TV Recap: “Disney Twisted Wonderland: The Animation” Episode 3 — To the Enchanted Mine in the Seven Jeweled Hills
The third episode of Disney Twisted Wonderland: The Animation follows the previous episode’s structure of adapting two chapters to the manga (Chapter 4: “To the Enchanted Mine” and Chapter 5: “Tag Team Formation”) into a single episode. With Ace and Deuce facing expulsion from Night Raven College and Yuken at risk of losing his housing in the Ramshackle Dorm, the three boys ventured off to the Enchanted Mine in search of a magestone to fix the Dining Hall’s dying chandelier. Unbeknownst to them, the cat-like monster Grim has trailed them through the woods, which is where this episode begins.
Episode 3: “To the Enchanted Mine” - Written by Yōichi Katō, English Adaptation by Madeleine Morris
With nothing but moonlight to guide their way, Yuken Enma (Yōhei Azakami/Jonathon Ha), Ace Trappola (Seiichirō Yamashita/Max Mittelman), and Deuce Spade (Chiaki Kobayashi/Hunter McCoy) pass a small cottage by a brook on their way to the Enchanted Mine. They knock on the door to see if anybody’s home, and enter to find it seemingly abandoned. Ace wonders about its former inhabitants as he inspects a low dining table with seven chairs and small teacups. Deuce studies a cauldron in the fireplace. Yuken looks for a light they can take to the mine, finding a partially used candle but no matches. Ace and Deuce explain the particulars of learning how to use fire magic, a skill neither of them has yet to acquire. But just their luck, they were followed by Grim (Noriaki Sugiyama/Ben Diskin), who makes his presence known by blowing a small strand of blue fire on the wick, lighting it.
Grim acts overly tough, saying he wants a magestone for himself to help with his own magic powers. He declares himself captain, leading the way to the Enchanted Mine, but as they get closer, his fear overcomes him. Especially when they hear a low rumbling sound inside. Ace laughs at Grim as he leads them all inside.
They use pickaxes to chip away at rocks, seeing no sign of a magestone in sight and wondering if the abandoned mine has been so thoroughly excavated that none remain. Ace and Deuce get into an argument that Yuken tries to quell, but the only thing that actually stops their fighting is the return of the grumbling sound, much louder than before. A fog emerges from a parallel mine shaft, a purple light glowing from within. “No give,” a growling voice says. “MINE!” it shouts.
A Blot Monster (Shōmaru Saza/Jon Olson) emerges from the cloud, dressed like a dwarf but much larger, with an ink jar for a head, carrying a glowing purple lantern and a large pickaxe. The boys hide on the other side of a rock, and it seems the monster is moving away. Grim sneezes, alerting the monster that someone is in his mine. “My stone,” they hear it grumble, thinking the monster is in possession of the last magestone. Deuce is determined to battle the monster for one, not willing to give up his admission to Night Raven College. Ace tries to hold him back, but Deuce runs off alone toward the monster.
The Blot Monster swings its giant pickaxe at Deuce, who dives out of the way of most of its attacks. In the fight, the monster’s head knocks against a rock wall and starts to leak blot. As Deuce kicks the monster, he finds that the magic ink acts like a protective shroud for the monster. Deuce gets knocked to the floor, unconscious.
Grim blows a blaze of fire at the monster, who quickly extinguishes it. As Ace joins the fight, Yuken helps Deuce. He sees a sparkle in the rock - a magestone? Deuce wants to get it, but Yuken won’t let him risk it, picking him up and carrying him to safety.
The boys hide in a quiet mineshaft, having evaded the Blot Monster. As Ace and Deuce bicker, Yuken draws on his Kendo Club experience to strategize a team attack. “We can win as long as we work together,” he inspires them.
Yuken distracts the Blot Monster, leading him out of the mine to the entrance. With the monster out in the open, Ace begins to wield his wind magic as Grim lights it up, fanning a tornado of flames around it. Deuce delivers his specialty, dropping the heaviest item he can conjure - a cauldron, inspired by the dwarf’s cottage. Multiple cauldrons drop on the Blot Monster, further cracking its ink jar head. The monster collapses, seemingly down for the count. “Great work there, team,” Yuken praises the trio, who suddenly act like working as a team didn’t save the day.
“MINE!” the Blot Monster revives as the boys start to resume their search for a magestone. Just before the monster can attack, it’s surrounded by a rush of powerful red flames that vanquish the creature for good. They turn around to see Heartslabyul House Headwarden Riddle Rosehearts (Natsuki Hanae/Paul Castro Jr.) flanked by Vice Housewarden Trey Clover (Ryōta Suzuki/Johnny Yong Bosch) and Room-Leader Cater Diamond (Tatsuyuki Kobayashi/Michael Sinterniklaas). “That monster was barely a threat, and still you fools struggle?” Riddle scoffs.
Ace and Deuce think Riddle came to help them, but in fact, he came to punish them — not for scorching the Queen of Hearts statue, but for breaking one of the Queen’s craziest rules, joining their housemates in singing a song because a hedgehog sneezed! Trey and Cater are ordered to apprehend Ace and Deuce, dragging the boys back to Night Raven College. Yuken asks Riddle what he’s going to do with the boys. “Frankly, outsider, that is none of your concern,” Riddle sneers. “This is an internal matter for Heartslabyul House.”
Yuken returns to the mine, freeing the blue magestone Deuce saw. Grim tries to steal it for himself, but Yuken says Ace and Deuce need it to avoid expulsion. Grim complains about being hungry, but his nose gets a whiff of a scent he finds irresistible. He follows the scent to the mine’s entrance, finding a black stone in the pool of blot from the slain monster. He picks it up and eats it. “So good!” Grim gushes as Yuken watches in disgust.
Back at Night Raven College, the Headmage’s Office, Dire Crowley (Mitsuru Miyamoto/J. Michael Tatum) is enchanted that not only did Yuken return with a magestone, but it’s the exact kind he needed for the Dining Hall’s chandelier. Crowley recognizes Yuken’s skills as a beastmaster, thinking this must be why the Dark Mirror brought him to Night Raven College. He complains about the other students, so arrogant in their magical abilities that they refuse to work together. But Yuken, with no magical abilities, can inspire collaboration, even from a monster like Grim. Crowley doesn’t just revoke Ace and Deuce’s expulsion, but he grants Yuken and Grim a rare co-enrollment offer.
Yuken will serve as Grim’s prefect, responsible for keeping the monster in line. Yuken congratulates Grim on finally getting his wish of enrolling in Night Raven College. Crowley bestows gifts on his new students - a magestone for Grim in the form of a charm for his collar, and a ghost camera for Yuken, which allows him to take snapshots of souls to document his life at Night Raven College.
At Heartslabyul House, Ace and Deuce are punished to kneel on the floor as they join their housemates in reciting “How Doth the Little Crocodile” while hedgehogs watch from their cages. Riddle Rosehearts leads the chorus from a high judge’s bench.
Bonus Short: Twisted Wonderland Mini Theater
This episode’s bonus short shines a spotlight on Octavinelle House’s famous café, Mostro Lounge. Nobody can upsell menu items like Housewarden Azul Ashengrotto, who is in a housewarden meeting today. Jade Leech (Wataru Komada/Jonah Scott) wanders the halls of Night Raven College in distress over the lack of staffing and declining sales when Rook Hunt (Yoshirō Itokawa/Matthew Mercer) of Pomefiore House passes by, asking what’s wrong. Jade and his twin, Floyd (Nobuhiko Okamoto/Kellen Goff), ask for Rook’s help in the Mostro Lounge, thinking “the seagull” - a nickname they gave Rook because of the feather in his hat - will make a good salesperson. Rook agrees to try it.
Rook is overly personal with customers at Mostro Lounge, slowing down all the orders. Floyd thinks it looks like fun and starts a competition with Rook, trying to outdo him, pressuring students to order items they didn’t want. But all Jade cares about is the bottom line. “We have a record high in sales today,” he celebrates.
To be continued in Episode 4, streaming November 19th on Disney+ and Hulu.