English Dub Review: Ragna Crimson “Stakes and Cooperation”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
While Crimson uses Ragna as a bargaining chip to convince Starlia to accept their aid, Woltekamui vows to remain at Ultimatia’s side and gives her much-needed encouragement.

Our Take:
This week’s episode sees two groups of characters facing their own problems, one being more personal than the other. On the hero’s side, Ragna and Crimson decided to help Starlia and her Lese soldiers defend their turf. Starlia suggests evacuating everyone with the teleportation circle, but Crimson offers to let her use Ragna in the fight against the dragon Monarch Olto-Zora. The problem is that Starlia keeps reducing herself to a nervous wreck whenever Ragna looks or even talks to her. Even worse, the soldiers keep blaming Ragna for making Starlia act out despite him not doing anything to her.
As for the dragons, Ultimatia is still the fearful young girl she was in the last two episodes, resulting in her losing her time manipulation magic. Fortunately for her, Woltekamui arrives to comfort her, which is enough for Ultimatia to reveal her deep hatred of Ragna. However, it also seemingly sparks a love triangle between them and Nebulim, who we assume shares the same feelings for Ultimatia as Woltekamui. Whether this will affect the dynamic between the three is unclear at this point, but if it does, this could be the advantage Ragna and Crimson need to defeat her and the other Monarchs for good. However, with Ultimatia back to her usual self and Woltekamui now on the hunt for the duo, their eventual showdown may not be easy to overcome.
The episode presents significant exposition that brings us closer to another anticipated encounter between Ragna and the Monarchs. Crimson provides a brief insight into Olto-Zora and his chemical synthesis. At the same time, Ragna’s actions of assisting Starlia and her soldiers indicate his prioritization of loyalty over revenge despite his deep-seated animosity towards the dragons. These developments showcase the complexity of Ragna’s character and his unwavering commitment to his beliefs.
More importantly, it’s another example of exposition scenes being as enticing as the battle sequences regarding the humor and drama, mainly the latter involving Ultimatia and Woltekamui during the second half. Juliet Simmons continued to make an excellent effort in displaying Ultimatia’s emotional torment and even her breaking point when she ordered Woltekamui to kill Ragna. It further showcased that a solid voice cast can make an English dub of an anime as immersive as the original version. There are only two episodes remaining until the show goes on a hiatus, so let’s hope its first half concludes on a high note.