English Dub Review: Disney Twisted-Wonderland the Animation “A Desperate Heart”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
A surprise late-night visit by Ace leads to an unexpected encounter at Heartslabyul House.

Our Take:
After a victorious encounter at the enchanted mine, Yu and Grim, along with Ace and Deuce, are safe from expulsion.  Even better, Yu and Grim are now the academy’s students, with Grim achieving his dream of attending the academy as Yu’s familiar.  However, this week’s episode showcases that their transition includes an unexpected roommate, Ace, who was severely punished by Riddle.  The reason behind this punishment?  Ace stole a single piece of Riddle’s tart.  I wish I were joking, but apparently, that’s how Riddle operates around his dorm, not just in his personality, reminiscent of the Queen of Hearts, but also in his strict guidelines.
This episode further explores the series’s world-building for those unfamiliar with the mobile game, and it doesn’t just include Riddle’s strict, short-tempered persona and the realm’s magic.  It also expanded on the Heartslabyul dorm and the other dorms we may see in future seasons.  This timing seems surprisingly fitting, as the show’s second season, which involves the Savanaclaw dorm, was announced last week, indicating that the developers are pretty confident in the adaptation’s success.  This comes as no surprise, considering their original plan to adapt the first three manga into three seasons, and I’m also very pleased with the announcement, given my enjoyment of the series so far.  I also liked that the academy’s professors are based on other Disney villains, like Cruella de Vil and Gaston, emphasizing the Disney-villain-inspired character designs in gorgeous anime form.