One thing someone brought up in the comments – I don’t remember where exactly so apologies random person on the internet – is that the symbolism in this opening is strong, especially with Jinshi being represented by the moon. Early on in this opening we see him standing in front of the moon, which is large in the background before later on we see Maomao try and grab the moon from the sky. Metaphorically of course, but the metaphor still stands. I think that’s an interesting way of portraying their relationship because although Maomao clearly cares for the royal sad boy, there hasn’t been much in the way of progression of feelings. Romance is a part of this show, but it’s more subtle than it would be if this were purely a romance anime. I wonder how much development we’ll get this season. 

We also see several characters throughout this opening – including the emperor himself – steal glances at the moon. Some seemingly become more aware of its presence while others look on with a prideful look on their face. I wonder if this is supposed to represent their feelings towards Jinshi. Speaking of Jinshi, we see him being almost swallowed up by the locusts that we saw in the first episode. Perhaps alluding to the fact that dealing with these locusts will take a lot out of him? One can only speculate and I often speculate incorrectly. 

I wasn’t planning on going into it this deeply, but we also see two women exchanging moons. One of the moons then promptly dims, signifying something we’ve been hinted at repeatedly throughout the series that I don’t think has been explicitly said yet about the situation in the royal family. Besides these things, there is a lot more imagery that probably has a deeper meaning as well but it’s either beyond me or it reveals something I don’t know about yet. Either way, just seeing this opening is getting me excited to dive deeper into this story and read the novels in the future. Let’s move on to the episode proper.

What we get today is a story from a shop owner. Of course, the story will undoubtedly be a way to set up upcoming plot points, but let’s not worry about that this much. Boy meets girl, girl gets homesick but agrees to marry the boy anyway. Unfortunately it’s not that nice of a story as the budding love quickly turns into a kidnapping. The girl – who wants to go back to her family – is now being cleansed in the lake. As a final act of resistance she sets herself on fire and vanishes into the lake, only leaving behind the garment. Either the culture this girl was from, the fabric used in this garment or the type of oil she seemingly poured over herself will end up being important. And it looks like this garment is the one that’s important. It is fire-retardant. And in demonstrating so, Maomao earns both of them some free clothes. The revelation that the writing in the pattern was probably a message crying for help is pretty cool and also really sad. The family that appeared to pick her up must have known she was most likely there, yet couldn’t actually get to her. Kidnappers are evil. Does this mean that the girl didn’t actually disappear into the water but instead she managed to escape. The connection Maomao makes between her and the two emissaries means that this is probably important. 

We return back to the locust story when Jinshi visits Maomao at the Verdigris house. She tells Jinshi about the warnings that she has seen and received about a poor harvest coming up. The timing of it all couldn’t be any worse. The Shi clan being destroyed is an omen and the locusts are the proof. With the books that are being sold around the stronghold holding some information on locusts and grasshoppers, we can start slowly working on a counterplan. But putting aside some pretty big problems currently exhausting Jinshi, it’s time for a break. The two tease each other and things are probably about to turn pretty awkward for Jinshi as what he thinks he’s getting is not what he will be getting.

I’m pretty confident that he thinks Maomao will be spending time in the same room, but instead she has just gotten him an all inclusive package with the women from the house. Poor Jinshi. I know that 19 year olds are considered adults in modern society and definitely a world like this where that line of being underage is much more blurry, but working in a secondary school where the oldest kids walking around are about 18 or 19 years old I can tell you that they can still very much be children. Jinshi has had a fairly sheltered upbringing during which he has not been able to really express himself or spend much time being a child. I think that although libido plays a role in his current feelings, he also genuinely wants the companionship of someone his age that treats him like a normal person, a child even at times. It’s quite sad to see this play out as it shows how much young men in this world get neglected and aren’t given the time to experience their feelings properly. I know we’re keeping it light because we’re enjoying an anime, but there’s very clear parallels to the real world here in how in many cultures it is valued to be manly and the idea of wanting a girl to sing you a lullaby before going to bed would be frowned upon by your peers. But it is such a sweet want to have. It’s harmless, it shows respect and love to the other and it’s gentle to its core. Jinshi is a gentle soul and we are reminded of that fact in this scene. I wonder if Jinshi has ever received kindness that is this gentle and small in scale. And with a song from Maomao we go to sleep. Of course Pairin sees right through what is happening and pesters Maomao with it. Maomao knows too, but is she ready to admit it?

Finally let me make the connection that some of you undoubtedly already made. I was complaining about Psyren being way too obvious in its addressing the reader to the point where it was grating earlier, to some friends, yet it looks like my media literacy still has a ways to go, but the girl distributing drugs in the poor districts of the capital likely has something to do with the woman from the cloak story. Perhaps they are one and the same, returning to take vengeance on the country that treated her so poorly. We have two major stories set up right now, with more likely soon to follow. I’m excited to experience all of this with you all each week. Thanks for reading!