A brief synopsis: Rimuru (Brittany Karbowski), Shion (Michelle Rojas), Beretta, and Veldora (Chris Rager) continue their fight against Clayman (John Burgmeier), Malim (Kristen McGuire), and their allies. From the moment he first underestimated Rimuru and coerced Falmuth into attempting to slaughter monster residents of the nation, Clayman’s arrogance was doomed to be his demise from the beginning. I didn’t realise how successful his pretensions were until the first few minutes of the programme, and even then, I was surprised by how much of a pushover Clayman was. Although, to be fair, neither did he, which made it all the more satisfying when Clayman began to watch his chances of success disintegrate around him as effortlessly as his soldiers were crumbling around him. Another one of my favourite moments is the Beretta joke in which she pretends to be cleaning Clayman’s puppets since not only was it a surprising gag coming from her, but it was also a really fun one as well. Shion was actually the final piece of the puzzle that made Clayman’s retribution all the more delicious because of how unmoved she is throughout his attacks and how little she changes throughout the entire process. Michelle Rojas’s enthusiasm as Shion is contagious at all times, yet her disinterested and unimpressed demeanour throughout the film is particularly endearing to see. However, it wouldn’t be nearly as impressive if it weren’t for some outstanding animation, which this episode provided in abundance, as well as Shion’s full and total dominance over Clayman. The same attitude can be applied to Veldora’s encounter with Malim, with his Street Fighter and Dragon Ball Z move set serving as an extremely charming nod to his nerdy otaku side while also referencing his nerdy otaku side.
It is also through Veldora’s struggle that the ultimate twist occurs, which is that Malim was never truly controlled and Carrion was never truly dead. Initially, this appeared to be a massive curveball, and one that was well-executed for how it caught me off guard considering how little was telegraphed earlier, but after some explanations were provided, it began to fill in a lot of blanks. For example, Malim is too powerful for Clayman’s poor manipulations, and Rapheal is unable to discover the non-existent spell on Malim despite his best efforts. It also significantly improved my attitude toward Frey, so I’m no longer restricted in my ability to swoon over her the way Rimuru does (as if anyone would ever stop me from doing so).
In the final seconds, Walpurgis pulls another surprise that I wasn’t quite expecting, and it doesn’t pay off as well as the others in terms of trying to make Clayman a more sympathetic figure, as it did with the others. With his reason being so emotionally unimpressionable (especially given the lack of detail about his past with the Harlequin Alliance), this feels like too little, too late, not to mention that it feels like it won’t make a lasting impression given how emotionally unimpressionable he is. In addition, it serves to emphasise exactly how far Yuuki’s influence as an enemy has extended up to this moment. It’s a shame that he hasn’t yet been identified as exceptionally interesting or distinctive. However, there is one final battle to be waged, with Clayman’s inventor Kazalim providing Clayman with one final power boost and laying the stage for an epic finale, rather than leaving us disappointed and uninspired in the absence of such a confrontation.
