English Dub Review: Shangri-La Frontier “Lo, Thou Art Assailed on All Sides”

Overview

On their way to Thirdrema, Sunraku and Emul encounter the area boss Mud Digger in the middle of a swamp which greatly reduces their movement. Being at a disadvantage Sunraku needs to figure out how his newly evolved skills work so he can take Mud Digger down.


Our Take

As Rakuro/Sunraku tries to rely on skills to take down this threat from the previous episode, he almost dies until Emul saves him, given the solo nature that Sunraku has been too used to, he forgets Emul is his party member and can be beneficial to the fight. But after dealing Mud-Digger a lot of damage Rakuro almost dies in the game, but luckily, Emul teleports him on top of Mud-Digger, turning his fall into an overpowered deadly blow giving the two a well-earned victory.

As the two proceed towards the land of Thirdrema, Emul reveals that she has a disguise ability, though Rakuro only wearing shorts still draws unwanted attention. Unfortunately, the photograph of him that some of the players took notice of has consequently spread and players now know he has both a unique NPC and has fought Lycagon, bringing him to the attention of Psyger, a member of Rei’s Lycagon hunter clan, as well as many members of Ashura Kai, an assassin clan that kills other players for fun. At first, Sunraku is accosted by Animalia, an animal-obsessed player who wants her own vorpal rabbit NPC, but is almost killed by Arthur Pencilgon. Another online player who knows Sunraku very well…

Overall, this anime has potential, and I hope they keep it that way and take their time, not to rush the proceedings. Everything from the fights to the bosses to the balance of the character is well-animated on a consistent level. Also, Sunraku and Emul’s dynamic gives off similar vibes to Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck but done in a charming and comical way. As for who’s going after Sunraku, I’m curious who this lady is, and how far this goes…