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High Guardian Spice

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High Guardian Spice
Promotional image
Genre
Created byRaye Rodriguez
Developed byClaire Stenger
Voices of
  • Briana Leon
  • Lauren White
  • Amber Romero
  • Michelle Deco
ComposerSteven Argila
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Raye Rodriguez
  • Margaret Dean
Running time22 minutes[3]
Production companyCrunchyroll Studios
Original release
NetworkCrunchyroll
ReleaseOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)

High Guardian Spice[4] is an American animated television series created by Raye Rodriguez, who formerly worked for Danger & Eggs as a character designer.[5][6] The series is produced by Crunchyroll Studios (formerly named Ellation), and was originally slated to be Crunchyroll's first original series before it was delayed for approximately 2 years.[7] The series premiered on its streaming service on October 26, 2021.[8][9]

Premise

[edit]

A group of four young girls who attend the High Guardian Academy are training to become guardians of West City.[10][11] At the same time, they deal with friends, enemies, and betrayals, as they attempt to protect everything from an unknown threat against the world.[12][13][2]

Characters

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Main characters

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  • Rosemary (voiced by Briana Leon)[14] – A human who has pink hair and wants to become a guardian no matter what. She's brash and bold, and wants to take up her mother's sword and follow in her mother's footsteps.
  • Sage (voiced by Lauren White)[6] – A witch who has blue hair and uses Old Magic. She often runs into problems with the New Magic-centered school, as she objects to New Magic.
  • Parsley (voiced by Amber Romero)[8] – A dwarf and a magical girl with blond hair. She also works as a blacksmith.
  • Thyme (voiced by Michelle Deco)[6] – A magical girl with red hair who is a skilled archer elf. She is committed to saving her home from a mysterious ailment called the Rot.

Supporting characters

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  • Lavender (voiced by Liisa Lee)[14] – The mother of Rosemary who has lavender hair and was once a well-known Guardian.
  • Amaryllis (voiced by Katie McVay)[8] – A rich, snobbish and violent human girl with purple hair who goes to the same academy. Despite her aggressiveness, she is a loyal and caring friend to Snapdragon.
  • Snapdragon (voiced by Julia Kaye)[8] – A snarky, awkward human student, and best friend of Amaryllis, with red hair who goes to the same academy.
  • Mandrake (voiced by AJ Beckles)[14] – A human shapeshifter and warlock.
  • The Triad (voiced by Salli Saffioti)[15] – The female human headmasters of the academy. They are immortal. One is young-appearing, one looks middle-aged, and the last one looks elderly.
  • Professor Harkone (voiced by Anthony Brandon Walker)[6] – A human professor who teaches battle tactics.
  • Parnelle (voiced by Barbara Goodson)[14] – The youngest male human student in the academy and a child prodigy.[16]
  • Neppy Cat (voiced by Cam Clarke)[6] – A housecat near the academy which had secret powers.
  • Slime Boy (voiced by Julian Koster)[14] – A human warlock boy and second-year student who loves monsters and is a musician.
  • Professor Caraway (voiced by Raye Rodriguez)[14] – A human professor who teaches a class on sacred alphabets and is a powerful guardian. He is also a trans man. Lavender's friend.
  • Moss Phlox (voiced by Audu Paden)[17] – A satyr professor who teaches blacksmithing and is a guardian.
  • Fennel (voiced by Audu Paden)[18] – The father of Rosemary who has violet hair.
  • Chicory (voiced by AJ Beckles)[19] – The brother of Rosemary who has lavender hair.[6]
  • Anise (voiced by Haviland Stillwell) [20][21] – Sage's lesbian cousin.
  • Aloe (voiced by Joy Lerner)[22] – Anise's lesbian elf wife.
  • Wyverna Dretch (voiced by Haviland Stillwell)[23][24] – A female demon professor who teaches an ethics class at the academy.
  • Olive (voiced by Stephanie Sheh)[25] – A catgirl working for the Triumvirate. She is a skilled assassin.
  • Grog (voiced by Audu Paden)[26] – A creature that is sighted on the academy campus.
  • Redbud (voiced by Barbara Goodson)[27] – A science teacher at the academy who puts her students at risk, even putting their lives on the line, in order to "test" them.
  • Flora (voiced by Cindy Robinson)[28] – Mother of Thyme who visits her in the city.
  • Smoke Face (voiced by Audu Paden)[29] – A smoky purple wisp-like entity.
  • Cal (voiced by SungWon Cho)[30] – A student at the academy who is transphobic to Snapdragon and plays into her gender dysphoria.
  • Sage's Mom (voiced by Michelle Deco)[31] – The mother of Sage who appears in one episode.
  • Sage's Dad (voiced by AJ Beckles)[32] – The father of Sage who appears in one episode.
  • Angie (voiced by Wendee Lee)[33] – Mother of Parsley and many boys. Married to Sorrel.
  • Sorrel (voiced by Cam Clarke)[34] – Father of Parsley and many boys. Married to Angie.
  • Zinnia (voiced by Cindy Robinson)[35] – Student at academy who wanted to avoid danger.
  • Kino (voiced by Raye Rodriguez)[36] – Cat at the academy.
  • Demon (voiced by SungWon Cho)[37] – A demon that Thyme tries to appeal to so she can talk to her dad.
  • Kelp (voiced by SungWon Cho)[38] – A merperson that Parsley, Thyme, Sage, and Rosemary meet.
  • Coral (voiced by Haviland Stillwell)[39] – A mermaid that Thyme has a crush on.
  • Hawthorn (voiced by Audu Paden)[40] – Father of Snapdragon who pushed her to be "strong" like "a boy".
  • Yarrow (voiced by Audu Paden)[41] – Brother of Snapdragon who made fun of her for being "girlish".
  • Elodie (voiced by Karen Strassman)[42] – Mermaid at the underwater academy with Kelp and Coral. Helped by Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.
  • The Triumvirate (voiced by Audu Paden)[43] – The mysterious governing group that appears at the end of the series and are presumably villains.

Production

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Development

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In 2013, Rodriguez first came up with the idea for the show and pitched it to Frederator Studios but it was rejected. It was later pitched to Crunchyroll in 2016, developed into a comic in 2017, and re-pitched in 2018 when Marge Dean started at Crunchyroll, becoming a TV show.[44] In October 2023, Rodriguez told Melanie Cionco of Skwigly that he tried to "pitch the show for five years before it would eventually get picked up by Crunchyroll as part of their original series" and noted that he downplayed the show's queerness when he was "pitching it as a kids show for like Nickelodeon, Frederator, Cartoon Network etc."[45]

The show began production in 2017. According to the resume of Claire Stenger, a co-developer, writer, and co-story editor for the show, she worked on pitch documents, helped with VO sessions, gave notes, and helped with the writing, between September 2017 and October 2018.[46] The show was originally set to be released in early 2019, but was delayed.[4][7][47] The show wrapped production in autumn 2019, as noted by Raye Rodriguez,[48][49] the series creator, and Anime News Network, even though Crunchyroll missed deadlines for release in 2019 and 2020.[1][50] ANN reviewer Callum May stated that negative backlash by some people to the series was why there was a lack of communication or release of the series and argued that Crunchyroll has an internal and external "communication problem".[1]

Rodriguez stated that he produced "twelve 22-minute episodes" of the show on his official website.[3] This number of episodes was confirmed with the official announcement of the series premiere date in October 2021.[8] Apart from Rodriguez, who is a trans man, the show had a writers room composed completely of women, and a crew that was 50% female, and "very ethnically and LGBTQ+ diverse" according to the head of Crunchyroll Studios, then named Ellaton Studios, Margaret Dean.[13] It was later confirmed that William Ruzicka worked as a storyboarder for the series.[51][52]

In January 2022, Rodriguez revealed that the series was "significantly low budget by U.S. animation standards," saying that many of the problems people attributed to the series, in terms of writing and art, could be "attributed to this low budget." He added that even though the show was on Crunchyroll, it was a cartoon created using a similar production pipeline to American animations like those on Cartoon Network, describing the show as ambitious artistically within the schedule and budget which was provided. He also stated that Onyx Equinox learned from mistakes made on the show and was union, but had "a lot of the same team and same pipeline" and urged people to think about what happened behind the scenes while thinking about who started hatred toward the show.[49]

Release

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On February 25, 2020, Crunchyroll released a trailer for 8 original series including High Guardian Spice[53] and seven others.[a] Previously, the series had been announced as the first project under the "Crunchyroll Originals" brand.[54] In May 2020, Alden Budill, head of global partnerships and content strategy at Crunchyroll described the series as "anime-inspired," like Onyx Equinox but said they are created by a "team of people who both love and respect anime as an art form because they are designed and produced by true fans who seek to infuse that same spirit into their content even though it is created outside of Japan."[55]

On September 4, 2020, Ethan Supovitz of CBR described the series as an upcoming Crunchyroll original which would come out in 2020, but gave no exact date.[11] The same month it was revealed that Kristle Peluso, who also was a writer for Onyx Equinox and the second season of gen:LOCK, was a writer for the show.[56] On November 15, 2020, Constance Sarantos of CBR wrote an article advocating for Crunchyroll to release the series, with the latter silent about the show's release date, noting that it received backlash when it was initially announced, but that the delay "seem[ed] ridiculous" at that point.[57]

On May 13, 2021, Rodriguez told people to be "on the lookout" for news regarding the show later in the summer.[58]

In June 2021, it was announced that at the virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2021, taking place from August 5–7, 2021, there will be "news" about the series, specifically at the Crunchyroll Industry Panel on August 6.[59][60][61] The same month, Anime News Network stated that show will receive a "new release date in Summer 2021" and no other shows from the studio have been announced apart from High Guardian Spice.[1] On August 6, 2021, a trailer for the series was released, along with new art of characters in the series[2][62] In the announcement, no release date was noted, only that it will premiere soon, and that the series had magical girl influences.[63][64]

On September 21, 2021, Crunchyroll listed the show as part of its Fall 2021 lineup.[65][66][67]

On October 10, 2021, Crunchyroll revealed the release date as October 26, 2021 and cast list.[14] The series had a 12 episode debut.[6][68] Before the show's debut, Animation Magazine said that Rodriguez wants to make the world a "more loving and empathetic place by sharing fantastical stories about queer, diverse and relatable characters."[6]

Influences

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In a November 2021 interview, Rodriguez noted that he was inspired by Magic Knight Rayearth, Sailor Moon, Petite Princess Yucie, and Little Witch Academia, and described the show as having a "hybrid Eastern-Western cartoon style." He also praised the show's cast and crew, noted the representation of various body types in the show, and argued the show's message is that being a Guardian means risking your life to stand up for what you believe, while the protagonists "have to decide for themselves if this really is the path they want to walk down."[44] Rodriguez also said that the content warnings before episodes were not put there because of him, and that the series is not "an adult show" and that while there are curse words and mild blood, it is not for "mature audiences only".[69][70]

LGBT representation

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The series features various LGBT characters. Anise, Sage's cousin, is married to an Elf woman named Aloe, with Anise voiced by Haviland Stillwell, a lesbian woman.[71] Professor Caraway, a professor at the High Guardian Academy, is a trans man. In the third episode "Transformations", he is revealed to be a trans man, and is voiced by the show's creator, Raye Rodriguez.[72][73][6] Snapdragon is a trans woman. Over the course of the series, Snapdragon "Snap" figures out who she is and Caraway helps her move toward gender transition.[74] The voice actress for Snap, Julia Kaye, confirmed that Snap is a trans woman and that Rodriguez based aspects of the character on her.[75] Rodriguez further confirmed that Snap is a trans woman.[76] The series also includes LGBTQ cast members like openly gay Cam Clarke (who voices Neppy Cat and Sorrel) and ambiguously queer Julian Koster (who voices Slime Boy).[14]

In October 2021, Rodriguez was described as being "passionate about telling diverse and inclusive stories" and noted as wanting to share "fantastical stories about queer, diverse and relatable characters."[6] In a November 2021 interview, Rodriguez noted the importance of representation and voiced optimism for inclusivity in animation. He further praised Crunchyroll for not giving any pushback to LGBTQ representation in the series, adding that in the world of High Guardian Spice, people are "generally a lot more chill about LGBTQ+ people than they are in real life."[44]

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Journey to Lyngarth"Audu Paden & Raye RodriguezKate Leth, Amanda Levari, & Katie McVayOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)

Two teenage girls, Sage and Rosemary, are excited to go to High Guardian Academy, and become guardians. After their parents wish them well and send them off, they travel to Lyngarth, all the while reflecting on their hometown Pebble. Once at Lyngarth, they stay the night with Sage's cousins, Anise and Aloe, and while sleeping, Rosemary has a nightmare about her mother.

The next morning, Sage and Rosemary decide to explore around Lyngarth, bumping into Thyme, who Rosemary almost stabs with her sword while swinging around. After that incident, Rosemary and Sage continue to explore, before Rosemary's locket is stolen by a magpie-like creature called a Trixie. Both girls chase the Trixie to a ruined garden, where it does a mating ritual and breaks Rosemary's locket. Sage, in order to make her friend feel better, brings Rosemary to a blacksmith to get her locket fixed, meeting Parsley, whose also going to the academy, and agrees to give them the locket the next day. After leaving the locket with Parsley, they head back to Sage's cousins house, and head to the academy the next day.
2"Disorientation Day"Alan CaldwellKate Leth, Amanda Levari, & Katie McVayOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)

Sage, Rosemary, Parsley, and Thyme start their first day at High Guardian Academy, and get introduced to the triad- an old woman, a middle aged woman, and a young woman. The triad explains why the students were chosen, and how long they'd be at the school- three years- before explaining that all new students had to go through an orientation of sorts, with them having to write their own versions of the guardian vows.

Sage is instantly worried about getting her vows right, and while Rosemary and Parsley tries to reassure her, all four girls learn they have classes at different times. Rosemary goes to ethics class and meets Snapdragon. Parsley is nearly late to her blacksmithing class, while Sage gets to her sacred Alphabet's class with time to spare and meets a stuck-up girl named Amaryllis, while Parsley is moved to a third year blacksmithing class.

Sage attends her second class on magic, and the next time she sees Rosemary, admits that she doesn't know if she should be there. However, Rosemary makes her feel better as they head to the rotunda, where they learn they're given two hours a day to work on a special skill. After that, Sage attends a potions class taught by Professor Rudbud, who poisons the class and gives them an hour to stop it. Sage carefully creates a potion that heals everyone, before they all give their guardian vows, hearing the other students as well.
3"Transformations"Amber Tornquist HollingerKate LethOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)

Rosemary, Sage, Parsley, and Thyme focus on their skills, and while they are, Sage is worried about what she should choose. While talking, Rosemary looses her grip on her sword, which breaks. She's upset- but remembers her mother explaining that she'd rather have a broken sword than her being hurt. Caraway- the sacred Alphabet's teacher- strikes up a conversation with the girls, before telling Rosemary he wanted to see her during her everything hours.

After leaving each other, Parsley gets the job of re-hanging a portrait, Sage tries to learn new magic, alongside Neppy Cat, and Rosemary meets Caraway in his library study and finds out that one of his closest friends is her mom- which, of course, she's shocked. Meanwhile, Parsley falls down a hole and is forced to travel through tiny tunnels, caves, and Caverns, meeting some crab-like animals that help Parsley get back up to the ground floor of the academy.

While that's going on, Amaryllis messes with Sage's potion, accidentally causing Neppy-Cat to become a full-grown cat monster, who starts running through the academy. Caraway explains how he and Lavender were friends, and reveals he's transgender, before going into a story about how he and Lavender defeated a giant manticore monster together.

After he's finished, Caraway tells Rosemary to choose disciplines, before talking about the value of a worn weapon and repairing her sword. Parsley finally gets to the surface, and finds out that the entire adventure was a text that Moss Phlox gave her. Meanwhile, Amaryllis, Snapdragon, and Sage- along with Thyme- finally gets Neppy cat under control, before Sage goes off on Amaryllis- Snapdragon falling in love with Sage.
4"Past Present"Michael GoguenKate LethOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)

Due to the school being infested by little crab-like creatures called Trabers, Rosemary, Sage, Parsley, and Thyme have to head home. Rosemary and Sage are going to Sage's cousins house, and Parsley is going home- however, Thyme wants to sleep in the woods. Parsley convinces Thyme to come home with her, and Thyme reluctantly agrees, meeting seven of Parsley's brothers and Parsley's parents.

Meanwhile, Sage admits she isn't sure about academy life, but her cousins get her a present, hoping to cheer her up, yet fails. Sage admits to Rosemary that she doesn't want a terra sphere- but doesn't want to disappoint her cousins, going along willingly to a magic shop, where they meet a boy named Slime boy. Sage- although she doesn't want a terra sphere- finds a terrasphere that she likes.

Parsley's parents want her to stay in the forge and stop going to school, which angers parsley. Parsley criticizes her parents for wanting her to return to their ship, and refuses to apologize to her mother despite her father's urging. Thymes mother, Flora, enters the shop, and both have high tension between each other, which Parsley tries to defuse. During this, Parsley's brother gets stuck on the roof, and Parsley, Thyme, and Flora work together in order to save him. Thyme makes up with her mother a bit, while Parsley agrees to visit her parents on weekends. Sage is still hesitant on 'New Magic', but after seeing a picture of her mother using a terrasphere, finally decides to use it.
5"A Lost Cause"Emi YonemuraKatie McVayOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)
As Rosemary is sleeping in her bed, Sage begins practicing new magic, riding her staff with a terra sphere like a broom, and she is saved by Thyme who uses her elven magic. Thyme and Sage go to a potions class in the greenhouse, with Sage annoyed when Amaryllis is part of her group, where they are experimenting with skivel plants. Rosemary and Parsley are told to write five pages on a special ax, Warner's axe, for their class. When Sage says she would use old magic, her professor tells her that new magic is better, and Thyme calms Sage down when she wants to get back at Amaryllis. Rosemary and Parsley research in the library about the special ax, while Snapdragon is part of their group, causing tensions, especially with Rosemary. Thyme unintentionally causes Sage to cry, while Rosemary arm wrestles with Snapdragon. Thyme comes to Rosemary, Parsley, and Snapdragon, asking for help after she made Sage cry. Sage goes into a room to cry and she meets Parnelle, who has a grog named Greg with him, with Sage and Parnelle talking to one another. Amaryllis decides to tag along with Snapdragon, Rosemary, Parsley, and Thyme, who are looking for Sage. Sage and Parnelle work together to test out her new magic abilities. Slime Boy comes in the room too but to practice a crying song. Sage's spell goes wrong, with Parnelle, Slime Boy, and Greg trapped in a magic bubble. Rosemary looks down the infinite hallway, while she continues to look for Sage with Snapdragon, Amaryllis, Parsley, and Thyme. Sage struggles with new magic, with Snapdragon, Amaryllis, Parsley, Rosemary, and Thyme surprised to see what happened. Thyme apologizes sincerely, with the push from Parsley, to Sage. After being encouraged, Sage is able to use new magic to free Parnelle and Slime Boy from magic bubbles and reverse the magical damage. Later, Thyme apologizes to Sage again, saying she didn't mean to hurt her feelings, and they make up.
6"Crushing Obstacles"Amber Tornquist HollingerAmanda Levari, Kate Leth, & Katie McVayOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)
Caraway rolls magic dice, deciding they will be studying runes on challenges, growth, secrets, and relationships, in a class that Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Amaryllis, and Snapdragon are part of. Aster Tormaline joins the class taught by Professor Hakone and Rosemary falls in love with him, with Sage seeing clearly that Rose is distracted, and Thyme shaking her head. Aster then asks Caraway what a rune is, and he ponders the question. Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, and Parsley are in their weapons training class. Rose says hello to Aster, Snapdragon is impressed, as are others when Rosemary says that Lavender is her mom. Snapdragon and Amaryllis switch weapons and have great success, while Rosemary continues to be taken with Aster. Sage asks Thyme and Parsley about Aster, with Parsley saying he is a "babe" and Thyme telling of a time she had a crush. Snapdragon and Sage practice fighting with weapons together. The class then goes through an obstacle course, with Parsley paired with Parnelle, Snapdragon with Sage, Rose with Aster, and Amaryllis with Thyme. Rose continues to deepen her crush on Aster, Parnelle and Parsley jump between moving axes, Snapdragon is annoyed with Sage, Rose's crush on Aster seems to be weakening, and Thyme helps out Amaryllis. Snapdragon says he is sick of a lot at the present time, surprising Sage. Rosemary's annoyance with Aster reaches a boiling point and she demands he follow her. Parnelle and Parsley are apparently the first ones to finish the course. Amaryllis and Thyme begin seeing things they have in common with each other. Snapdragon cheers up Sage when he points out that Rosemary's crush on Aster is dead, with Snapdragon accepting Sage's offer to talk about the "heavy stuff", with someone other than Amaryllis. Parsley drops her hammer on Aster's foot, causing Hakone to demote her to second place, making Parnelle the champion, delighting him.
7"The Cave of Vinca"Michael GoguenKatie McVayOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)
The town cheers on the first-year students of High Guardian Academy, as they go on their quest inside a cave, the cave of Vinca, with Professor Dretch introducing them to the task, saying that if their courage fails, they will forfeit their guardianship. Harkone spooks the kids by making the sound of a wolf. One of the students leaves, saying she is too young and attractive for a "suicide mission". The mission for the students who stay is to collect a drop of magical healing waters. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme go off in their own direction, and encounter trabers. They fight them off, but Rosemary is injured in the process. Parsley pulls a lever on a fountain they find and there is no magic water. Rosemary gets woozy from her blood loss, worrying Sage especially, and becomes unconscious. A creature named Buckles says he knows where the fountain is and Thyme threatens the creature. Buckles gives them a riddle and thanks to Rosemary, Sage is able to tell there are four creatures. They are able to get the healing waters, with Thyme carrying Rosemary. Sage gives Rosemary the healing water and heals her. A guardian of the healing water attacks Thyme, Rose, Parsley, and Sage, and they come up with a plan to defeat them, with the two guardians hitting each other and falling apart. They all sit there, believing they are trapped in the chamber together. Rosemary proposes they play a game like truth-or-dare, which Sage and Parsley agree with, while Thyme is not so sure about it. She comes around to it. All four of them embrace in order to comfort Thyme, who says she wanted to use the healing water to save the fairy woods which are dying. Sage uses the dragon egg they have, so they can all hitch a ride on the dragon out of the cave, with the dragon busting them out. They get back to the academy and the dragon explodes into balls of light. Thyme uses the healing water on the tree and it works. As they step away from the tree, a catgirl named Olive appears, saying the secret may soon be revealed, and she is told to kill Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme, although she is not comfortable with doing this.
8"Festival of Fall"Emi YonemuraKate McVay & Kristle Peluso
Kate Leth (part 1 only)		October 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)
9

Part 1: Olive and her cat begin looking at the rot on a tree, talking to "Smoke Face", saying that killing the girls isn't worth their time. He tells her to turn them to stone at the autumn celebration in Lyngarth. She agrees to do it, but she wants to sow discord between them first. Neppy Cat is watching and goes to warn the girls. Rosemary, Sage, and Parsley are in their costumes, when a man named Cal, who is Parnelle's cousin, says hello to them. Thyme comes out, but is embarrassed by her costume. Neppy Cat uses spells to go into a humanoid form, in order to warn the protagonists of the danger they face. Olive schemes how to corner Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley, and Sage in the festival, believing she can turn them into stone and bring them to Witch Country, letting the Triumverate do the "dirty work". Everyone is enjoying their time at the festival, while Olive makes her way through the crowd and Thyme is uneasy about wearing the costume. Rosemary says that Olive was nice, but Sage said that something felt off about her. All four girls go to different parts of the festival, with Thyme thinking back to her time in the Fairy Woods where she tried to help but was told to leave, her dad staying behind. Snapdragon and Amaryllis are playing a game together, but when Cal sees what Snapdragon is wearing, he freaks out, leading Amaryllis to come to his defense. Rosemary, Sage, and Parsley walk on their own through the festival. They see Aloe and Anise there, in costumes. Anise says that she, Aloe, and Caraway "go to the same parties". Thyme goes to her mom's house, packs some potions, and gets despondent when she sees a family photograph, writing a note saying she is going to the Fairy Woods. Parsley is outside her family's booth trying to get people to pay for tickets. She sees Snapdragon and Amaryllis and says that both make a cute couple, to which they deny this. Sage then bumps into Snapdragon and says she looks so good, and blushes. Neppy Cat attempts to warn Thyme, but is unsuccessful. Sage and Rosemary sit at a booth together and Parsley comes to join them. Tensions between Sage and Rosemary begin. Thyme is surprised to see Neppy Cat, who warns her of the danger that she and the other girls face from Olive, with Neppy saying he will track the catgirl, and Thyme saying she will warn the others. Rosemary and Sage begin fighting one another, with Snapdragon and Amaryllis watching but Snapdragon doesn't want to watch. Thyme finds the other girls and warns them they are in danger, while Neppy faces down the catgirl. Snapdragon won't tell Amaryllis what is wrong, so both play a game together. Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley, and Sage, along with Neppy, face down Olive, who tells them to come with her to meet the Triumverate, and she drops the vile with the healing water, angering Thyme. Sage protects herself, Rosemary, and Thyme from Olive's spell, while Amaryllis and Snap are fine, but everyone else is turned to stone, including Parsley and Neppy Cat. Olive is injured in the process of casting the spell.

Part 2: With Lyngarth frozen in stone, Smoke Face tells Olive to reverse the spell. Sage, Rose, and Thyme plan to find Olive so the spell can be reversed. Meanwhile, she plans to kill the rest of them one by one. She fights them and then jumps away. Sage tries to warn Rosemary, saying that she is being too reckless in wanting to fight Olive. Thyme carries Sage down to the ground, with Sage blushing afterward. Amaryllis and Snapdragon are still stuck in their game, deciding to play again. Rosemary continues to pursue Olive. Sage and Thyme continue to search for Rosemary. Olive faces Rosemary, ready to fight her, with both weapons clashing as they fight in the street, with Olive taunting her. Rose later gets the upper hand and cuts Olive's arm, injuring her. Amaryllis and Snapdragon continue to play their game, with Snapdragon asking her to say please and stop ordering him around. Sage and Thyme find Amaryllis and Snapdragon, with all four looking for the catgirl and Rosemary. Amaryllis tells them all about Spooky City, a place supposedly made of money, then about spark spells, and she accidentally destroys a bird. An injured Olive limps away, while Rosemary continues to pursue. They all confront Olive, who tells them about the Triumverate, saying she is only one of those she will send, and says that if they come with her. Olive escapes and leaves behind the spark spell. Rosemary and Sage get angry with one another, but Thyme breaks it up. Sage smashes the spark spell orb, causing the spell which turned almost everyone into stone to be reversed, including Neppy and Parsley. Rosemary smiles at Sage, who smiles back, then looks away. The festival goes on. Rosemary, Amaryllis, Thyme, Parsley, Sage, Neppy, and Snapdragon sit on a roof together but resolve to say nothing about Olive. All of them go their separate ways, and Sage says she wants to be alone with Snapdragon, surprising Rosemary, who sits on the roof alone. Neppy plays along with others at the festival, with Sage and Snapdragon watching it together. Thyme goes back to her mom's house, crumples up the note, and resolves to go back to the Fairy Woods so she can talk to her dad. Amaryllis tells Parsley that she couldn't beat a game, with Parsley saying beating it is about teamwork, and says the game isn't just for kids. Smoke Face talks to a scared Olive, in her cat form, saying the Triumverate will give her one last chance. Caraway, Aloe, and Anise hang out together at one of the booths. They are joined by Snapdragon and Sage. Rosemary walks through the festival sullenly. She sits by herself and cries.
10"Rainy Day Memories"Amber Tornquist HollingerKatie McVayOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)
A voice tells a tale of courage, loss, and adventure as it rains on an ominous cave. It later revealed that Rosemary is telling this scary story about Olander and a demon friend to Parnelle and fellow students. Thyme is near the cave, followed secretly by Parsley, seemingly the same location relayed in Rosemary's story. Amaryllis gets annoyed by Rosemary telling the story. Parsley and Thyme enter a cave, with Thyme annoyed Parsley followed her. Afterward, Parsley guesses correctly that Thyme wants to talk to her dad about saving the Fairy Woods. Rosemary tries to reach out to Sage, but she pushes her away and hangs out with Snapdragon instead. Amaryllis also leaves the room. Amaryllis tries to convince Rosemary to be a co-conspirator. In the cave, Thyme makes a salt circle, but Parsley is unsure about this plan. Thyme reveals that she wants to summon a demon so she can open a portal to her dad and tell him about the healing waters. Parsley tells Thyme that Olive may still be out there and that they shouldn't be summoning anything, especially demons. Rosemary goes into a room with Amaryllis, with Parnelle and Slime Boy also there, showing Rosemary her old "revenge diary". Amaryllis tries to make Rosemary feel bad about Snapdragon's friendship with Sage and convince her to mess with Sage, but Rosemary isn't so sure about this plan. Rosemary learns that Amaryllis has no roommate because her tarantula scared her. Thyme flashes back to a time she was in the Fairy Woods with her dad and her dad is told about the spreading of the blight across the woods. Back in the cave, she summons a demon by giving it a precious photograph she has. Slime Boy tells Amaryllis and Rosemary they could be nice to them, and Parnelle says they haven't done anything, but Amaryllis wants to proceed. Slime Boy and Parnelle tell Amaryllis that the spell is already corrupted. Sage tells Snapdragon about her worries about Rosemary, says she has a lot of feelings about Rosemary, and her worries about using new magic. Snapdragon says that Amaryllis can be kind at times, saying there are no confusing feelings, and that he doesn't mind the crush Amaryllis has on Hickory. Snapdragon suggests that Sage has a crush on Rosemary, to which she blushes, and both talk nicely. Rosemary and Amaryllis approach, but Rosemary tries to stop her, and as a result, all their worst memories "come to life". Thyme tries to talk to the demon and the demon gets the upper hand, pushing Thyme and Parsley out of the cave. Slime Boy helps by trapping the memories in his musical instrument. Rosemary and Amaryllis try to trap as many memories as they can before anyone sees them. Slime Boy tells Rosemary she should apologize to Sage, but Rosemary doesn't want to, seeing Sage as "perfect". Thyme and Parsley fight the demon and win, with Thyme admitting that summoning the demon was a waste of time. Rosemary and Amaryllis bond over thinking about their friends. Rosemary apologizes to Sage, with Sage apologizing too, saying that becoming a guardian is scarier than she thought, and Sage says that Snapdragon is her friend. Snapdragon chuckles at hearing that Amaryllis helped Rosemary and tells her to not be angry all the time. Parsley tells Thyme they can work on solving the blight together and to not have any more secrets. A wounded Olive, in the school's attic, sees a memory of Rosemary where she calls herself "Rosehairy".
11"The Scypith"Michael GoguenKristle PelusoOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)
The guardians, including Snapdragon, Amaryllis, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, and Parsley, try and tame an octopus in the river. It turns out that Caraway is the one who is commanding this octopus. The Triad say they have found their champions to dispatch for a quest. Caraway explains that only a select group of people will go on this special mission. Everyone else leaves except for a small group of fighters, Snapdragon, Cal, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme, sent to address a call for help from the merpeople from the underwater sister school of High Guardian Academy. Thyme says she is still thinking about Olive, the catgirl. Cal insults Snapdragon for wearing a mermaid's outfit, and so Snapdragon fights back. Caraway is shocked and the kid swims away. Caraway says that Snapdragon can't go because he has a broken wrist. They see Professor Redbud and Rosemary says they are looking for the Sirena students Redbud has them all wear magic rings and pushes them into the water. The girls each transform into mermaids. Snapdragon is jealous when he sees them having fun and Caraway asks say why he reacted that way. Underwater, the girls meet one of the students, Elodie, and go to the bastion to get away from the serpent. Elodie drives the serpent away from the bastion and calls to her other merpeople for help. The beast leaves. Elodie introduces the other mermaids, Coral and Kelp. Thyme freezes up when she sees Coral and acts embarrassed, even after meeting a sea horse named Bubbles. The merpeople worry as the serpent was once sweet to them, but now he attacks them, but they don't know why. Back in the academy, Amaryllis learns that Snapdragon beat up Cal and she is worried. Meanwhile, Olive reads Rose's diary and sees drawings of swords. Snapdragon flashes back to when his father encouraged him after his brother said he was acting "like a girl" and told him to be a fierce warrior. Caraway says there is more than one path to becoming a respected warrior. The girls and merpeople practice swimming. Coral tries to convince Amaryllis to stay under water with her. Rosemary tries to come up with a team name. She is tasked with using Bubbles venom to knock out the serpent and tries to come up with a call in case they are in trouble but says it is a joke. Snapdragon reveals his insecurities with being a man, that he doesn't want to like his father. Caraway tells him about transition magic, which excites Snapdragon, and he thanks Caraway for listening. The merpeople continue in their mission to the deepest parts of the lake. They retreat back to the bastion when the serpent attacks, then plan to capture the serpent. Sage uses her magic and she can't stop it, causing a gash in the serpent, and her to be horrified as she didn't want to hurt him. Thyme helps sedate the serpent while Rose stabs it, causing it to die. All four girls hug each other. Amaryllis comforts Snapdragon, saying she will be there for him no matter what. Sage tries to say she killed the serpent, but the merfolk and Redbud tell her she is wrong, saying the cause is from whatever is altering the balance of nature. Thyme sees that the rot has reached the lake, with Caraway saying this is a bad sign.
12"Attack on High Guardian Academy"William RuzickaKristle PelusoOctober 26, 2021 (2021-10-26)
In the woods outside Lyngarth, Olive meets a person named Mandrake, who is surprised she is still alive, while she calls him ugly. She releases her cat, Kino, so Mandrake doesn't kill it. Olive doesn't want to kill anyone and is told by Smoke Face that Mandrake will be in charge, and she begrudgingly agrees. Caraway tells people their final is coming up and for students to come by his office if they have any questions. Rosemary sits in her seat alone, looking out the window. Sage asks her what's wrong and Rosemary tells her it is the serpent she put down that she feels bad about. Olive and Mandrake talk, with Olive trying to say that they should try and lure Rosemary to Witch Country. Rosemary and Sage talk about their childhood. Rosemary follows a voice and hugs her mom, while Olive watches. She is happy to see her, then she disappears. She tells Sage, Thyme, and Parsley she saw her mom. So, all four girls go to Caraway's office. There are two Caraways and they aren't sure which one is real, until the real one defends the girl, while the other Caraway is blasted out the window, and turns out to be Mandrake. Caraway then explains he used old and new magic at the same time, to Sage's surprise. The girls depart, while Caraway gathers the teachers. He brings a special brew to celebrate the end of the term, but it turns out that this Caraway is actually Mandrake and he gave them a sleeping potion, with Caraway also knocked out, with Olive dragging him in. They hear Caraway calling a mandatory assembly, but the girls are skeptical. All of the students are locked in a downstairs room, with Mandrake wanting to kill them, but Olive not wanting to do so. Amaryllis and Snapdragon realize that Caraway didn't trap them inside. Mandrake taunts the girls. Once inside the library, the girls split up, with Rosemary and Thyme going to find Olive, while Sage and Parsley try to put out the fires. Olive tells Mandrake that her plan can still work, but Mandrake refuses to go along with it. Mandrake tries to trick Rosemary. Thyme tries to find Rosemary, but has to deal with attacks from Mandrake. Thyme goes to find Rosemary and they meet up. They try and formulate a plan, but Mandrake surprises them, holding Thyme hostage, with Olive admitting she read Rosemary's diaries. She ends up stabbing Mandrake, mortally wounding him. They agree to let Olive help them. Amaryllis organizes all the students together. Mandrake tries to heal his wound with his flame sword while the library burns. The girls, with the help of Olive, seem to get the upper hand. The girls and Olive pursue Mandrake. His fire attacks cause parts of the academy to burn. He is able to push Sage, Olive, and Rosemary to the ground. Sage helps Rosemary and they stop Olive from being attacked by Mandrake. Rosemary fights Mandrake and with the help of Sage. Olive is taken away in chains. Firefighters try and put out the fire, while everyone looks for Mandrake, and the school burns. Rose cuts Sage's hair and after they compliment each other, both agree to find Rose's mom together. Winter break starts early with all the students dismissed, with all of the girls going to separate places. Amaryllis compliments Sage's hair cut, as does Snapdragon, with Rosemary dubbing all four of them "High Guardian Spice", a name which they all embrace. In a post-credits scene, Mandrake is brought before the Triumverate, asking for mercy, and Lavender recommends his execution. Leaving the series to end on a cliffhanger.

Reception

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Pre-release

[edit]

In March 2020, John Witiw of CBR said that the series reminded them of RWBY, Mysticons, and Harry Potter, while noting that the names of the characters are a reference to "Scarborough Fair", an English folk ballad made popular by Simon & Garfunkel.[12] Another reviewer, Ethan Supovitz, also of CBR, said that the show has "a lot of anime influences", blending Eastern and Western animation, calling it reminiscent of Steven Universe, The Owl House, and Dungeons & Dragons, praising the creative team, variety of characters, while expressing worry about the show's style over substance, the number of "newcomers", familiar themes, and delay in release.[11]

Crunchyroll's announcement of the show prompted a negative backlash from some of the site's users due to the diversity of the cast and crew and inclusion of LGBTQ+ themes.[77][1] Tom Capon of Gay Star News described Rodriguez as the "creative force" behind the show, noting that he'll be "leading an all-female writing room."[78] Callum May of Anime News Network wrote that due to response by some to the show's unveiling, Crunchyroll seemed to have put off releasing the show for almost two years.[1]

Post-release

[edit]

On public review sites, the series was review bombed.[74][79]

Melanie Cionco of Skwigly described the series as being "as queer and loud in its representation as it could" by featuring a cast of "mostly queer characters and plotlines" but lamented that the show's uncertain future left these themes, plotlines, and characters, that "it wished to explicitly and openly tackle not fully developed."[45] Jade King of The Gamer described the series as not being "afraid to showcase its queer identity" and called the characters "bright, colourful, loving."[44] Evan Valentine, in an article for ComicBook.com, described the series as having a "unique aesthetic."[80] Ritwik Mitra of Game Rant described the series as "pretty lighthearted and interesting," but criticized the pacing and premise, while arguing that "the LGBTQ+ representation in the show was a breath of fresh air."[79]

Chiaki Hirai reviewed the first episode for Anime Feminist, describing it as a comfortable and "enjoyable show", praised the show's setting and story, and said that the "explicit LGBTQ positivity" stands out. However, she criticized the lack of English subtitles, saying it makes it hard for people with impaired hearing to watch the show.[81] Madeline Carpou of The Mary Sue described the show as "middle of the road," saying the show's quality varied, but praised the show's LGBTQ representation, and said that she ultimately liked the series.[82] Samuel Gachon of Collider said that anime-inspired series like High Guardian Spice and RWBY are "not always great."[83]

Franchise

[edit]

Merchandise

[edit]

On November 12, 2021, Crunchyroll announced that a pin set of characters Rosemary, Sage, Parsley, and Thyme, in the chibi style from the show's closing credits, could be bought from the company's web store.[84]

Recipes

[edit]

On December 10, 2021, Crunchyroll shared four recipes inspired by the show ranging from "sweet to savory treats".[85]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The others were Onyx Equinox, In/Spectre, The God of High School, Meiji Gekken: Sword & Gun, Tower of God, Noblesse, and FreakAngels.

References

[edit]
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