Guess where we're going THIS time? Queen Erisel calls
the four Candidates into her office to explain where the next Crystal Flower
they'll be going after is. I wanted to reach the top, but not like THIS!
The portal to Heaven sucks the four girls up into the ether. Another rough landing. If Yuushi keeps crashing like
this (but walking away from it afterwards) any more, she just might impress
_Launchpad_ after a bit...(and we can count the one in the very first episode,
where she flew straight into a tree, among these "crashes" as well. ;)) Handy, those things. Erumina, of course, lands
_perfectly_. (grumbles) Rotten little show-off... "HOLY FLYING...er, CITY!" Grenda says that
Heaven isn't that great, hey, it's just empty space...just in time to see a
HUGE city go zooming by straight overhead. I'm getting vertigo just LOOKING at it. A nice shot
of the main city of "Heaven". Looks like the kind of place that would make
M.C. Escher want to go have a good lie down...or at least sideways, doesn't
it? ;) (Okay, okay, sorry, that's a quote from Discworld...) And two more
shots: here and here. I
especially like the angel-chick with the little shopping basket over her arm,
in the last one... "Your mission, should you choose to accept it..."
The King of Heaven calls in from a suddenly-appearing viewscreen on Barizan's
chest to tell them where the Crystal Flower is, and the rules of how and when
they must get it.
(pause)
(evil grin)
Would I get, like, totally smited if I were to point out the obvious and say
that: "They're on a mission from GOD!" ;) (Well, _a_ god anyway...there seems
to be a whole pantheon up there. I do believe Erumina's dad is more like Zeus
than God, in terms of status...) "Um...little help, here?" Everybody got knocked
for a loop AGAIN when Gat--er, Barizan--landed, but Grenda got the worst of it,
as you can see. (Every time I see Barizan, I half expect him to say something
like "Beat me up, and win silver points!" It's probably just me...) Might as well... Yuushi introduces herself
to the King of Heaven. Well, why not? I mean, how _often_ does one get a chance
to speak to God (or _a_ god) personally...while still alive, anyway? ;) Now THIS is a scary combination... The only
way to save Grenda from falling (she leapt straight off the cliff after Erumina
without thinking) and, indeed, the only way to make it so the whole party could
travel together--was to give them all WINGS! Why the matching white chitons too,
however, I don't know...except that it's part of the look and is cute. :P But as
Kokoru said, "You make a CUTE little angel!" (Hmm, a demon with angel traits,
Grenda's getting more and more like Urd every day...) "My father does not want a weak daughter." Along with
"Failure is NOT an option", this sentence does a lot to help us get inside Erumina's
head...and _why_ she is the way she is. (sings) "Four little angels, all dressed in white!" er,
sorry, there...anyway, here we have a nice shot of the four together, looking at the
platform where the first challenge will take place. And what is it...? Rubik's...Octohedron! Heaven is into '80s fad toys?
(I'm past asking why they have ROBOTS...in _this_ cartoon, that's practically normal.
:P I mean, hey, they're already wearing Ancient Greek style clothes (and have that kind
of architecture) in a place named after the Christian "Heaven" and populated by "angels",
it's _already_ not _normal_...) "The HECK?!" That's about how I am with a normal Rubik's
Cube...(and yes, I have one, in fact, it's sitting right on my computer desk as I type this.
;))...now I'm trying to imagine how badly I'd do with one that had two extra sides... "Is this it?" Within no time at all, Erumina holds up the
solved puzzle. Notice that, like on the original, you solve it by making each side a solid
colour... "Wha?" The puzzle that Grenda tossed into the air in frustration comes
back to whack her on the head as she stares in amazement at Erumina. "Stage cleared." The robot accepts Erumina's answer and
makes the next set of stairs, that leads up to the second platform, appear. (Although why bother
with the stairs when people just _fly_ up to it, anyway, I don't know. I guess the stairs are for
having something to rest on, if you get tired...?) "I...don't...believe it..." The others stare at Erumina, mostly
in awe (Yuushi and Kokoru), but partly in disgust (Grenda) at how fast angel-girl solved the puzzle. That's it, Hermione, show off... No, we didn't think it was a trick
question, and we haven't gotten around to reading "The Princess Academy: A History", either! :P (She's
a definite Ravenclaw. Well, that or a not-evil Slytherin, seeing her "NEVER SURRENDER!" attitude...) Because it's FUN, doy. Grenda can't understand why the others would want
to still solve their puzzles, even after the fact. Er, because they are _interested_, maybe? Ave, Caesar! Te salutes e moratorium! Hope I spelled that right. Anyway, THIS
is where the next challenge will take place--a _gladiator arena_? (Princess Leia voice) I have a baaaaaad
feeling about this... ANGEL--PRIORITY ONE. EXTERMINATE. No, seriously, this mean killer death robot
starts by throwing a deadly huge spiked morning star at them, by way of greeting...and THEN explains that this
is the Level of Dexterity--they can use any of the weapons around (there are several) to fight the robots,
that they want, but they _must_ defeat them to go on to the next level. (What happens if they don't? Death,
I assume. I mean, the weapons those robots have are NOT the type you can set on stun--these guys are playing
to keep!) This...is not good. The group huddles in fear from the giant killer death robot. FOUR giant killer death-robots! Okay, now we're _really_ in trouble... "Grenda! Get away from there!" Yuushi and Kokoru try to warn the ever-impulsive
Grenda away from fighting off the robots by herself. DIE!! With a sword that she magically summoned out of nowhere, Grenda prepares to
kick some serious Giant Killer Death-Robot butt. "Er....oops?" However, she looks up to see the still-perfectly-fine Giant Killer Death
Robot's shadow looming ominously over her... "Get back here, Grenda!" yell her friends, as they toss the only things they had on
hand--those puzzles--at the Giant Killer Death Robots. (I don't think that's going to do much good, but it's the
gesture that counts, in this case.) "Today is a good day for someone else to die!" Yuushi attemps to pull an axe that's bigger
than her entire body off the wall... "...or maybe not..." Yuushi is flattened by the weight of the axe and struggles to get out
from underneath it as Grenda stands over her with her sword out and ready. I like the way Grenda is standing in this
picture--makes it look as if she's the loyal warrior "guarding" her wounded commander, or something. It always looks so EASY in the clickies! Meanwhile, Kokoru has about equal trouble with her
chosen weapon--a mace. AVENGING ANGEL! Erumina swoops in with her own magical sword summoned from nowhere, and
HA...HACK...CHOP! she's disabled all four robots in the blink of an eye. Yikes! Do NOT mess with megami-sama! (If
she's the daughter of a god, then technically she's more of a goddess than an angel...) It was about at this scene that I
suddenly decided that I _liked_ Erumina after all, and that she was seriously _cool_. I mean, hey, it's hard for me to hate
any woman who can whomp serious butt like that. ;) That's it...pose for the camera... After chopping all the robots in half, Erumina does a perfect
little pose in front of the others. Grenda's right, she (Erumina) IS a bit of a show-off, sometimes...(_Grenda_ is a show-off ALL
the time. _That_ doesn't need to be said, it's already obvious. :P) Not much farther now! Grenda is getting tired, but the others try to buck her up a bit. Notice the
lighting...it's already getting close to sunset. Flashback. In this memory, Chibi-Erumina is all proud because she learned a new dance step. Her
oh-so-caring father's response is that she has no right to be proud of something so trivial, of COURSE she should be able to do
things like that. She's the Princess of Heaven, after all, it should be _easy_ for her. Yeah, but can she do this on the head of a pin? Nervously, Chibi-Erumina dances in front
of the whole entire pantheon. When she makes one tiny little mistake, they all cut loose laughing at her...nice people, huh? Daddy watches from his throne. and boy, he looks bored, doesn't he? "There's no turning back now!" Yeah, THAT'S more the spunky Grenda we all know. And the third test is...dancing! Of course. And it's even the same _song_ as the one Erumina was
dancing to, as a kid, when she messed up that one time, long ago. She does well at first, but suddenly, Erumina finds herself as back in that
memory--sees the judge robot as her father, sees her watching friends as the nasty gods and goddesses who laughed at
her...and wigs out... "I failed..." Leading to this--she trips, stumbles, goes off the rhythm, and ends up on her
knees, sobbing. Oh, geez...(sniff) "I will not forgive you for even one failure!" Geez, who put Jerk Powder in YOUR ambrosia this
morning?! Although, notice the contrast here...the King of Hell is a totally kind, easy-going, casual guy who spoils his
daughter to no end--and she grows up into a lazy, arrogant, undisciplined, vain brat who's only good at a couple of things
(magic, for one). The King of Heaven is a complete and utter strict, cold, harsh, unforgiving (sorry, but I must) BASTARD...and
_he_ raises a girl so perfect, well-mannered and skilled in every way that she's practically like a _sympathetic_ Mary Sue!
So...spare the rod and spoil the child..._literally_? Another saying--one about what the road to Hell is lined with--comes
to mind here, too... (You also have to raise your daughter very perfectionist-ly if you want her to become the Ruling Queen in the games, too.) "Left foot on green!" Her friends leap in to try to do the dance contest themselves...with NO knowledge of
this particular dance or anything...which leads to, er, rather predictable results. :P "We're NOT giving up!" Undaunted, Yuushi, Kokoru, and Grenda untangle themselves to try again (and again,
and again, and AGAIN...) "Don't they know it's hopeless?" thinks Erumina, watching them in amazement. (sings) DANCING IN HEAVEN! Sorry, couldn't resist...considering. ;) (The _actual_ song "Dancing in Heaven"*
is really talking about dancing in THE "heavens", as in the sky--more specifically _outer space_, but I still couldn't resist.) Doesn't this look
like they're at one of those funky '70s discos where the floor lights up as you dance on it? The grand finale! And they land together in a perfect pose, too. "We did it!" The robot tells them they have passed the third test. Only thing left now--to reach
Heaven's Gate, and open it to get the Crystal Flower beyond, before sunset... ...and there's not much time left. Erk. That thing is REAL low on the horizon. (Which they are _above_,
notice--luckily, it seems that they have to get the flower before the sun sets _on Earth_; from their point of view, in Heaven, it sets
much earlier. It's already night-time, where _they_ are...) "Let's go!" say the companions chipperly, thinking that pulling back this heavy lever can't be TOO hard, if
they're all pulling on it together. "EEERGGGGHH! IT WON'T MOVE!" Unfortunately, they were wrong. "Please, let me do this alone." says Erumina. Her father has teleported in special, to watch whether or not
she can do this, in person. Nothing like a little _pressure_, huh? "YOU DID IT!!" The others cheer as Erumina finally starts to make the lever move.
*(For those of you who haven't heard of it, the song is called "Dancing in Heaven (Orbital Be-bop)" by Q-Feel, and is a New Wave style song from
the early '80s--that is to say, catchy, quirky, kinda futuristicy-sounding, with lots of synthesizers, and weird...but fun. ;) Sample lyrics include:
"Hey! I'm not alone! Are you receivin' me clear--there's others out here!" Definitely about outer space, not _Heaven_...Anyway, a favourite song of
mine. Yes, your Webmistress is into cheesy '80s music. FEAR! ;))
