Dissenting opinions can’t stand up to someone who wears that count uniform better than anyone.

What They Say:
As Slaine ascends the ranks, he puts a plan into motion to deflect scrutiny. Meanwhile, Yuki prepares for a possible reunion with Inaho as the Terrans face another Kataphrakt threat.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
After several counts’ discrimination against Slaine was quickly answered by not only his adoption into the family of a count but his almost immediate succession of the position, it’s only natural that those unhappy with his status as a knight would be significantly more appalled by him climbing the ranks even more, especially given the suspicious timing of Saazbaum’s end. But even if Slaine would let such things bother him at this point, the only people he interacts with are now those below or on the same level as him, along with the new princess who wants him to think of her in the same way as her sister, essentially allowing him to do as he pleases with the obvious restrictions of still being in the best interest of Vers. This kills two birds with one stone, because if there’s anything that can truly silence those doubts, it’s showing results that nobody else could sufficiently deliver, and with Slaine’s experience, drive, and Tharsis, he’s in the perfect position to do just that. Such deep-rooted prejudice can rarely be cured, but there’s no denying that Slaine is worthy of the ornate outfit that now adorns him, probably more than anyone else wearing one.

On the Terran side, we get some quality time with a couple of people who have been important players since the beginning of the first season but who the circumstances of this season have kept out of much focus so far, Yuki and Marito. Yuki has always been an enjoyable character, a powerful warrior in her own right but also a bundle of emotions and humanity that her younger brother is so lacking in, and as she tries to be a loving sister it’s a little annoying to see Inaho show little reciprocation beyond the bare minimum or discussion of what’s relevant to the military operations. Marito has always been one of the most potentially interesting characters due to his PTSD affliction and deep regret going back to Heaven’s Fall. As this resurfaces in this episode, it doesn’t have quite the impact some scenes did in the first season, but it leads to perhaps the resolution of this situation, underwhelming though it may be.

Inaho is busy being Inaho as usual, which is particularly unfortunate as we see how desperately Yuki wants to connect with her brother who she’s seen so little of since he nearly died. But that also means that he’s saving the day by being impressive in his own way that perhaps feels a tad more vapid than Slaine’s accomplishments but is really pretty even as Slaine does have a machine with abilities that allow him to do what few others could ever dream of. As has been the constant trend in this series and especially in its latter half, everything serves to build to a confrontation between Inaho and Slaine. This time Inaho sees Slaine’s particularly impressive actions and analyzes them and Slaine’s abilities instantly. It’s more of the same in some ways, but as these progressions serve to both cement Slaine’s superiority on his own side and allow the Terrans to experience just how formidable he is even more, it builds on the overarching theme of antithesis more and more, which is probably the most important element of the series now.

In Summary:
Although it’s not at a place I was hoping it would be this far in, Aldnoah.Zero is definitely improving throughout this season just as it did throughout most of its first. While there’s some repetitive nature to what’s going on, it builds on a singular theme as it goes on as well as progressing several character arcs. It’s also nice to spend time with underutilized characters.

Grade: B-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Custom-Built PC, 27” 1080p HDTV.