Wolf Girl & Black Prince

Episode 10

It's Erika's birthday, and all she wants—besides to spend the day with Kyoya—is "love." Kyoya has no idea what she means by that, but with a little snooping and help from his two guy friends, he figures out that he's got to be nice (for once) and say those three magic words. Luckily, Erika has realistic expectations and will settle for simply being around him, but Kyoya has evolved enough that he wants to try and be better for her. However, in true romcom fashion, "I love you" proves to be the hardest phrase Kyoya has ever attempted to utter.

Wolf Girl & Black Prince episode 10 features the perfect date, at least as far Kyoya and Erika are concerned. It's not unrealistically ideal like their date in an earlier episode, the one that was so flawless as to be boring. That just turned out to be Kyoya playing along with what was expected of a boyfriend anyway. It's not as grating as the date a few episodes ago when Kyoya moaned every step of the way and turned what could have been a pleasant outing with his girlfriend into a full-on sulk session. Kyoya is making progress slowly but surely, as his tsundere tongue is still sharp throughout the date, but he doesn't say a single thing that's truly hurtful.

The S&M is toned down, making the date reflective of a healthier relationship. Still, it's not so entirely gone as to alienate fans of that dynamic. Kyoya's struggle to say "I love you" may be a cliché, but it works perfectly for his character and is especially meaningful at this point in the series, after seeing how a guy saying those words callously is even worse than not saying them at all. (Kamiya, by the way, is still oddly obsessed with Kyoya, even though Kyoya has no qualms about showing him his jerk-ish side. Whatever the case may be, it's nice to see a character not tossed out simply because his time in the limelight is over. Kamiya and Takeru make a good team for giving Kyoya a clue about how to interact with people.)

If there's a fault to be found with this episode, it's the shortage of jokes. Fortunately, the jokes that are there help balance the mood of the episode and keep it from becoming too schmaltzy or serious. Wolf Girl & Black Prince episode 10 is fantastically melodrama-free, and it puts Kyoya and Erika in the spotlight, right where they belong. It softens the S&M just enough to give viewers hope that this relationship isn't a disaster in the making without making the two leads such an ideal couple that they're a bore to watch. If not a lot happens plot-wise, enough happens with Kyoya as a character to make the episode important to the series as a whole. Ever since the beginning of the series, Kyoya has been in dire need of a lesson in how to care for others, and he's finally getting a clue. Lucky for him, Erika has been patient enough to put up with his surly attitude—and even enjoy it—for as long as it took him to get to that point.

Rating: A-

Wolf Girl & Black Prince is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for nearly two decades.