Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start With Magical Tools

Episode 8

We're back to the increasingly mundane adventures of Dahlia the magic artisan, and this week we indulge in that most baffling of modern anime staples: the board meeting. I don't know exactly when or why so many Japanese creators decided that entire episodes—or, gods forbid, multiple episodes—of a bunch of people sitting around a big table and discussing business made for riveting storytelling but I sure do wish somebody would stop them. If I thought the last episode was sparse on conflict, this one makes last week feel like Speed (or at the very least Speed 2: Cruise Control).

You can make a boardroom meeting worth watching, but it needs an interesting conflict to prop up all the talking heads—not to mention direction and pacing that can offset the limited setting. Dahlia and her business partners setting up partnerships to mass produce her magic socks is not engaging. None of the characters we meet leave any impression—like the guy from the Magical Beasts company who knew and worked with her father and is frustrated with how much work he brought in. That's the vibe I get but the animation can't portray that level of emotional complexity so I'm guessing here. Either way, it's the closest thing to conflict besides Dahlia accidentally hitting on one of the other guys at the meeting—and that also doesn't amount to much. Without a parallel of character drama or intrigue, this whole meeting could have been an e-mail.

To be fair, for a few moments, it seemed that this episode was emphasizing Dahlia feeling overwhelmed by all this business talk since she's accustomed to her father or her ex handling this side of the job while she's devoted herself to inventing. At least, that's where I thought we were going when she started commiserating with her green-haired friend. Yet after that, we return to the pattern of things happening around and to Dahlia without her having much to say about any of it and it's the first time the show's writing feels nearly as clumsy as its animation.

First, there's Ivano. You know Ivano, right? He's been here the whole time, doing incredibly important things like filling out paperwork, being present when Carlo died, sitting behind desks, etc. He's got a backstory about being the son of a failed businessman and now he wants to quit the trading company and join Dahlia's company as her business representative. Naturally, instead of asking her he goes to Wolf for permission and agrees to sign a magical vow that he'll always put protecting her above all else. Again, without asking Dahlia about any of this. It's so out of nowhere that I genuinely thought this was him setting up a plan to betray Dahlia but that magic vow nips that potential plot thread in the bud.

Meanwhile, Dahlia has a very brief conversation with Tobias' older brother—that older brother that was seen once a few episodes ago. His dialogue with Dahlia assures us they had a very well-established relationship, despite her never mentioning him and us never seeing the two in the same room until now. He's here to apologize to his brother and make amends for the company but otherwise, I don't know why he's being introduced now. He doesn't have a personality outside of tacitly begging Dahlia not to sue their company for Tobias' screw-up. He is only around long enough to “gift” her a unicorn horn like a College Football booster gives a 17-year-old a new car. I'm assuming he'll become pivotal later, but otherwise, he feels superfluous.

It all comes together like a bunch of barely related events just happening to Dahlia and Wolf without either having much to do or say. Business deals are forged, papers are signed, and progress towards Dahlia becoming the adidas of Isekaiville is made. Lord knows if I could tell you how anyone feels about it other than “generally content.”

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Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start With Magical Tools is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.