Rating: B-
Since Mynoghra is a specifically-evil nation in a fantasy setting, its Medic units naturally were not going to be anything ordinary. Because of that, it makes sense that, for all their flaky behavior, these eccentrics turn out to be called Brain Eaters and actually be Frankensteinian monsters with Buffalo Bill-like aspirations. (And yes, that is a Silence of the Lambs reference.) They also show quite clearly why Takuto had no qualms at all about setting them as Maria and Caria’s escorts and protectors; precious little that’s humanoid could stand up to them.
Of course, that also means that new (and very temporary!) antagonist character Vesta is much more of an idiot than his status as one of the most prominent criminal figures in Dragontan might suggest. He’first encountered the dark elf twins as they were being watched over by three imposing figures wearing plague masks, and yet he only brings two goons with him when he intends to force the twins under his control with his drug? Either he’s mightily overconfident in the strength of his goons or he just isn’t paying attention. Frankly, killing him off so he can’t spread that kind of stupidity around is doing everyone a favor.
I almost feel a little sorry for elf mayor Anelise, though. She did read the room and quickly realized that being on good terms with these girls would be invaluable going forward; they may not be important now, but they’ll certainly remember a friendly outreach when they eventually rise to positions of authority. Sure, she was partly using showing them around town as an excuse to get out of her paperwork for a while, but that can be overlooked since it was also the most effective thing she could have done to make a good impression on the twins. She only slipped on not knowing what she was getting into when she gave permission to the Mynoghrans to take care of Vesta and his goons. She may have been left with a mess (some of her own making!) but she’ll still walk away from this with a firm alliance with Mynoghra (for better or worse) and an indelible impression about how critical it is to maintain that alliance.
The other impression the episode leaves is a firmer conviction that the series is juicing up everyone else to compensate for how bland Takuto is. “If you can’t make the main character interesting, then at least make everyone around him/her interesting” is a truism that has prevailed in anime for decades, and this series is this season’s firmest example of that in action, as can be seen with both the Medics and Anelise. (As a side note here, the names Takuto gives the Medics – Ichiro, Jiro, and Saburo – are traditional Japanese names meaning “first son,” “second son,” and “third son,” respectively. No doubt this being a stunning lack of originality is part of the joke.) Included in this are some clues to how the twins will serve in the future. The revelation that Maria is practically an empath (in D&D terms, she’d have a very high Insight skill) makes her quite valuable, while Caria is starting to show signs of being a capable diplomat and quick decision-maker. They will make a fearsome team on the diplomatic front in the long run.
The episode ends with the diplomatic mission over and no hint about where the series is going next. Is it finally time for the big bug to make her debut? We’ll see next week.
USA Anime 