English Dub Review: Monster Girl Doctor “Lindworm’s Major Operation”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Skadi has a big tumor growing inside her, but she still refuses to allow Doctor Glenn and Doctor Cthully to perform the surgery on her. Glenn has been training Arahnia to help with the operation, too, but when her evil side surfaces, Sapphee and Tisalia have to work together to calm her down.

Finally, Skadi relents and agrees to undergo the surgery. It starts off well enough, but suddenly the dragon woman’s body temperature starts to rise rapidly. Everyone is in danger of dying, but Doctor Cthully instructs Glenn to proceed. Will his skills be enough to make it through safely?

Our Take:

The penultimate episode of Monster Girl Doctor is a confusing pairing of halves. Most of the first part of Lindworm’s Major Operation deals with Arahnia’s major trust issues that cause her to put on a fake persona and steal things, while it’s not until the second part that we really get into the main plot with Skadi’s operation.

It’s a strange start to the episode for sure. Arahnia has been a side character until now — and not one of the better ones. She’s brought nothing but trouble until now. Sure she helped stop a giant, but she also tried to kidnap Doctor Glenn. There’s something to be said for his willingness to train her into becoming a monster, but taking up so much time in the second to last episode just seems wrong.

Arahnia eventually decides to steal a valuable item, but Sapphee catches her and makes her put it back. She tells Tisalia and Sapphee that she’s never trusted anyone before (isn’t Sapphee supposed to be her best friend?) and feels like she’s having trouble now that Doctor Glenn is around her more often. Sapphee gives her a diagnosis: she’s in love with Doctor Glenn.

Doctor Glenn, meanwhile, finally gets through to Skadi by bringing up all of the citizens of Lindworm who are waiting for her recovery. It’s a nice little segment that brings back old familiar faces like Lulala, and reminds us of all the patients Glenn has helped along the way to his current predicament.

Skadi’s sudden about face is nice and all, but it’s hard to care much about her change of mind when she’s still basically a mystery with no real personality of her own to speak of. She’s hundreds of years old, but has to act Glenn for advice on what to do now that she isn’t going to die anymore. She even mentions that living so long is boring, and one almost thinks that she would prefer to just leave already before Glenn coaxes her back.

The episode wraps up with the start to the surgery, which quickly brings danger when Skadi’s dragon biology gets heated. Apparently dragons can breath fire even when unconscious. Doctor Cthully sends Sapphee and Arahnia away, but commands Doctor Glenn not to “wimp out” in one of the funniest lines of the entire show. It ends on a cliffhanger, but I wish the journey up to the cliff had been a little more engaging.