S02.E02: Rusalye

[AnimeMania]

Alina and Mal embark on a search for the second amplifier. Kaz hatches a scheme to lay waste to his nemesis. Kirigan seeks a cure for what ails him.

Premiere Date: March 16, 2023       Netflix

[angora]

The new characters are adding so much. Sturmhond is great--I like his dynamic with Alina, which is somehow slippery and earnest at the same time, and I liked seeing how he warmed up to Mal after seeing his tracker abilities in action. Nice moment showing off his inventions too. And as soon as I read Siege and Storm, I got excited to see Tamar and Tolya interact with Alina on the show, so I really enjoyed the scene of them playing cards, bonds over their Ravkan/Shu heritage and viewing Alina being part Shu as a *good* thing. Loved Tamar pointing out that Alina was both a Ravkan saint *and* a Shu saint.

Over in Ketterdam, Wylan is a nice addition too. He's still kind of in "skittish little bird" mode--his skills caught Kaz's attention, but he's nowhere near prepared to handle the stresses and dangers of Crow life at this point. It made me crack up that Jesper finally recognized him when they were hiding on top of each other under the carriage, and Wylan was freaking out at his friendly nonchalance in the midst of them being shot at. And even though she's not a new character, Nina is sparking well with the Crows. I can already tell she and Jesper are going to be fun together, and I loved her neatly figuring out where the accountant's office was.

Man, even when they're on the ropes, the Crows keep winning, don't they? That fight Inej was in on the rooftop was *intense.* I'm always here for Jesper's sharpshooting, especially the creative bits like shooting someone in such a way that he reflexively shoots the guy next to him. And of course, Nina showing up right when Kaz is cornered. I'm also glad to see that, while Inej and Jesper are of course helping Kaz, they don't appreciate his secrets and are pushing him to let them in.

Kirigan has really done a number on himself. No surprise he wants to try and mitigate some of the damage to himself while 1) keeping the shadow monsters and 2) continuing to do forbidden magic. Genya is really in a bind here--Kirigan rescued her and the other Grisha, but she's clearly afraid of him and the shadow monsters he's barely able to keep controlled (not to mention, he's the one who gifted her to the queen all those years ago for his own motives, putting her in the path of the king.)