English Dub Review: Reincarnated as a Sword “The Villainous Blue Cat”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Which foe presents the tougher challenge: the mortal enemy of the Black Cats, or the fear of what that enemy represents? Fran will overcome them all in her quest for justice.

Our Take:
Fran has battled many foes throughout the season and managed to come out on top. However, her latest opponent is the toughest of the bunch. More importantly, it is her most personal fight yet. The enemy, in particular, happens to be a Blue Cat named Gyuran (David Wald), an assassin hired by August who’s still pissed at Fran for “cursing” him.
Unfortunately, even though Gyuran is a cat like Fran, it doesn’t make him an ally.
As Fran suggested, the Blue Cats are notorious for betraying and torturing the Black Cats years ago, with Gyuran being the worst. This leads to a showdown that quickly ends with Fran killing Gyuran, resulting in August being placed forever under house arrest.
What makes this fight interesting is Fran’s complex emotions. Because of her shared past with Gyuran, Fran immediately develops a sense of anger toward the assassin and fear due to his threatening nature. Thanks to Teacher’s comforting words, though, Fran immediately recognizes why she’s here in the first place. This thoughtful moment marks another step in Fran’s journey to evolve and be brave enough to stand up for herself and her species. However, the only issue I had with the first half was that the battle between Fran and Gyuran was rushed and anti-climactic. Otherwise, it was satisfying to see Gyuran (who’s respectfully voiced by David Wald) and August get what they deserved.
The second half then sees Fran and Teacher encountering another person last seen at the tail end of last week’s episode. That person is an elven-eared woman named Amanda, an A-rank adventurer who immediately takes a liking to Fran. Amanda also has the title “Guardian of Children” for running an orphanage, according to Nell. However, Amanda’s love for Fran might be a bit too much for the cat-girl, as the adventurer keeps following her like a stalker throughout the day.
The second half feels like a separate episode due to its tone. While the fight between Fran and Gyuran is a bit darker regarding the violence and language, Fran’s encounter with Amanda is much more comedic and light-hearted. Unfortunately, it’s a case of mood whiplash that almost derailed the episode due to Amanda’s personality. However, seeing Fran’s annoyed face after encountering the motherly yet obsessive elf woman multiple times is humorous enough to compensate.
“The Villainous Blue Cat” was a minor downgrade from the previous episode. This was due to its title only referring to the first half’s rushed showdown and the sudden change in tone in the second half. However, I did enjoy Fran’s development and Amanda’s presence enough to call it another entertaining chapter in the series. Next week, we’ll see Fran and Teacher take on another dungeon quest in the Spider’s Web. Unfortunately for them, Amanda is joining them in their quest, so let’s hope her skills on the field aren’t as annoying as her personality.