The second episode of the anime “A Galaxy Next Door” delves deeper into the mystery of Princess Goshiki and her accidental marital pact with the ordinary manga artist Ichiro.
Spoilers Ahead
Episode 2: Shopping With The Princess
In the previous episode, Ichiro accidentally got stung by Goshiki’s tail, binding him to her in mysterious ways whose implications are yet unclear to Ichiro. He discusses this bond with Goshiki and is clearly hesitant to proceed further with the marital alliance Gushiro has mentioned.
Totally confused by her behavior, Ichiro first goes to finish his task: submit the manga before the deadline. He goes to his superior and receives praise for his mastery of the colors in his drawings. He gets excited beyond measure and returns to his ancestral home. With no further work as of yet, Goshiki thinks about the people she has left behind and how the distance might affect their bond with her. A yearning grows inside of her, but not to the extent of making her leave this new life and go back to her island. Goshiki shifts to the room assigned to her as Ichiro’s assistant.
As soon as the distance between Ichiro and Goshiki increases, a strange illness befalls Ichiro. He grows weak, and is unable to work. His two siblings, Fumio and Machi, go in to check up on him, along with the tenant, Chihiro. They see the frail Ichiro and prepare a bed for him to rest on. Goshiki, unaware of his illness, messages Ichiro to pay him for her assistance in his previous work. When Fumio messages Goshiki about Ichiro’s illness, she grows concerned and suspects the illness to be nothing but a direct result of him touching her tail and getting stung by it.
Restless, she arrives to meet Ichiro, overcome with a sense of guilt. Seeing Ichiro’s condition, she immediately begins apologizing for having caused Ichiro this misery. She stays there long enough for him to start feeling better. Goshiki doesn’t leave Ichiro’s side and lies down beside him on the floor. This makes Ichiro awkward, as he fears Machi or Fumio will enter anytime soon, and seeing them lay together could leave a bad impression on their young minds.
His anxieties are calmed only when Goshiki begins questioning him about his life. She asks Ichiro whether he wanted to be a manga artist for the rest of his life or if it was something he was doing only because he was burdened with the responsibility of looking after his siblings at such a young age. Ichiro answers spontaneously that it is simply luck that he works at something he also likes to do. His answer surprises Goshiki. She admires Ichiro’s dedication to handling all his responsibilities. Ichiro’s condition improves dramatically when their hands come into contact. Ichiro, who had been slightly skeptical up until this moment, starts to believe all of Goshiki’s theories about the marital pact and the physical ailments that will befall him if they are ever to separate.
Goshiki moves permanently to Ichiro’s ancestral house as a tenant. Ichiro is pleased, but Machi and Fumio are delighted by her presence, even more so than Ichiro. While she helps Ichiro with his gardening, she brings up the possibility of an annulment, which may rid Ichiro of the accidental bond. Ichiro, hesitant about the whole concept of a marital pact from the start, inquires inquisitively if the pact could indeed be annulled. Goshiki completes weeding out the garden and asks Ichiro to go shopping with her as a favor. Ichiro, in no mood to refuse her help, agrees.
They both end up at a nearby shopping mall, and Goshiki indulges herself with the endless options available in a clothing shop. Ichiro, never having come to that section of the mall, acts like a fish out of water. After Goshiki finishes buying the dresses, they sit at a restaurant for lunch.
Goshiki prays for the Star People before having the first bite. Ichiro finds a site that tells the legend about the island Goshiki apparently hails from. The conversation reveals that Goshiki is the princess of an island whose inhabitants gained some mystical powers after a meteorite fell on it. She brings up the need for a genuine romance in her life, which is why she is considering annulling the pact. Ichiro is also not too keen on being with somebody solely based on an accident.
The relationship is not headed toward a conclusion, as Goshiki expresses her desire for an authentic romance between the two. Scared of a forced commitment, Ichiro blurts out that he wants to find someone more suited for Goshiki. Immediately, there is a certain coldness between Ichiro and Goshiki, and Ichiro begins showing signs of the flu. He rushes to the bathroom and, upon return, finds some delinquents pestering Goshiki. He tries to pull her away from them but gets a nosebleed.
Episode 2: Ending: Why Does Ichiro Get A Nosebleed?
Ichiro pulls Goshiki’s hand by force when he tries to get her away from those creeps at the restaurant. Goshiki, unaware of Ichiro’s noble intention, invokes the magical pact unconsciously. According to the pact, any forceful action by Goshiki’s partner will be met with severe physical ailments as a punishment.
Ichiro explains his real intentions to Goshiki later, and she finally understands. She begins blaming herself for leaving the island, coming to a faraway place, and now causing problems for well-intentioned people such as Ichiro. Ichiro resolves to learn how to coexist with Goshiki and wants her to follow her passion for drawing manga. He still, however, asks her to follow the procedure for annulment.
Episode 2: Review
The second episode nicely develops the story, explaining Princess Goshiki’s origin. The episode focuses heavily on Ichiro and Goshiki’s relationship but leaves out the development of other characters, such as Chihiro and the young siblings. It leaves on a mild cliffhanger, where Fumio and Machi, suspecting Ichiro and Goshiki to be in a relationship, are unable to process the consequences. The episode thus leaves quite some space for the anime to develop further, not letting it get predictable. The chirpy tone of the series lights up the mood, making us want to know more about Goshiki and her conflict while she and Ichiro navigate their magical ‘situationship.’