English Dub Review: WorldEnd: What are you doing at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us? “Slight Light, Slight Hope”

Two leprechauns are out in a life-threatening situation, but let’s sit here and talk about feelings for a night, m’kay?

Spoilers Below

Willem has been called out to talk to a superior about a mission. A long-term archaeological survey guarded by two of the warehouse’s leprechauns went down. Though the crew and cargo are safe for now, they need immediate evac. Not only is an additional leprechaun going with the rescue ship, but Willem is being dispatched as well.  Chtholly had joined him for this trip out to his superior, primarily for a bunch of shopping. That doesn’t mean she isn’t enjoying time alone with him. The joy on her face is so obvious, shopkeepers are mistaking them for newlyweds! This makes her all the more elated, but there is an issue they need to talk about. She’s worried about Willem going to the surface. His body can’t handle outputting venenom as much anymore, and he’d be at serious risk. On the other hand, he can’t risk her going either. She isn’t a leprechaun anymore, and the processes her body is undergoing are a mystery. This is an unnecessary risk to her and the mission. She’s determined to go with him, however, and she heads to his superior to get permission. The superior completely misunderstands the situation, thinking that Chtholly is Willem’s lover. As an Officer, he’d be taking her along for… comfort. That sort of thing happens all the time on these military ships. Apparently. He gives permission, and now she’s coming.

Willem has another thing he wants out of this mission, though. One of the relics the team uncovered was a dug weapon capable of maintaining its user’s mental health. Sounds pretty good, actually. Especially when Chtholly’s mental deterioration seems to be creeping up ever so slowly. He does every ounce of research he can, passing out in the library. To keep him warm, Nephren snuggled up while he was asleep. When Chtholly hears about this, she’s furious. I’d love to explain the whole conversation that happens, but it’s complicated. Suffice to say, Chtholly is feeling insecure in her standing with the man and ends up taking solace in the fact that he would throw her out of his bed, same as Nygglatho. He turns to Nygglatho, wondering if this was a symptom of the girl’s degradation. Nope. In her mind, Chtholly saw Nygglatho as a rival in love for Willem. Knowing that she would get the same treatment as the ogre told her that she was still in the running. Confused, he walks out as all the girls run to see the night sky. Shooting stars! One of the girls is a bit too enthusiastic for a good view, climbing a thin wooden post. It breaks, and she tumbles from the roof. Willem taps into his venenom to catch her, but Chtholly sprouts her fairy wings and zips past him. The girl is safe, but Chtholly pays an unknown price. The sign of her payment: much more of her hair is red. She’s losing who she is to who she was.

This episode had so much of the bittersweet drama that I’ve come to love from this show. While we get to see the two leads in an idyllic, date-like scenario, we also have the tense, worry-filled drama over her condition. The date portion was fun, and it showed that they looked like a couple. This episode also uses the word “Defenestration” in a sentence without cracking a smile. I love that word. It and evisceration. They’re such fun words to say. I know that’s disturbing. I don’t care. Don’t judge me. It culminates in the shooting star scene, as she haltingly approaches him to take his hand, but he takes hers first. The two of them bolt upright at some of the shoutings, as if they had been caught. It was cute. My only complaint is that these romantic sequences were not quite as gripping as some of the other scenes.

On the other hand, Chtholly’s worsening condition is made more apparent in this episode. Every time she uses her powers, a bit more of her is lost, and a bit more of the red-haired girl comes out to play. For now, this plays out as disturbing hallucinations and a spreading dye-job. We also see that certain memories get lost. In the early parts of the episode, she forgets where the pepper is stored. This is a minor memory, and easily replaced, but next time, it could be a major memory. Like how to breathe. We never know. Now that she’s joining Willem on the surface, she may get placed in a position to use her venenom again, and that could have dire consequences on the mission.

Though this was not an action episode, I did like the animation present when the two rushed to rescue the little leprechaun. You got a slow-mo run with a glowing afterimage for Willem, and a sudden, barely-perceptible burst from her. The angles were dramatic, so the whole thing was impactful. Especially when she collided with the building. Bahdumtissss. Otherwise, we were treated to well-rendered background art throughout. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was, most definitely, good.

Voice acting seems to be getting better with every episode. Jamie Marchi really brought good depth to Nygglatho in this episode. I’ve always loved this character, but here we see layer upon layer of her motivations all intermingling. She is in love with Willem, but knows he doesn’t share those feelings. If she were to tell him seriously, she could end up hurting Chtholly, which is something she couldn’t stand. So, she’s been hiding it under teasing and professionalism. Jamie brought these feelings out in this character. I also can’t get over Amber Lee Connors and her last line as Chtholly in this episode. “Help.” It was so small and simple, but she brought it to life in a way that gave me chills. It carried with it all the fear and fragility of someone who knows their mind is breaking. I give this episode eight defenestrations out of ten.