The opening scene shows a teacher writing out a math problem on the board for students to solve. He asks Anya, and she blurts out the wrong answer. After that, the following scenes are not related to Anya’s performance in school. This is similar to the other scene in which she solves the math problem by watching the Spy War cartoon, which is not the focus of the episode. Rather, it focuses on Loid, who must now race against time as the issue becomes increasingly challenging, as well as deal with family difficulties centered on second-guessing one another.
The Handler informs Loid that the operation expects Anya to become an “Imperial Scholar” within a short amount of time. Loid tells her that he could do that without a problem, but Handler does not buy into his response. His thoughts and actions do not show the confidence he has in Anya. His hand shakes while he is putting down the cup. His reasoning convinces him that Anya will most likely receive eight “Tonitrus Bolts” rather than eight “Stella” by the end of four months. That said, Handler tells him to be on guard with his move following the arrest of the city hall employee.
The next scene shows a man named Mr. Howard being arrested by the State Security Service, whom the Ostania citizens have come to fear. They called them “secret police” because they were on the lookout for them as well as for spies while they used brutal techniques to fulfill their tasks. In the room, Mr. Howard appears to have been beaten up before the interrogation. An agent questions him about the spy who is living in Ostania, but he says he does not know anything. Then comes Yor’s brother, Yuri, who interrogates him using a different method to get him to talk by taking it easy on him. He shows him evidence, asks him questions, and warns him about the consequences of giving false information. Mr. Howard tells him that all he knows about him is that he is from the West, giving the impression that he is dealing with Loid, but is he? It may be someone else whom he is dealing with. Maybe it is Franky, since he was the one who informed Loid about Anya’s past in Episode 1.
Yuri continues to ask him if there is anything unusual about the unknown person. Mr. Howard says no, even when he asks him if the name “Twilight” rings a bell. Yuri cannot find anything that could lead him to Twilight, but one thing is clear. He is definitely looking for Loid, who is a threat to the citizens of Ostania, especially to his sister. He loves Yor, who cared and provided for him when he was young, as the flashback shows at the end when he meets Loid for the first time. Yet, he disapproves of her marriage.
When he is at Loid’s house, Yuri tries not to make a scene. He puts on a happy face and acts like he is on the same page as Loid when he is highly suspicious of him. He criticizes him and thinks twice about their conversations. He thinks he is not good enough for Yor, nor can he protect and cherish her better than he can. Loid also has second thoughts about him. He analyzes their conversation and Yuri’s behavior while keeping his guard up. He does not want to slip-up during the gathering and expose his true identity. Yuri’s situation is the same. He wants to hide what he really does from them. However, Loid figures out who he is when he talks about his traveling experiences, which is a script from the Service’s training.
Loid now knows he is dangerous, but he also knows he could be an ally. That is, if he can get him to be on his side and if he does not find out that he is Twilight. He let Yor and Yuri alone to catch up on things, but Yuri could not pretend to be happy about their marriage anymore. He tells them he does not believe they are married unless they kiss each other. Loid pauses for a minute and decides to do it, but not Yor.
By and large, Episode 8 is a setup for what is coming. The introduction of Yuri’s character suggests that things will become more complicated than before. He is trying to catch the spy, who is Loid and eliminates him. Fortunately, Loid finds out who he is, and he needs to be cautious. He cannot let Yuri finds out who he really is, nor can he let him find out that Anya is not his daughter. Now, the question is how he is going to help her. Will Yuri step in to help Anya if Yor and Loid can convince him that she is their daughter? Despite everything, the flashback of Yor and Yuri’s past is over the top, and it is not amusing at all. Yor exposed herself and the line of work she did to Yuri when she was with him. She had blood on her clothes and body, but she did not seem to mind. Yuri also did not mind, even though in the beginning he was startled to see her with blood on her clothes and body.
Rating: 7.5/10
