Dead Mount Death Play

Episode 20

This episode of Dead Mount Death Play is about two things: tying up loose ends and setting up things to come. On the former side of things, we get to learn the rules behind Misaki's new vampire powers: if she needs to drink blood, if going out in the sunlight is possible—things of that nature. We also have Xiaoyu being brought up to speed on things—including his new dragon arm and the fact that the real Polka is a stuffed shark. All this is done in a relatively entertaining fashion—especially Sayo explaining how common story tropes throughout fiction mean all stories are Shark stories and Xiaoyu being repeatedly gobsmacked at the supernatural mess he's suddenly been entangled in.

Of course, it's the other half of the episode where things get interesting. What we have here is the classic cliché of the hero and villain meeting face-to-face while not knowing each others' true identities. From the start, each knows something is off about the other. Civil has so many spirits around him, that a single person can't have acquired them all without living for more than a century. As for Polka, the mysterious events happening in and around his building are more than enough to make the cult feel he must be related somehow.

The point of this scene is to give us a proper introduction to Civil as both a person and an antagonist. He seems to live by the philosophy of “an eye for an eye” with the addendum “and if you try to take more than that I'll not only kill you but your entire family as well.” At first, Polka is sympathetic to Civil—after all, Polka has just resolved himself to do whatever is needed to protect his friends. However, it soon becomes clear that Civil cares nothing for the people under him—their deaths are just the perfect justification for him to do what he wants to do and exterminate those who stand in his way.

It's through this conversation that we get our first hint of what makes Civil so dangerous: his tongue. He seems so kind and understanding—his demeanor so calm and his words so logical. He seems like someone anyone would become fast friends with. However, Polka's eyes can see the ultimate result of this “friendship.” The ghosts around Civil don't hate him—they adore him and protect him. Civil is like a suicide cult leader and they are the ones who drank the cool-aid—and still believe him one-hundred percent even after death. They even eerily clap for him during his speech to Polka.

The good news is that Polka sees through this almost immediately and deduces Civil's likely otherworldly origins. However, just as we start to get to the heart of the matter, things take an unexpected turn—one of Civil's companions has an elemental with her, and Taipei picks a fight with Habaki's daughter. Chaos has once again visited Polka's doorstep—and I can't imagine he's going to be happy with that.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• While things have gone downhill so suddenly, the fact that Misaki is right there with Polka makes me think things won't turn out too badly.

• I'm not sure how necromancy and illusion magic are related but “poker face” magic does seem like a useful spell.

• While Polka's eyes are usually a boon, in this case, they also obscure his vision. I wonder if he could see Civil's face, would he know the man?

• Are you excited about Phantom Solitaire's new plan? I'm excited about Phantom Solitaire's new plan.

Dead Mount Death Play is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.