and Sata actually falling in love with each other, and in the process they will either help each other change or find that they are the “perfect” couple because no one else could ever deal with their character quirks.

I have to be honest in saying that I’m not entirely sure if I will stick this one out. It will depend on how subsequent episodes go. There are some mildly lewd conversations in this episode that ultimately discuss premarital sex and bondage, although they don’t go into any really graphic detail. On top of that, there is always the potential that Sata’s attitude towards Erika could turn perverse. It is kind of stated in this episode that he won’t go in that direction, but only time will tell if that is true. Then, of course, there’s the fact that neither of these characters really has any redeeming qualities. Erika is a liar and Sata kind of is, too, although Sata’s actions near the episode’s end suggest that there may be a little more to him than what we’ve seen thus far. So, for now, I will keep this one in the rotation, but I am prepared to drop it if need be.

A Christian Perspective:

Exodus 20:16 – “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

And in case you’d like to argue that the above Scripture doesn’t necessarily condemn lying:

Revelation 21:9 – But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Well, I don’t really think I have to expound upon this connection very much. Erika is a habitual liar, and Scripture clearly condemns lying. On top of that, we see the consequences of her lying crop up throughout the episode, as one lie ultimately leads to another, until Erika finds herself neck deep in a situation that she never could have imagined. Proverbs 22:7 reads, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”

While Erika may not be borrowing money from Sata, she is still indebted to him. Basically, if he doesn’t play ball, then her high school reputation is ruined, she’ll have no friends, and her worse fears will come true. Yes, her motivations are shallow, but regardless her goals depend on his cooperation. Since he owes her nothing, she finds herself at his mercy, enslaved to whatever requests he may throw at her lest he expose her lie to her friends.

Content Guide:

Language: 2 “h*ck”

Alcohol/Drug Use: None

Nudity/Sex/Fanservice: Intro shows a male character lying in a seductive pose with his stomach exposed and a chess piece in his mouth; some lewd conversations between two high school girls–mentions of purchasing lingerie and sex outside of marriage

Violence: A character is hit in the head with a soccer ball; a character’s cheek is pinched; a character is flicked in the forehead

Blood/Gore: None