This episode once again reminds us that action scenes are never going to be this franchise’s forté. Thankfully, some other interesting developments are afoot here to help carry the entertainment load.
At least this episode tries to put some “oomph” in its action scenes, as the battle between Isla and Demon General Flamin has a greater sense of movement than previous battles and even some true back-and-forth exchanges. However, it’s still not a very dynamic affair, and Flamin is underwhelming in his reliance on fire emanations and basic ranged fire takes; the only thing remotely flashy he does is a pillar of fire. We don’t see him setting fire to the local forest, either. Isla has fare more tricks up her sleeve and generally completely outclasses him, to the point that the battle’s outcome is never even slightly in doubt. The one thing the visuals and animation do succeed at through this part is a moderately effective job at portraying Isla’s body language. As a multi-limbed, vaguely mantis-like insect, she should move markedly differently from a humanoid even if she still uses some humanoid gestures, and we do see some of that here.
But while the Hero/General battle was ostensibly the feature scene, there were a few other interesting details afoot. For one, the fact that the “Demon Lord” looks very human lends credence to the notion that he may be a Player like Takuto is, and the conversation of the two minions right before Isla attacks seems to support that. And like Isla and Atou, Flamin seems to have awareness of his circumstances. Unlike those two, though, he (and perhaps the Demon Lord, too?) seems to be trapped in his role, presumably by the circumstances of the game mechanics he’s coming from. Is this because they were enemy forces in their respective game rather than aligned with a player, or is something else going on there? And why did they seem to think that they could gain their freedom by offering up the world? A lot of important hints and details get exchanged amidst the barbs Flamin and Isla fling during the battle, and not enough information is yet available to judge where, exactly, it points.
What, exactly, is going on at the end of the episode, where the twins get suddenly teleported out to where Isla is, is also unclear. Given the foreshadowing earlier in the episode, it almost certainly has something to do with RPG mechanics, but I’m not quickly coming up with a gimmick that would do that. We also didn’t see if the twins just disappeared from Takuto’s presence or if they were replaced by someone else. The communication cut-off in conjunction with his is also strange, perhaps suggesting some kind of close field was implemented? We’ll presumably find out the truth next week, but I do suspect this is a situation where Takuto may, for the first time, have to undertake direction action. I’m looking forward to seeing how that turns out.
Conceptually speaking, this is one of the most intriguing episodes of any series so far this season. With a single revelation, the writing adds a novel twist to the basic “transported to a game world” concept and partly upends the whole foundation of the series, while also explaining away some seeming inconsistencies in the setting.
That revelation is Takuto’s realization that this new world he and Atou have found himself in isn’t solely an Eternal Nations derivative, or even one just for 4X games; there’s at least one more game active in this setting, and like Eternal Nations, it’s operating under its own mechanics. The hordes of monsters which keep popping up around Dragontan without warning, and the way major monsters disappear and are replaced by gold coins when killed, are products of clear Dragon Quest rip-off Brave Questus and its classic JRPG mechanics.
The implications of this is huge, as it means that the way Mynoghra has been building so far is not because this world is inherently structured like a 4X game, but because 4X mechanics are intruding onto this world in the sphere of Mynoghra. Or maybe this is a 4X-based world and the JRPG element is just intruding, like an otherworldly invasion? That point is currently unclear, but either way, this may also explain what is going on with the Saint and the Slurping Witch in the cutaway scene; the Saint having killed the Witch 18 times makes a lot more sense if each of these cases was a different iteration of game play-throughs that both participants remember. (And, like Atou, Isla, and now Ice Rock, they seem to recall those previous iterations, too.) The big tag question there is whether or not they’re both from another game that Takuto is familiar with; could this be a setting populated by games Takuto has personally played?
The potential consequences of this development, which are highlighted in Atou’s fight against Ice Rock and his minions, are fascinating. Since both sides operate within their respective game’s mechanics, rather then being beholden to the base world’s mechanics, the clash between Mynoghra’s forces (okay, really just Atou and Elder Moltar) and the Demon Lord’s minions are as much about clashing game mechanics as they are about clashing individuals. Because a 4X game operates on a tactical scale, Mynoghra has a huge advantage in a mass battle scenario against an RPG, so Atou can wipe the floor with the hordes with only an assist from the Elder’s magic giving her home-field terrain advantage. (Don’t underestimate how strong that spell would be on a 4X tactical level, though!) However, that should also mean that Mynoghra is going to be at a disadvantage against RPG elites on a smaller scale, Looks like we’ll get to find out if that is true next episode, when Flamin makes a direct incursion into Mynoghra.
On the downside, this episode shows once again how much the series’ animation quality is restricting it. The production does at last make some effort to allow Atou to show off some nifty combat moves, but the limitations on what the production team can do are nearly as evident here as they were in the battle against the paladins. (The Demon Lord’s generals also look practically cartoonish, though that could possibly be intentional, given that they come from an old game.) But at least we get expressions like this, right?
With just a couple of episodes left, the stakes have been raised and the setting’s potential has expanded. I’m already feeling like a sequel is desperately needed here.
After how, ahem, “eccentric” the Brain Eaters proved to be, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Isla, Queen of Bugs, once she finally got summoned. Would she be similarly twisted by the evil alignment of Mynoghra? I’m pretty sure I wasn’t expecting her to be everyone’s kindly grandmother, however.
Isla having an evil side that will finally manifest when Mynoghra is threatened certainly is still a possibility, but that doesn’t show in her introductory appearances. Instead, we get the kindly, doting grandmother, one who can reduce even Atou (who was giving motherly scoldings to those involved in the Dragontan incident just a few minutes earlier) to a child as she gives out her head pats. In fact, head pats seem to be her solution to everything, and she’s not above scolding Takuto over his poor sleeping habits and encouraging him to buck up and deal with business matters on his own, such as (gasp!) actually speaking directly to his underlings! Even Head Warrior Gia crumbles under her gentle admonishments and head pats, and it looks like she’s going to quickly endear herself to the common dark elves, too. This begs the question of whether Isla turning out this way is inherit to her nature as a defensive-focused Hero or if her personality was perhaps influenced by Takuto subconsciously understanding that a stabilizing influence like hers was sorely missing in Mynoghra so far.
The other interesting aspect here is that Isla, like Atou, is also aware of Takuto from his times using her in Eternal Nations. Perhaps that’s why all shots of Takuto in Isla’s presence show Takuto’s true appearance, while he still is shrouded in his black aura when she or Atou are not around. Again, I feel like this is a very important detail, but the series hasn’t explored it enough to make more than a guess about what it all means.
As for game-related strategy points, the Learning Institute sounds somewhat similar in function to a Library in other 4x games. That’s often one of the earliest buildings that I go for (after military barracks) when it’s available, as research bonuses are essential for expanding and advancing a civilization’s learning tree, so I heartily approve of its prioritization here and how the series works in a practical int-story reason for it as well.
The end of this episode suggests that we’ll see Atou in more direct action next episode. (A new trailer for the remainder of the season also suggests that her battle against the Barbarians threatening Dragontan isn’t the only action we have upcoming.) Given the series’ animation track record so far, I’m not expecting anything dynamic out of it, but perhaps we’ll get to see a bit more of what Atou can do on offense.
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.
This has, so far, had less feature moments for Kafka, but that doesn’t mean it’s been short on big developments. Quite the contrary, in fact; No. 9 has uppedhis game even further as the main antagonist, and now it looks like Reno may be joining the club of the series’ top powers, too, as a result of help from an unexpected source. Seeing Kafka and Kikuru fight side-by-side was also quite satisfying. On the downside, Narumi’s comic side is more annoying than funny, especially the stupid “turf war” incident in the most recent episode, but the JAKDT seems to attract nutcases like that. While the series isn’t doing anything excitingly original as shonen action series go, it’s still proving to be a solid actioner.
My Dress-Up Darling
Rating So Far: A-
This is the highest-rated series of the season on ANN and in the top five on MAL, and not without good reason. The technical cosplay details are always a big draw, as is the very queer-positive way it portrays Gojo and Marin’s interactions with a crossplayer. I’m entirely watching the show for the Gojo/Marin relationship, though, and the series is an absolute winner on this front. Marin is absolutely adorable in the way she gushes over Gojo but still tries to deny that he’s effectively her boyfriend at this point, and Gojo seems to be coming a long way in building up the confidence he needs to feel worthy of standing beside Marin in senses other than just cosplay costume-making and support. While it’s not one of my top-priority views, it’s never failed to be a complete delight to watch.
Scooped Up by an S-Ranked Adventurer
Rating So Far: C-
In most respects this is a bog-standard fantasy story about a support mage who doesn’t appreciate how amazing his support magic actually is, even though everyone else can see it to the point of giving him a lot of credit for saving a town from monster hordes. (Or almost everyone else. The DPS-obsessed Hero can’t see it, either.) However, it stands out in one bad way: the new party Lloyd joins is supposedly S-ranked but seems startlingly underpowered without him for such a high ranking. Granted, that could just be a product of this world’s power curve being that low, but Yui’s party feels like it would be B-ranked at best in most other worlds. The costuming choices are also. . . interesting; Klum, the S-ranked party’s former white mage, looks like she’s wearing low-cut jeans over a one-piece swimsuit, while Yui is dressed more like a magical girl than a stereotypical swordswoman. At least the series is uniting most of its events so far under an ongoing plot, and the addition of the beastman princess Claire has some promise, but firmly mediocre artistic and technical merits help keep this one at or near the bottom of the titles I’m still following this season.
Sword of the Demon Hunter
Rating So Far: B+
Some fair complaints could probably be made about how slow this series is progressing, but its Edo-era character work has played out nicely, including the addition of an adoptive daughter for Jinya. Some major developments in the most recent episode and the inevitable approach of the chaos surrounding the beginning of the Meiji Restoration promise some bigger events going forward. Not seeing more of the present-time side of things is still a bit of a disappointment, but I am fully-invested in seeing where the rest of the prominent Edo-era characters go. (Especially Ofuu, who would make an ideal wife for Jinya even if neither of them has ever taken her father’s suggestions on that seriously.) Add to that respectable artistic and technical merits and more use of visual symbolism than probably any other series this season and it’s still a winner in my book.
The Rising of the Shield Hero s4
Rating So Far: B-
In fairness, the Siltvelt arc did finally explain the backstory of the tiger (or should I say half-tiger?) demihuman siblings and how they’re connected to the former Staff Hero, and it was satisfying to see Fohl finally coming into his own after playing second fiddle to his sister for so long. (Not that anything has changed too much on that front; Atla is still the star between the two.) But the whole Siltvelt affair suffered from a lack of storytelling urgency, and Naofumi’s regular insistences about moving ahead with the ship didn’t compensate for that. The story feels like it’s finally advancing now that the main group has gotten to Q’Ten Lo, and there are now clear signs that the real Emperor probably isn’t the culprit behind Raphtalia being hunted down; she may well be powerless herself. Still feels some like the story is in a holding pattern over the impending Phoenix appearance, but since Q’Ten Lo is clearly a matter that can’t wait, I’ll tolerate it.
TheWater Magician
Rating So Far: C+
What series has its titular character uninvolved in an episode-long incident and major battle early in the series and then sidelines him until things get desperate in a second? To a certain extent that makes logical sense here, as Ryo is formally regarded as a rookie adventurer (and thus regarded as not strong enough for either mission), and he probably could have single-handedly handled the first issue, which the story doesn’t want at this point. Also, the series seems determined to set up Abel as a co-protagonist, but this isn’t his series. The action is low-mid-tier at best on its animation and battle choreography, too. On the plus side, Ryo’s battle against the akuma in episode 4 shows that there are foes on his level, and the elf Sera (who’s featured in the closer) is a very promising character. Overall, it has enough entertainment value to be worth watching if your schedule isn’t full, but it’s not a priority view.
There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless. . .
Rating So Far: B
Wow, this one is messed up, but in a (mostly) good way. By this point, introvert Renako is effectively the center of a yuri harem, with two girls openly dueling over her and a third in the friend group Renako has joined who’s also clearly falling for her even though she hasn’t admitted it yet. And despite Renako’s ardent insistence that she just wants to be friends with them, she’s clearly more romantically attracted to each of them than she wants to admit. Each of the would-be love interest also has her own issues, too, and it’s not out of the question that one of them (Satsuki) is more romantically attracted to another (Mai) than she cares to acknowledge. All of this has even gotten a bit racy at times, too, although the small doses of fan service are more incidental than one of the series’ driving elements. The series’ only weak point so far is its limitation to YouTube, though the originally-stated “one week only” availability does not seem to be the case.
Turkey! Time to Strike
Rating So Far: B+
The series’ title may be a bowling reference, and bowling is part of the series’ foundational concept, but the writing’s efforts to shoehorn bowling elements into every episode is actually the series’ weakest aspect at this point. The series hasn’t been content to just roll with the surprise twist of the time travel aspect figured in; it’s actually delved pretty deeply into character studies, with most of the girls getting focus episodes where their interactions with Sengoku-era counterparts bring some of their own securities out. It has also been surprisingly graphic; one scene where we hear a bandit being killed off-screen is easily one of the season’s most unnerving scenes from any series, and it does confront head-on the way values differ between the peaceful future and an era where life is more ephemeral. It also deals with practical issues that time travel series often overlook, since how a girl from the future might handle her period in a past world where modern means to manage it don’t exist. (Whether or not one character has achieved menarche is even a minor plot point.) In short, this would be a good series even without the bowling angle.
Uglymug, Epicfighter
Rating So Far: C+
This one did not at all start out good, but the gimmicky nature of Shigeru’s notes turns out to be merely establishing a baseline, as many of the others transported into this world – including at least two other members of Shigeru’s party – also have major-league issues which wind up giving them special abilities (though none anywhere near as drastic as Shigeru’s so far). And just like Shigeru can’t tear himself away from the party he was initially going to leave as he learns more about them and their issues, the viewers may also find themselves reluctant to step away. This is a world where those transported into it can vent their frustrations (if they approach it negatively) or be what they’ve dreamed of being (if they approach it positively), and there are certainly consequences for the negative path. The artistic and technical merits lean towards the lowest end of the scale for this season, but this one is gradually showing more meat and entertainment value than I would have expected. It may be getting a mediocre grade for now, but it’s trending upward.
Witch Watch
Rating So Far: B
The third quarter of the series has been a bit uneven, hence the slightly lower grade. On the plus side, an ongoing threat has materialized in the form of warlocks seeking Nico’s power, and the vampire Miharu makes a fine addition to her group of live-in protectors. I am also heartily behind the developing romance between Nemu and Keigo/Wolf and the series can, at times, still be really funny. The misses seem a bit more frequent, though, and not all of the stunts work; the series-within-a-series in episode 14 was overplayed and I’m not sure what the series was trying to accomplish with the outright musical number in episode 20 and the music playing over still shots for the last few minutes of the episode. Budget or time issues, perhaps? Still a quite entertaining series overall despite its flaws.
That’s it for this special edition. Watch for the Summer Season Wrap-Up probably during the last weekend in September.
This episode leaves us with one burning question: how does Atou know enough about a traditional Western marriage ceremony to dream about it when Takuto all but proposes to her at the end of the episode? Granted, this could just be the production staff being cute and playing off a common stereotype for this kind of scene, and it’s not like the series has shown any propensity for dropping subtle hints so far. If taken seriously, however, that means that Atou is more aware of Takuto’s world than we’ve been led to believe so far, and that raises bigger questions about who (or what) she actually is.
That possibly-frivolous consideration aside, this episode is almost entirely about Mynoghra establishing its first peaceful relationship with a different nation and the irony that an innocent blockhead is principally responsible for unwittingly making it happen. Pepe is neither wise enough nor experienced enough to be intimidated by the evil aura of the Mynoghran delegation (or maybe he just sees beyond it?), so he sees the newcomers as a prime opportunity to make new friends. And fortunately for everyone, that’s exactly the best approach to take with Takuto. Even Atou doesn’t fully appreciate how important gathering friends is to Takuto, and naturally, no one else from the city would ever think that a supreme evil being values something like that. As a long-time gamer, I don’t find it strange at all that bonds of alliance could be formed over playing board games, but no doubt that left official on both sides with their heads spinning.
But maybe not the twins. They may not fully grasp all of the complicated details, but they saw how much of an icebreaker Pepe’s “let’s play” approach was and they recognize as much as the adults do that they are perhaps ideally-suited to be less threatening initial envoys to Forngawn. We’ve seen other stories where a young prince or princess fulfilled this kind of role, and the latter is basically what the twin’s are at this point. They’re every bit as much the long-term hope for Mynoghra as Pepe is for Forngawn, and what they’ve endured to get here makes them ideal representations of the overall struggles of the dark elves. And they’re going to have some interesting-looking protectors, too.
All of this almost overshadows a big point here: with seeking to investigate the culture and beliefs of Forngawn further, this scenario is now stepping beyond what Takuto knows from his many times playing Eternal Nations. Unlike the business with the witches or map variations, this cannot be passed off as just a randomizer element within the game generation. Some of the more advanced 4x games do explore the spread of culture and religious elements, but these are typically abstracted in numerical terms rather than dealt with in detail. It provides another avenue for the series to expand beyond being just a 4x game, and that’s something that will benefit the story in the long run.
With the Summer 2025 season entering its seventh week, it’s time to take a look at how some of the season’s titles are doing so far.
Even with a couple of series which I held on through four episodes falling to the side (The Summer Hikaru Died, Tougen Anki), I have still wound up staying current on 22 series this season. Hence I am again splitting this endeavor into two weekly installments. This part covers all series which have hit episode 7 by 8/15/25 and some of the series hitting episode 7 on 8/16. The rest of the series will be covered in next week’s installment.
Feature Title: Clevatess
Rating So Far: A-
This was one of my Big Three for the season coming out of the Preview Guide, and absolutely nothing which has transpired since episode 1 has dissuaded me from that evaluation. In addition to initially-established strengths (compelling leads, great visuals and animation, bloody action, and a top-tier English dub effort), subsequent episodes have shown an interesting take on a developing magic system, worthy challenges for both Clevatess and Alicia, and a new regular cast member who’s both figuratively and literally stronger than she appears and has a background most anime series wouldn’t have the guts to touch. It’s even shown some capability for light humor, too. This is true old-school fantasy, completely devoid of any RPG trappings, and I’m having a blast watching it.
Other Titles
Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex
Rating So Far: C+
As stories about a dashing man falling for a downtrodden woman (who’s actually a beauty) and trying to build her up through wealth and kindness go, this one is nowhere near in the same league as close kin My Happy Marriage. The shortcomings are especially strong on the artistic front, but the writing presents the Kyros/Marie relationship in a mostly bland (if also sometimes cute) fashion. The series does have three saving graces, though. One is Mio, Kyros’ sardonic maid and very capable right-hand woman, who has the most personality of anyone in the series. The second is the way the series touches on cultural elements and implies that Marie’s appreciation of Kyros’s Ips heritage is a big reason why he’s attracted to her, which gives a firmer grounding to his feelings. And the third and most important is the building plot surrounding the supposed death of Marie’s sister Anastasia, which is looking more and more like an act of subterfuge possibly perpetrated by Anastasia herself. The latter mystery in particular is more keeping me watching at this point than the central relationship.
Call of the Night s2
Rating So Far: B+
While the series fully retains the philosophical bent that it showed in its first season, this season also shows a more decided plot progression as it places more emphasis on Anko, the vampire-killing detective who appeared late in the first season, and the way she deals with vampires. This results in an interesting twist on vampire lore: vampires in this setting aren’t vulnerable to crosses or holy water, but instead to things that held meaning to them when they were human. This is a problem, since vampires often wholly forget their lives as humans (Nazuna included). That has led to a deeper dive into the pasts of various vampires who have appeared so far, including an involved look at Nazuna’s unusual background and how it’s connected to one other prominent, previously-introduced vampire and possibly the main antagonist, too. That adds some extra juice to a series which already had a lot going for it, and so it continues to be a solid performer.
DAN DA DAN s2
Rating So Far: B+
To no one’s surprise, this one is the animation darling of the season, with most episodes containing some degree of outlandish spectacle. It also deserves kudos for pulling off what may be the year’s most audacious stunt by tapping DragonForce lead vocalist Marc Hudson to play the leader of a death metal band which backs the attempted exorcism of Evil Eye from Jiji. (And that’s quite the spectacle, too.) Okarun and Momo’s progressing relationship also continues to be neat, with Aira increasingly being relegated to the position of third wheel rather than serious romantic rival, and its English dub is up there with Clevatess as one of the season’s best. But despite all the superlatives that could fairly be directed at the series, I continue to have a tough time getting as enthusiastic about this one as I do many clearly lesser titles this season; it’s never a priority view for me even on its debut day. That’s why I am not grading it as high as some others might.
New Saga
Rating So Far: C
This is a wholly generic “travel back in time to prevent a bad ending” scenario on top of being saddled with a mediocre artistic effort and serious animation limitations. Neither the cast nor what it’s been doing so far sparks much interest, though the shocker ending of episode 7 does offer some promise of a meatier development (as well as providing what is, by far, the series’ most graphic scene). Only two factors distinguish the show to any degree: one of the major supporting characters shares a name with me (the first time I’ve seen that happen in an anime) and the really odd set list for the background music. Some numbers are even lightly jazzy, which which muddles how seriously the series wants itself to be taken at various points. It’s still watchable, mindless entertainment, but nothing more should be expected from it than that.
Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter
Rating So Far: C
This one started with a bit more promise, and indeed, the initial arc (where Allen is trying to figure out why Tina can’t properly cast magic and correct it) is a fairly compelling story. However, the story has gone downhill since relocating to the academy. The more formal introduction of Lydia has added very little to a cast that’s now basically an overloaded harem scenario, complete with three of the girls being decidedly underage. Moreover, the squabbling of that trio grates on the auditory nerves. The end of episode 7 promises a new and potentially dangerous plot direction, so hopefully the series may pick back up, but right now it’s floundering.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus
Rating So Far: B+
This franchise doesn’t get enough credit for the depth and intricacy of its character writing and story concepts, and what has made the franchise great on those fronts is still on display this season. The main arcs so far have been about Sweet Bullet singer Izuki and Sakuta’s former middle school classmate Ikumi, but behind them all is the mystery of the “miniskirt Santa” who claims to be giving out cases of Puberty Syndrome as gifts, as well as a lesser but still evident mystery involving Sakuta having multiple sightings of child-aged Mai. Having a firm knowledge of the entire franchise is essential for keeping track of everyone; I highly recommend reviewing the recently-available movies Sister Venturing Out and Knapsack Kid to fully understand Ikumi’s situation in particular. But the series also doesn’t overlook Sakuta’s firm connections with past friends and associates and especially his ongoing relationship with Mai. It’s not at all a casual-viewing series, but it works well as a series which requires more effort to fully appreciate and the new college setting gives it more flexibility than such fare normally has. It remains a strong, reliable performer.
Reborn as a Vending Machine s2
Rating So Far: B-
This one surprised me a bit by delivering something I never expected from it: a major, redefining plot twist in episode 6, involving the true goals of the Menagerie of Fools and what they were prepared to do to pursue them. That doesn’t cause the series to stray from its base nature – i.e., setting up situations where Boxxo can creatively use his vending machine transformations and productions – but it does give the series a more distinct long-term plot beyond just contesting against the Netherlord’s hordes and provides some interesting character development for several long-established cast members. This is hardly high-tier storytelling, and the action scenes still don’t amount to much, but it still serves well as reliable light entertainment.
Secrets of the Silent Witch
Rating So Far: A-
Monica is, of course, the reason to watch the show, as she’s a joy with her varied facial expressions, endearing fluster, and the way she manages to still seem quite vulnerable despite being so magically strong that even another one of the Seven Sages refers to her as a “monster.” But that’s hardly all the show has going for it. The supporting cast has proven surprisingly robust, too, especially Prince Felix, who can shift from charming and gentle to mischievous (probably my favorite humorous scene of the season so far is him feeding cookies to the nearly-passed-out Monica) to jaded to intimidating all without changing his demeanor much. Really, though, most of the characters who have assembled around Monica have been a delight and the series’ timing on both comedic and serious content has been impeccable. While the series could maybe stand to have Monica show off her magic a bit more, it’s doing just fine as is. It’s easily one of my three favorite series of the season and gets my highest recommendation.
Summer Pockets
Rating So Far: B
The episodes aired so far in the Summer season have finished Ao’s arc, covered Shiroha’s relatively short arc, and begun what I have been assuming is the series’ concluding arc: the one for Umi. The pace of its progression does not suggest that what’s left of her arc will stretch out for a full half-season without some major twist. However, Umi is the one making the iterations we’ve seen so far possible, and Key stories have a well-earned reputation for heart-rending tragic elements (there’s been some of this so far, but not to the degree normally seen in Key titles), so presumably something is going to happen which will force one more iteration, and the revelations of episode 19 give some suggestion about what direction that might take. While the series is still full of typical Key light humor and dedicated sentimentalism, the story is coming together a bit more.
Welcome to the Outcast Restaurant
Rating So Far: C+
This season’s iteration on the “indispensable person banished from the hero’s party” concept has established a decent supporting cast and minor plot threads surrounding them, such as Atelier’s inheritance, and while it hasn’t leaned heavily into “things are going wrong for the hero’s party in the protagonist’s absence” angle, it has at least addressed it. However, the series still doesn’t feel like it’s done much with the concept, and a staid “protagonist is sick and needs to be cared for” episode didn’t help; these have always annoyed me for how overkill they go, and it’s hard to buy someone as robust as Dennis collapsing due to overwork. Still, it’s got just enough going for it on the plot and character fronts to be watchable.
That’s it for this installment. Watch for part 2 to debut probably on August 23rd.
After a couple of episode with a large chunk of the content focused outward, the series turns almost entirely insular as it formally introduces two new (presumably) regular cast members. Twins Maria (left above) and Caria (right above) Elfuur are the exclusive foci of the series’ closer and also make appearances in its opener, but prior to this episode they had only a couple of cameo appearances in background shots of the dark elf encampments. And while they’re starting out as Takuto’s new attendants, every indication points to them eventually playing bigger roles in Mynoghra.
Why they’re getting this much attention is pretty obvious, as they make a striking contrast in both appearance and personalities. Maria is more conservatively dressed, has long hair, and typically has a smile, while short-haired Caria perpetually has a gloomy expression and is more provocatively-dressed; doubtless this was done primarily to show off the skin discolorations that are remnants of a past disease, but it’s still a little edgy, especially considering her suggested age. While Maria comes off as an airhead, this may be at least partly an act, or at the very least a coping mechanism; she may not want to think too hard about things. Meanwhile, Caria is the much more serious-minded one and seems to react to her difficulties by throwing all her support behind her sister.
What makes both of them a bit more interesting is that they are clearly dealing with survivor’s guilt. Their mother is gone in what’s strongly implied to be an instance of cannibalistic self-sacrifice (that the elder doesn’t refute Maria when she chirps that claim out is telling), and they are understandably conflicted about living on at that cost. What’s not completely clear is whether they really did want to die when they attempted to goad Takuto into punishing them (assuming that, as an evil being, he wouldn’t tolerate mistakes) or saw that as a way to test whether they deserved to survive or not.
Whichever is the case, the twins’ efforts lead to one of the oddest explanations I’ve seen in some time for how evil isn’t necessarily bad. This setting seems to take an extreme interpretation of the alignment system used in many RPGs: being “good” or “evil” is as much a status condition as it is a moral position. Furthermore, Takuto’s very creative interpretation muddies the difference between the law/chaos axis and the good/evil axis; what he’s describing about how evil people are free to do whatever, whereas good people have to be rigid, is much more in line with a chaotic-oriented worldview than an evil one. Also, the writing may have been overly ambitious here, as it never felt like the matter with the twins carried the gravitas that should have.
Otherwise, the civilization-building continues apace and with standard game mechanic progression; even if the world isn’t a perfect reproduction of Eternal Nations, most of its structure still aligns with the game. (And I still support the notion that any variations are just the result of random world generation.) Also looks like Mynoghra’s first attempt at peaceful diplomacy is coming up; the cattle-person spellcaster we saw previously was apparently an official of the city Dragontan in the nearby neutral nation, and it’s got both a strategic resource and potentially refugees which could fill out Mynoghra’s work force, so making a good connection to it would certainly be a priority. (As for the thing about Ogres and Goblins being referred to as “Barbarians,” barbarian tribes are a standard element of any 4x game, so it makes sense that they would be fantasy races in a fantasy setting.) The Mynoghra delegation appearing to the Dragontan reps with Takuto’s evil aura could provide some interesting long-term complications.
Overall, the series still isn’t very dynamic or executing at a high level, but it’s mostly giving me what I wanted out of the series so far, hence a slightly higher grade than it may actually warrant at this point.
Come back around the end of this week for the first installment of the Mid-Season Report.
So far this series has largely been able to avoid its relatively weak technical effort hindering its entertainment value, a feat it has accomplished by exploiting striking visual gimmickry. It attempts to do the same in this episode, too, but it can only mask so much when what should be the most action-oriented scene yet just collapses into an unseemly, poorly-choreographed disappointment. It’s to the point that I can’t avoid penalizing the series’ overall grade for the animation quality any longer. However, all is not lost, because this episode provides plenty of interesting content on other fronts.
Much of that involves Atou. The way she behaves when confronting the two Paladins raises the question of whether she’s naturally evil, being influenced by the evil status of Mynoghra, or just getting carried away with acting the part. Most of her behavior suggests that the former is not the case, though given that she is the designated starting Hero for an evil-aligned nation, that still can’t be ruled out. And while she’s definitely getting carried away in the scene where she’s mentally torturing the fatally righteous Paladin, her general ruthlessness would seem to belie that being the only cause for her behavior. Unquestionably, she is having fun letting loose and playing the villain, and given the way the Dark Elves reacted when they came under Mynoghra’s influence, option 2 seems likely to be a contributing factor. Altogether, it provides an interesting dichotomy compared to the more playful way she acts around Takuto. But the brief flash where she sees Takuto like the Dark Elves do seems a bit ominous for the future state of their relationship.
What Atou and Takuto learn about their setting is also interesting and draws more parallels to Overlord. While this setting has distinct structural and mechanical similarities to Eternal Nations, it isn’t the game setting – or at least not purely so, anyway. That doesn’t necessarily mean much since 4X games are well-known for the potential variability of their setting; the map is randomly-generated each time in the Civilization games, for instance, and plenty of game parameters can be tweaked each time. But anytime the parameters change, understanding and exploiting the differences are often crucial for success, and Takuto is clearly thinking along those lines. Atou’s ability-stealing skill seems to work more efficiently here, and entities called Witches exist as major wild cards; I had previously characterized them as possible alternate forms of a civilization’s Heroes, but perhaps they are plot drivers instead?
Whatever the case on this, the series is certainly aiming for some great, creepy facial expressions (which is also very much in the spirit of Overlord):
Though Atou is a Hero in this setting, and was mentioned in episode 3 to be capable of defending the forest on her own for now, she was also described in episode 1 as not being particularly strong to start; a true warrior-type Hero was portrayed as being a 5 strength compared to her 3, with her main advantages implied to be in realms other than combat. However, despite the claim that Heroes can take on armies, we haven’t had a clear sense of how strong a Hero is compared to, say, a trained humans or even a Paladin. With the end of episode 4, we finally have our answer: even a comparatively weak Hero in this setting is, indeed, still capable of slaughtering an entire company of trained mercenaries and putting even Paladins back on their heels.
That more of Atou’s conflict with the Paladins and mercenaries wasn’t animated is disappointing, but that was probably too much to expect from a series which clearly doesn’t have a stacked animation capability. The scene of Lornius waking up on his back and rising to see the carnage still effectively conveys how devastatingly strong Atou is. Referring to her as a Witch suggests that the rumored Witch in the northern lands may also be a Hero type for a different civilization. Certainly the Seven Great Savior Saints mentioned in episode 3 are at least on the same level as well (or at least Saolina is), so they’re probably Heroes as well. That High Paladin Wedrel seems almost panicked before Atou’s true nature suggests that he isn’t on that level and seems to know it, so will he and Lornius back off next episode, or are they going to be the series’ first two named casualties? I’m actually not sure at this point which was the series is going to go on this.
What this episode also clearly reinforces is that the series is not going to remain insular to Mynoghra. I’ve heard that the novels tend to spread the viewpoint around a lot, and we certainly see that here, with nearly half of the episode focusing on the forces sent from Qualia. Combined with episode 3, we’ve now seen a handful of key personalities from that nation, and arguably Werdel and Lornius get more personality development than Ira does. It seems like the writing recognizes both that Ira is not a strong enough personality to carry the series and that the story will be more dynamic if approached from opposing viewpoints. There’s definitely precedents for this in these “building” shows, as both Farming Life in Another World and Overlord leaned heavily on outside viewpoints as they progressed, so this isn’t really a problem. Besides, the series has already established that seeing others react to Ira and Atou is one of its key components.
Getting back to the Hero thing, a giant mantis-like creature is featured prominently in the OP, so that’s probably the Isla, Queen of Bugs that Ira and Atou are talking about summoning. Given what happens at the end of the episode, seems like she will probably make her appearance sooner rather than later. Ira and Atou’s comments about the other Hero options having “horrible personalities” is intriguing, so hopefully we’ll see one or more of them pop up eventually within this season.
We cannot forget the game aspects here, either. I like the visual theme of using old-fashioned game icons to illustrate various troop movements, even when the Qualia personnel are talking about them. Using SD figures or other constructs to represent troop movements is hardly an unusual feature in anime series (Lord Marksman and Vanadis in particular used them heavily), and this also maintains a consistent theme with the old-school game screens used for major developments, like successfully generating units through regular production. And speaking of the latter, even the more complex 4X games tend to greatly simplify what it means to “produce” a unit, so playing up a bog-standard aspect of these games as a miraculous feat is a clever way to handle it.
One negative consequence of the approach that the writing is taking so far is that the story’s overall development is on the slow side, but that’s not really a problem. 4X games always take a while to build up to anything substantial anyway, and the series is offering enough neat little details and fun Atou/Ira exchanges to stay involving enough. Besides, now that Mynoghra has officially started interacting with other civilizations, more complications should be forthcoming.
USA Anime 