The World's Finest Assassin

Episode 11

I'm split on how I feel about this episode because of how it deeply undercuts its sense of tension. By revealing to us right away that Lugh's mission to kill Dia is a lie and the real mission is to fake her death, much of the potential internal conflict is lost. Instead of Lugh having to decide for himself to save a person he is tasked with killing, he is simply taking on an unsanctioned mission. Sure, as an assassin for a neighboring kingdom, if his role in Dia's “death” were to be discovered it would be an international incident, but there is no hard choice here for Lugh. He simply has to save Dia and not get caught—two things well within his capability.

Even if all the same events were to happen, with a little creative directing (as to what is shown on-screen and what happens off-screen), we, the viewers, could be tricked into thinking Lugh was on his way to kill Dia. It would have been a great cliffhanger for us to watch Lugh do all he does in the episode—infiltrate the Kingdom and come face-to-face with Dia and her father—with us believing he is on a mission to kill her. Then, at the start of the next episode, we could get the reveal that he was actually on a rescue mission the whole time.

However, there is a good reason why the episode was not structured this way—which is why I'm torn. This episode is all about making the characters' motivations absolutely clear. There's no “subtext” to be found in this week's outing when it comes to our leads, just “text.” The characters flat out state their motivations either in conversation or internal dialogue.

Lugh is going to save Dia because he owes her for teaching him magic, loves her, and promised to always be there for her. But more than that, he's doing it because he wants to prove to himself that he's not an unthinking tool for other men like he was in his last life. Tarte, on the other hand, wants to save Dia because Lugh wants it. Tarte knows Lugh picked her up for her powers and is fine with that. While Lugh has come to dislike his past life of being a tool for murder Tarte wants nothing more than to be needed by him—and with his experience, Lugh's unlikely to callously discard her as he once was.

Now, for those of you paying attention to the series—i.e., those of you who care enough about the show to be reading this review—none of this is new information. It's all been well established in more subtle ways across the preceding episodes. However, heading into the climax, it's important that everyone, both casual and hardcore viewers, are on the same page. I can't really be mad at the creators using this episode to set up the final action climax while, at the same time, making sure the characters are fully developed. Basically, they were faced with a choice: have a tension-filled plot or focus on the characters. They chose the characters—and there's nothing wrong with that.

And make no mistake, this episode was done well—especially turning something as simple as running down a road into Tarte's defining scene for the series. Watching her push far past her limits as she runs through wind and rain at superspeed—until she literally collapses—makes her incredibly badass. Moreover, watching her break down in tears when she literally can't go any further—left alone feeling that she has failed at being useful and knowing that the heart of the man she loves is focused squarely on another... well, it's simply heartbreaking.

So, while a lot of this episode was retreading character beats already present in the series, it's probably for the best that it was done this way. After all, this series has always been focused on the characters more than the plot—which is why it's consistently been better than your average animated isekai fair.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• Lugh is Dia's cousin. Take from that what you will.

• I really want to know the full story behind Lugh's father and mother. I wonder if he was actually supposed to kill her and fell in love with her instead.

• Does Lugh's mother know magic?

• Maha was right last episode: Lugh really does need to give Tarte some affection or she's going to break under the extreme pressure she's put herself under.

• I don't know what to make of the post-credit scene with Maha. I don't see how any info she has could even be sent to Lugh in a castle under siege.

• Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy the James Bond-style opening? Because I do.

The World's Finest Assassin is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.