Wolf Girl & Black Prince

Episode 8

There's trouble in paradise in Wolf Girl & Black Prince episode 8. Scratch that. Erika thought that finally going out with Kyoya for real would be paradise, even though he's never given her any indication that it would be. His behavior may not disappoint the viewers, but he definitely disappoints Erika.

Erika has an image in her head of the perfect spring date, and she manages to get Kyoya to reluctantly tag along. However, he rains on her parade at every turn, refusing to participate in the romantic activities she has planned. It seems like Kyoya will give no quarter, leaving Erika to like it or lump it. (Of course, Erika chooses to lump it, as always.) Fortunately, by the end of the date, the tsundere king gives in a little and recognizes that Erika's happiness makes him happy. The date is a step up from him always putting her down at least.

The second half of the episode introduces yet another new young man in Erika's life, Nozomi Kamiya. Kamiya is the stereotypical teenage playboy, and he thinks he's found a kindred spirit in Kyoya. Between flirting with Erika (and every other girl) relentlessly and asking Kyoya why he's not playing the field, or at least not dating a better than "average" girl, the character's entire arc is written on the wall. Chances are, within an episode or two, he'll learn Erika has a lot to offer, try to steal her from Kyoya, and cause many misunderstandings between easily-jealous Kyoya and ever-placating Erika. Please, Wolf Girl & Black Prince, surprise us instead.

It's too early in the series for Kyoya and Erika to have their happily ever after, but Kamiya seems like an obvious ploy to fill time before the inevitable focus on Kyoya's "tragic" past. Still, with his sass factored in, he's bound to be a more interesting and amusing character than Kusakabe. Episode 8 already brought back more of the humor that made the earlier episodes so devilishly fun to watch. At the very least, it was more entertaining than Kusakabe's time in the spotlight. However, it's still not up to the standards set by the first few episodes.

It's a small relief that Kyoya is no longer the only jerk in town. In fact, he comes across as downright appealing next to Kamiya's "girls are disposable" insincerity. Still, making a main character look better in comparison to a secondary one is a cop out in place of real character development.

This episode gives viewers only a brief chance to catch their breath before plowing ahead to the new love-rival-of-the-day formula. While that's standard for shōjo fare, there is a lot of room to explore the dynamic between Kyoya and Erika without outside obstacles, and the show is choosing to ignore that. If the series is going to sell the viewers on this S&M-ish relationship before the end, Kyoya needs to show more progress than he has been on his own.

Rating: C+

Wolf Girl & Black Prince is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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