Wanderers/Episode 3 Guide: The Enchanting Princess

Well, Makoto has finally set his place in the palace and everything seems to be fine… or is it?

We begin the episode in a dream. For whatever reason, the first part of the dream involves Makoto being locked up in a cell chained up to the floor. Unusually, about ten stories up, Nanami offers him a ride home on the next train for 2.5 million yen. He questions her existence and she slams the window on him. He climbs the wall, and falls back down. The second dream involves his lab. He thought he escaped from the crazy world and hugged Nanami since she didn’t charge a dime for it. Oops. Makoto flew off of her and onto the floor… in the real bedroom.

Makoto is desperate. He wants to find any clues to find out how to get home. He decides to wash up. Finding a towel of some sort, he wiped his face and thanked the person… no, it was a thing. He bites Makoto on the head and, after a brief struggle, he takes off faster than a speeding bullet away from the creature! Now, we cut to Princess Rune inside the Royal Bathhouse. As she is washing up, she gets her dragon… thing. She talks about how Makoto and Fujisawa can’t possibly be spies from an enemy country. Makoto makes a nice entrance, and reveals his presence to her. She tells him to leave, but he is too preoccupied on what the heck is the dragon thing (which is actually a puppet). After the encounter, she felt that maybe Londs was right. Makoto was steamed and left the room vowing to get out of "this crazy zoo".

Past the holy river of God… there has been an uproar on the Bugrom Empire. Someone has escaped from the dungeons and he is currently on the loose! Diva called out that he needs to be found immediately, but he finds her first. Katsuhiko Jinnai comes forth and explains his story on how he escaped so easily (which involved using kindness against them). Diva thought it was horrible and Jinnai said that what a true ruler would do. Now, he becomes Diva’s friend. What?

Outside the grand city of Floristica, Makoto and Fujisawa decide to travel on. Rune provided them with 100 Roshtals (translated to 20,000 yen), which is enough for them to eat for a whole week. She did not give Makoto any directions of where to go. Now, Rune is watching them from the rooftops. She sees them off, and wonders if she made the right decision. Then… that thing captures Makoto. Rune knows that the thing is usually very shy. She believes now that Makoto and Fujisawa are truly good people. They run as fast as they can away from this creature.

After traveling for a very long time (seemed to be more than a day), they traveled to a city in the desert. There is something wrong… all the water is gone! Apparently, the bugrom blocked their water supply. As a sneak attack, they set some of the houses on fire. Normally, they would just set up all of the houses on fire, but Jinnai has another idea. Make them pay for it! They are selling two-liter water pouches at rock-bottom prices of 100,000 Roshtals. This infuriates this little town as they hardly have enough to survive on normally. Makoto and Fujisawa also figure out that Jinnai is there. He did not like that AT ALL. The incentive is that he will burn the whole village if they don’t pay him. He would return in six hours (two hours in the Subtitled) to receive payment. Even though Rune comes, she plays very little part, except to reveal that she got her puppet at this.

Makoto, though, devised a plan. He decides that he will just get some water from the lake. He’s very strong when sober and can lift 10 times his weight. He can even run 50 meters in one second. Makoto uses a piece of a roof to carry the water in. Now, Fujisawa takes the roof and runs for the lake. Jinnai returns much sooner than everyone expects (just sooner in the Subtitles). Fujisawa ran through the forest, but fell into the now dry lake. Apparently, the dam was built farther away. The roof broke. Well, so much for the plan. Jinnai gives them the choice… the water or the fire. They were ready to give in when Makoto told them the all-but-predictable twist to the trade that Jinnai was ready to burn the village even after payment. Then… the water rushed in. Fujisawa somehow broke the dam and now the water was rushing through. Jinnai’s plan was foiled again.

Everyone celebrated. Now, they all are enjoying the water. Huzzah.

Overall Impressions – I thought the episode was okay overall, but the name is misleading. It’s called "The Enchanting Princess", but she is not the focal point. It should have been called "The Massive drought" instead.

Lines, Quotes, and Oddities

Makoto - I… I'm sorry, you're majesty!

Rune - It's too late. You already have seen it, haven't you?

Makoto - Well… I guess… yeah?

Rune - If you ever tell anyone, I shall never forgive you! Never say anything of what you've seen here!

Makoto - I promise! I promise! I don't even know what… it… What the heck is it?!

Jinnai - I simply pretended that I had a stomachache and called to the guard. "Oh I'm dying! Please! *Cough* All I ever wanted in life is to hold one of those beautiful weapons you have! Oh, please! Let me hold one before I die!" The stupid actually took pity on me! It's one of my basic rules of life to take advantage of the sympathy of fools who are willing to give it.

Makoto - Wow... what a dream within a dream! Or am I dreaming now?

Makoto (panting) - Right out of Ripley's "Believe it or not!"

Jinnai - I love ruling!

Diva - And so do I!

Jinnai - You love destroying people?

Diva - Every chance I get!

Jinnai - Do you want to be the ultimate ruler of the entire world?

Diva - Of course! Yes!

Fujisawa - But Jinnai! You're the student president! You KNOW you are not allowed to act this way!

Jinnai - Allowed? You're talking to the new ruler of El-Hazard! You're no longer a teacher but I could let you be mayor. Choose you're side well!

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Diva - It's so beautifully cruel and fiendish! I never thought learning to rule could be this much FUN or give me the quivers like this!

Makoto - Amazing… I guess when he dropped the roof, the shattered pieces fell upon the dam and… broke it free.