The Miranda Lotto arc comes to its conclusion and it does so in a rather satisfactory fashion. Odd as it may sound, I think that this is the strongest of this batch of episodes. It still pales in comparison to the end of the Mater arc, but this was a strong outing in its own right.
Any qualms you may have had about the time reversal healing Allen’s and Lenalee’s wounds can be lain to rest as it is revealed that it is only a temporary effect. As time goes on, the two start to see their injuries reappear. It does lead to them adapting a “tag team” style approach. One would keep the two Akuma busy while the other went into Miranda’s bubble to heal. It works to the point where even the Akuma are pointing out that they aren’t going to get anywhere at this rate.
As a response, Road tells one of the Akuma to blow himself up. It turns out that if Akuma are killed by anything other than Innocence, the soul is destroyed and can’t be saved like it can through the usual tactics. If you were unsure of Road’s capabilities as a villain, this blows any doubts out of the water as that is rather evil. Even more so, because it’s done purely to get under Allen’s skin and it works.
You’d think, based on previous adventures, that Allen’s rage would be the turning point in the fight, but as Road is a human, Allen can’t bring himself to end her the way he has other villains that he had faced. So, she pretty much just walks off, saying they’ll meet again. It’s not a surprising resolution, but at the very least, there is a very personal stake now that should make for good drama later on.
Any respite, the two exorcists could have had is cut short when Miranda starts to crack. Keeping the Innocence activated as long as she has, has started to take its toll on her. She’s unwilling to turn it off, however as she doesn’t want the severe injuries the two suffered to come back.
This would be a heartwarming gesture in its own right, quite noble too, unfortunately, her motive is a little flimsy. I know, they really played up the idea that no one ever thanked her for anything and she was genuinely touched when they did, but when she says that turning the Innocence off will negate their gratitude, it still seems like she’s doing it more for her sake than for theirs.
In any event, the two inform her that they are alive because of her and, as a result, the wounds will heal on their own in time. As such, the gratitude is still there.
To Miranda’s credit, when she does turn the Innocence off, and the wounds do reappear, she immediately runs out to call for a doctor, even going so far as to track down Toma to let him know what’s going on. This allows the order to come and bring them to a hospital with which they are affiliated.
I’m a little unsure how they can “repair” Allen’s eye, but we’ll see how that plays out in future episodes. For now, we are introduced to another exorcist named Lavi. I’m guessing he came in to fill Lenalee’s spot while she is still recovering or it just seemed as good a time as any to introduce a new character. I was wondering when he was going to show up as he has been in the opening credits this entire time, so it was nice to see that progress.
The episode ends on an uplifting note, and I’m using that phrase almost literally as Allen learns this through an actual letter, where we see that Miranda is leaving town and has decided to become an exorcist.
I get what they’re going for, she’s found her purpose in life and has her confidence restored, all great stuff, but I’m not sure how suited for the job she is. She’s clumsy and frightens easily. Her ability could certainly be an asset, but whether that means that she’s able to go out in the field and fight Akuma is a different story. Of course, I could just be nitpicking as it is rather likely that we won’t see her again and this was just a way to give her a happy send off.
All in all, I liked this episode. The confrontation with Road was appropriately tense and she got a chance to really step up her game as a villain. We got to see both Allen and Lenalee hold their own in a tough fight and even Miranda got a chance to shine. There were some nice character moments peppered throughout the episode and we even got introduced to a new character. Really, what more could you ask for from an episode?
