How would you rate episode 7 of
Reincarnated as a Sword (TV 2) ?
It's a stereotype that cats hate water, but Fran's about nothing if not cutting down stereotypes, so she's all too happy to board a boat bound for the next stage of her journey. Hopefully this black-clad wielder of a massive sword isn't stuck on the ship for as long as Guts was in. Granted, this setuplet Fran live out the stereotype of how much cats love fish, but who amongst us wouldn't turn down a whole boatload of sushi? The result is more transitory storytelling foras it feels like the next arc is only barely getting underway, with the fishy fun floundering () just a little as it gets there.
The sense of fun the series is having with itself at this stage still comes through. Part of that's definitely down to the dialogue and the energy with which HIDIVE 's subtitles are rendering it. I saw Fran's "You bet your sweet bippy!" line getting passed around last week, and this episode drops more gems. Several of them come at the behest of a bit character in the form of an assassin at the beginning of this episode, who says stuff like he wants to "whack" the royal twins or declares that he's "boned" when he's caught and about to be questioned—it's like a mook from The Sopranos getting dropped into an isekai anime. But then the whole sequence is defined by this guy repeatedly trying to kill himself to avoid squealing while Fran and Teacher heal him out of it, effectively torturing the information out of him at the same time. It's macabre, sure, but it's funny in the way Reincarnated as a Sword has cultivated for itself while also making use of its darker side even in these funny moments. This is the version of the show I so enjoy.
The other part is, ostensibly, all the showing off from Fran on the boat as she protects it from monsters in what amounts to action fishing. Cool idea, and the setup of her bodyguarding the twins as she travels is a fair enough excuse for keeping her mixed up in this story, even as the writing is name-checking way too many adjacent locations to matter to the plot immediately. As with last episode, it's in the background, and the important part is Fran still on something of a vacation while she hangs out with the twins and makes friends her own age—in theory. In practice, there isn't a lot of time to show her really bonding with Fult and Satya beyond some glimpses of them fishing and eating said fish together (after Teacher fashions it into sushi, natch). There's a lot of action to be indulged, after all, and that's always going to be where Reincarnated as a Sword knows it excels.
I'm of a couple of minds on minimizing Fran's playdates with her new pals. On the one hand, I get how this is an effective vector for growing her character and welcoming her into the world more. She was discriminated against and denied so much of a normal childhood, and now, despite still seeing some discrimination, she's allowed to be a normal, sociable kid. And as far as friends go, Fult and Satya are a damn sight more appropriate for Fran than the likes of Amanda. But then, as always, I don't want this anime to get too bogged down in frivolities when it's (usually) smart about keeping its pacing at a sharp clip. But then on the other hand, the fights in this week's episode drag a bit anyway, so maybe replacing some of that space with Fran and the kids playing Connect Four or something would have been better.
Of the fishy foes faced by Fran this week, the titular "humungous" (UK spelling? Interesting.) sea monster is both the most notable and the one that does the aforementioned dragging. It is interesting to see Fran and Teacher use their unique arrangement to fight by letting the catgirl stay on the ship and do some directing while Teacher flies in to do the damage. But that also means there isn't a ton else for Fran to do. On top of that, the big gimmick with the Midgardsormr is that…it's got a lot of HP and spare hearts, so it takes a lot of damage to kill. Anyone who's fought extra damage-spongey enemies in video games knows that these aren't exactly the most enthralling battles to play through, so watching them is going to trend even more toward the tedious. It does lend the air of a puzzle battle to it, with Teacher trying to figure out how he'll beat this thing that he can't just hack apart or inflict insta-death on, but otherwise it's still a lot of futile flailing from the hero over the open ocean.
Again, this is only a near thing as far as this part of the fight dragging this episode down. It is still mostly fun to watch, zazzing things up with sight gags like Teacher having to wield another sword. It's a good reminder that the characters' overpowered strength can't be everything they rely on, and in this case gives Teacher a reason to reflect on the friends they've made along the way and ask himself WWJD (What Would Jean Do)? I don't necessarily know if the answer would be "willingly let himself get vored" but who am I to argue? It lets the show bring back the friggin' Chekhov's sky island debris, and sink the serpent by giving it the worst case of indigestion it's ever had!
It's a problem-solving process through the previous parts of the story, which adds some nice linearity even as the episodes haven't quite seemed to arrive at the arc proper yet. But there are other seeds, like Fran and Teacher's skills earning them the favor of a trade association, Sellid continuing to be shifty and prejudiced, and mention of a Godsword catching Teacher's attention. Plus pirates at the end; pirates are always great for keeping things moving. That's why even as the fight quality can dip a bit in this season of Reincarnated as a Sword , I can forgive it in the moment, so long as the show still seems to properly be having enough fun with itself.
Reincarnated as a Sword Season 2 is currently streaming on HIDIVE.
While you were partying, Chris studied the blade, which is why he's here to talk about swords for another season. See him saying s-words sometimes on his socials.