Rating: B
To be clear, season 3 of this crossover wonder is a direct sequel to the movie ~Another World~ rather than season 2. While you don’t necessarily have to have seen the movie first to be able to follow along here, it is strongly recommended, as references to what happens in the movie are broadly made in this first episode.
Rather than begin with the addition of the franchise’s well-advertised newcomers, the first episode instead opens with cameos from an entirely different series: Lista (Ristarte) and Seiya from Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious. Some kind of appearance was expected, as that series’ original novelist, Light Tuchihi, has been credited for “original work collaboration” on this new season. Their actions are fitting for the dynamics of their franchise but I’m still a bit surprised to see it represented here, as I was not under the impression that their franchise was anywhere near on the same popularity level as the other five (soon to be six) involved. The manner of their relatively brief appearances indicates that they won’t be recurring, though.
The bulk of the main part of the episode consists of various interactions from assorted cast members, with the writing once again doing a commendable job of getting just about everyone involved to some degree. Somehow a random round of sumo matches to determine who’s stronger than whom breaks out, with the feature match winding up being Re:Zero‘s Garfiel vs. Overlord‘s Albedo. (And poor Weiss; in his setting, he is possibly Tanya’s strongest subordinate, but he’s nowhere near on the level of some of the literal monsters in other groups.) There’s also a brief, inexplicable scene of William, the butler from Re:Zero, having tea with Overlord’s Hamsuke and Death Knight.
But for all the normal antics, there is a curiously serious part to this episode, in the form of Ains’ conversation with Roswaal about how they might not be originals and are being influenced by what their originals do, but that could also go both ways. It’s an intriguing bit of meta, and I am now very curious to see if that becomes a recurring theme this season. Roswaal’s statements near the end, after Ains leaves his office, about how powerful individuals from the various component settings aren’t going to have their way with this world, is also quite interesting, as it suggests that there may be a purpose to all of this beyond just a silly excuse for a cross-over. But it’s also possible I’m reading too much into this.
At least the newcomer finally appears at the end of the episode, though his Seven Shadows do not yet seem to be in two. His whole “chunibyo is actually real” shtick should fit in quite well with the others, so I’m very curious to see what kind of chaos their addition can generate. Looks like we’ll see next week.
USA Anime 