Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sRNt93A2ZU

Taking the First Step

Episode 2 of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout begins with Ryza setting up an alchemic cauldron in her room. She plans to search for materials in Rasenboden so she can craft items. She visits her family’s farm, and her mother and father wonder if she’s starting to appreciate farm life. In a flashback, Empel tells Ryza he can’t devote time to teaching her, so he hands Ryza a collection of elementary alchemy recipes.

He recommends a few potions for Ryza to craft and tasks Tao with a book fetch quest. Lila tasks Lent with drawing a map since he needs to strengthen his terrain knowledge before she can teach him how to fight. Empel tells Ryza to collect materials on this island but reminds her not to leave the island without his approval. In the present, Ryza asks her mother and father where she can collect the final ingredients she needs to make Empel’s recommended potion.

After receiving intel, Ryza departs to the island’s edge to retrieve them. Meanwhile, Lent and Tao struggle with their quests but aren’t giving up. Ryza finds the grass she needs and only needs a Serenity Flower to make the concoction. In Rasenboden, Empel and Lila discuss the village’s ruins and find it challenging to gather information. Empel suggests opening a shop to do so as they stumble upon a traveling merchant. They reach an agreement that’ll help Empel with his information gathering.

Ryza returns home and is upset about not finding the Serenity Flower. She plans to use a similar flower to make it. Unfortunately, Ryza’s plan doesn’t work, resulting in her smoky room. Lent and Tao arrive, and Ryza welcomes them to her atelier (alchemist laboratory). Tao and Lent show Ryza their progress and ask her for updates on her alchemist journey. Ryza informs them that things have been challenging for her. Soon, Klaudia arrives and greets Ryza and her friends. They eat some snacks, and Klaudia highlights how challenging it is to befriend others.

Ryza tells Klaudia she is welcome to stop by her home whenever she wants to and reminds her that they’re all close friends. Ryza shares her troubles regarding the Serenity Flower. Fortunately, Klaudia knows where to find it, but it’s not on the island.

Ryza plans to ask Empel for permission to flee the island. We cut to a brief confrontation between Lent and his father that doesn’t go well. Lent reunites with Ryza, and they plan to visit Empel’s place. However, they run into Bos and Lumbar. Bos tells Lent that his father (Samuel) fought someone last night, and the village wants Lent to keep his father in check. Bos and Lumbar leave, and Ryza comforts Lent about his issues. She suggests they leave the island to help Lent let off steam.

They visit Empel’s place to receive permission from him and Lila to return to the island they were on in the first episode. Moreover, Ryza and Lent gather Tao and visit the location where Klaudia spotted the Serenity Flower. Ryza spots a swarm of Serenity Flowers but gets ambushed by a monster. She runs behind Lent, who tells them to run as away as fast as they can. Ryza and the others find Klaudia at one of the ports and explain what happened.

At the same time, the two boys find Empel’s place and look through his window to see Lent and the others explain their experience on the island. Lila belittles Lent for his cowardice but praises him for bringing everyone back unharmed.

Ryza shows Empel all the ingredients and starts synthesizing. Ryza makes the ointment, but they overhear something coming from behind the window. They comfort the boys since one of them fell off the barrel. Ryza uses the ointment to heal the boy’s wounds.

The episode closes with the boy thanking Ryza for her help.

The Episode Review

This chapter continues exploring Ryza’s quest for alchemy, Lent’s endeavor to become a formidable warrior, and Tao’s journey for knowledge. While it doesn’t deliver as much explorative content, this episode delivers some charming scenarios and a hint toward a possible character-defining moment with Lent.

Although this episode revolved around Ryza’s attempts at making an elementary-level recipe from Empel’s collection book, it gives viewers a glimpse into Lent’s rough life. From his resolve to impress Lila to the argument he had with his father, his role in this show has great potential to transform into something intricately satisfying.

Seeing Lent take Lila’s advice to heart and observing the terrain to make sure it was safe for him, Ryza, and Tao to explore was a nice step toward his journey to becoming a skilled fighter. Although others will turn a blind eye to his decision to flee the weasel monster, it makes sense for him to avoid conflict after what happened between him and the slime creatures in the previous episode.

Hopefully, Lila will instill Lent with some combative knowledge down the pipeline though. Overall, this was an okay episode of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. It had some questionable moments and didn’t have our characters participating in any new or exciting developments. Despite that, I’m looking forward to seeing what else lies ahead for our trio.