An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride eps 5-6

Episode 5 Rating: B+

Episode 6 Rating: B

Episode 4 ended with Zagan kicking Nephy out in an effort to distance her from the threats she might face by being associated with an Archdemon. The next two episodes demonstrate that, as well-intentioned as Zagan may have been, this was a terrible idea which negatively affects both characters involved – and, somewhat ironically, proves why they should be together.

Episode 5 also accomplishes one other important task: it proves that the series can function fine with Zagan mostly absent for a whole episode. Nephy has always had an undeniable cute appeal, but she has also slowly become stronger and more interesting as a character. Zagan’s “why be bothered by what makes you different” attitude seems to have made her more comfortable with herself, to the point that she is becoming more assertive, more willing to clearly stake out what she wants and pursue it with determination. She’s no longer a doormat; she wants to be with Zagan, both because he can understand her and because she can sense his vulnerability, and is willing to resist another sorcerer even from a disadvantageous position in order to affirm that conviction. She’s now a character who can be rooted for rather than just regarded as eye candy.

Episode 5 also brings two other female characters featured in the OP more prominently into play. Manuela had only appeared once before – as the harpy who runs the clothing shop and dressed Nephy up in an outrageous outfit or two – but she clearly took a liking to Nephy at that point, so coming to the abandoned Nephy’s defense in this case seems reasonable. Chastille, meanwhile, was already wavering in her convictions about Zagan, and she’s too good-hearted to hold anything against Nephy despite her association with Zagan. Whether intentionally or not, they play crucial roles by helping Nephy sort out her feelings and understand why Zagan did what he did.

Barbatos turning out to be the mastermind in this case was no surprise, though him being the apprentice of the sorcerer Zagan killed as a child was a more interesting twist. His complete curb-stomping by Zagan – who arrives in time to rescue Nephy after Barbatos takes both Nephy and Chastille – was expected, but that ultimately proves to be one of the least interesting aspects of these two episodes. (This is also why I’m rating episode 6 a bit lower.)

Far more interesting are the world-building aspects in play here. In episode 4, the other Archdemons spoke about the ability Zagan had which made him worthy to join their ranks, but seeing it in action here clarifies why they found it impressive enough to warrant that consideration. Even if they’re more powerful, any sorcerer would have a difficult time facing Zagan down one-on-one, especially with his gimmick now reinforced by the power of an Archdemon’s seal. In many TTRPGs, being able to reliably counterspell allows a caster to control the flow of magical battles, and the “battle” between Zagan and Barbatos in episode 6 is Exhibit A on why. With the big boost the Archdemon emblem gives Zagan, he’s not going to run short on mana (i.e., spell slots) first, either. At least as interesting, though, is the nature of demons in this setting. The adaptation does an excellent job of making the demon an intimidating presence despite its rather amorphous form, and that the demon was beholden to Zagan’s emblem raises big questions about the nature of those emblems and the foundation of Archdemon power.

But that’s a concern for the long term. The more immediate delight is that Nephy and Zagan are back again and Zagan effectively proposed (clumsy as it was). Issue can definitely be taken with Nephy effectively requesting that the slave collar be used as a stand-in for an engagement ring, as it smacks uncomfortably of Raphtalia doing something somewhat similar in The Rising of the Shield Hero with the slave seal. In both cases, the girls do this as a sign of their firm commitment to the guy in question, and any negative connotations be damned. (That we know neither master is going to abuse it is irrelevant on this matter) I do wonder what the townspeople and Nephy’s new female friends (who both saw her without the collar) are going to think about that, but I’m not holding my breath to see if the series will even bring that up.

Taken together, these two episodes round out the adaptation of the first source novel. (Episode 5 adapts Chapter 4 of the original novel, while episode 6 adapts Chapter 5.) Now that the relationship between the two has been firmed up (even if each of them is unsure how far it goes!), I am curious to see where the story goes next.