TV Recap: "Disney Twisted Wonderland: The Animation" Episode 8 — The Fall and Redemption of Riddle Rosehearts

Disney Twisted Wonderland: The Animation wraps up its first season, a faithful adaptation of the manga, The Book of Heartslabyul. Riddle Rosehearts’ magestone has shattered, unleashing his blot in the form of a giant Queen of Hearts monster. The finale picks up just as the chaos begins to ensue.

Episode 8: “Finale for Heartslabyul” - Written by Yōichi Katō, English Adaptation by Madeleine Morris

Headmage Dire Crowley (Mitsuru Miyamoto/J. Michael Tatum) warns the students that if Riddle doesn’t stop shedding magical energy, he could die. “ORDER IN THE COURT!” Riddle Rosehearts (Natsuki Hanae/Paul Castro Jr.) and his Blot Monsteer (Hinata Tadokoro//April Winchell) shout in unison as they hurl rosebushes at the ground with the force of an earthquake. Crowley uses his magic to shield the students, warning that he’s not strong enough to stop every attack. He orders the students to evacuate Heartslabyule House, sending them to the Hall of Mirrors.

Cater Diamond (Tatsuyuki Kobayashi/Michael Sinterniklaas) is ready to follow Crowley’s orders, but stops when he realizes that Ace Trappola (Seiichirō Yamashita/Max Mittelman) refuses to leave without a fight. Ace charges forward, flanked by Deuce Spade (Chiaki Kobayashi/Hunter McCoy), Yuken Enma (Yōhei Azakami/Jonathon Ha), and Grim (Noriaki Sugiyama/Ben Diskin). They attack Riddle and his blot monster together, but their charges are repelled.

Inspired by their resilience, Trey Clover (Ryōta Suzuki/Johnny Yong Bosch) stays behind too, full of regret over not trying to help Riddle see the error of his ways sooner. He asks Crowley to help the students evacuate, and the headmage vows to return once the other students are safe. Cater thinks Trey is foolish to go up against someone as powerful as Riddle. “I am not going to lose him to this, because there’s something I need to tell him,” Trey promises, remembering Riddle’s childhood.

Streaks of blot solidify into spears, hurtling towards Ace, Deuce, Yuken, Grim, Cater, and Trey. When they try to stop them with spells, the spears reform. And when they hit the ground, pools of blot form. Yuken uses his kendō shinai to deflect spears, but Grim gets trapped on the ground between spears, one of which pierced his ribbon. Blot rises from the ground, binding Yuken’s leg. All seems lost when Trey dives in, using “Paint the Roses” to dissolve the blot that restricted them. Grim is upset about his tarnished ribbon.

Deuce drops his magic pen in the chaos, with spears hurtling directly at him. Cater dives in, taking a blow to the stomach. Deuce is horrified as Cater dies in front of him, but then is surprised when his body turns into a deck of cards. The real Cater steps forward, with more dopelgangers, his signature spell.

Cater and Trey team up to take on the hurling spears. Ace, Deuce, and Grim join the fight. Yuken sees that Riddle is losing focus, leaving him open for a strike. Donning his kendō mask, Yuken steps into the fight, shuffling forward, knocking spears away. “It’s a team battle,” he shouts to Ace, Deuce, and Grim, reminding them of how they defeated the blot monster at the mine. As they combine their attacks to distract Riddle, Yuken is able to rise up, striking Riddle’s blot monster’s glass head, cracking it, and spilling his blot. Riddle screams as he collapses.

We see a flashback of Young Riddle (Miyuki Satō/Liam Karlsson), following his mother’s lesson plans as stacks of books rise around him, until he can no longer be seen. “Which rule do I follow to be rid of this pain?” he asks.

Inside Riddle’s mind, he is trapped under that same pile of books. Light emits through the Doorknob in a door, through which he can hear a voice calling his name. As Riddle reaches his hand toward the light, blot drips away. A hand reaches through the door, taking Riddle’s.

Riddle awakens on the ground in the destroyed Heartslabyul garden, with Trey holding his hand. He is surrounded by Ace, Deuce, Yuken, Grim, Cater, and Headmage Crowley, who has returned. Trey encourages Riddle to rest, but Ace wants to argue, and Riddle begins to cry. “I don’t care about croquet or what color the roses are,” he confesses, listing off more of the Queen of Hearts’ rules that he thinks are silly. “I really wanted… time… to play with Trey and Chenya,” Riddle begins to sob, mourning the playful childhood he never got to have. Trey apologizes for not speaking up before. “I won’t do that anymore,” Trey promises, encouraging Riddle to apologize to everyone.

“I’m so truly sorry,” Riddle tells everyone. Ace isn’t quick to forgive, demanding that Riddle prove his apology with a make-up Unbirthday Party, adding that Riddle must bake his own tarts. “I can do that,” Riddle smiles. Trey and Crowley escort Riddle to the campus nurse.

All that fighting made Grim’s stomach growl. He smells a familiar scent, sniffing it out and finding a black stone from Riddle’s blot monster, just like the one from the mine. As before, Grim eats it, to everyone’s disgust. “You’re going to destroy your stomach doing that one day,” Yuken warns him.

The Unbirthday Party do-over carries with it the same pomp as the first, with students lining up to announce Riddle’s grand entrance. He smiles as he inspects every detail, while Trey encourages him not to obsess. When Riddle spots a white rose bush, he tenses up, marching over to it. All of the students are nervous until Riddle uses his magic to paint the roses red, turning around and smiling. Students surround Riddle, cheering, “Long live our red sovereign!”

Riddle presents Ace with his tart, which doesn’t look perfect, but Trey praises his first try. They all take a bite, grimacing at the salty flavor. Riddle is confused, saying he followed Trey’s instructions exactly, including the secret ingredient - oyster sauce! They all laugh, and Trey tells Riddle he’s the first person to fall for his joke. Rather than getting upset, Riddle sees the humor and laughs alongside his friends.

Yuken uses his ghost camera to take pictures of the Unbirthday Party. Riddle is surprised when he sees Chenya (Kento Hama/Daman Mills) crashing. His old friend floats over his head, playfully taking Riddle’s crown and wishing him a “Merry Unbirthday!”

Trey explains to Yuken and Grim that Chenya is a student at Royal Sword Academy, Night Raven College’s biggest rival. They usually only interact with students from Royal Sword during Spelldrive competitions, a Twisted Wonderland sport where students use magic to fight for control of a disc. “We’ve got an interdorm tournament coming up soon,” Trey informs them.

At Savanaclaw House, Housewarden Leona Kingscholar (Yūichirō Umehara/Major Attaway) lounges in bed while Ruggie Bucchi (Aoi Ichikawa/Zeno Robinson) keeps him company. Leona is strategizing how to win the Spelldrive Tournament, bragging that it takes both brains and brawn, both of which he has in spades. “I hope they’re prepared,” he grins. “I’m taking everything.”

Bonus Short: Twisted Wonderland Mini Theater

The season’s final Mini Theater short returns to the keychain motif from the premiere episode. It follows Riddle Roseharts as he tries to ignore the frivolous rules, with assistance and support from Trey and Cater. But Riddle actually goes too far, abandoning some sensible rules, overcaffeininating on tea, and pulling an unnecessary all-nighter.

Disney Twisted Wonderland: The Animation will return for Season 2, an adaptation of the Book of Savanaclaw manga arc, inspired by the hit mobile game. Stay tuned to Laughing Place for news and updates on Season 2 as we get close to its global premiere.

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