English Dub Review: An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 “After the Battle”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Hajime lost an arm protecting Rirui and finds himself having to adjust to the changes in his life.

Our Take:

Who knew that a harmless, slice-of-life adventurer anime would include a lasting consequence for one of its characters?  The conclusion to last week’s episode saw Hajime unexpectedly lose his arm while saving Rirui from a monstrous worm, setting the stage for the “big” changes ahead.  The aftermath of that incident plays a significant role in this episode, in which Rirui confronts her guilt for what happened to Hajime.  At the same time, Hajime attempts to recover while waiting for the dwarves to design a fully functional prosthetic arm for him. However, the biggest issue they face in the episode is their bond, as Hajime is left concerned about whether he’s still capable of mentoring Rirui given their differing styles.  This left him wondering whether Rishat, Veronica’s servant, could be Rirui’s new mentor until they found out he was actually an archer.

While there appears to be some drama regarding Hajime’s condition, “After the Battle” actually retains the anime’s tranquility and light-hearted, yet awkward, comedy it’s known for.  Of course, that includes Hajime’s perverse behavior, consisting of him touching Olive’s boobs and asking Rishat to strip for him.  These moments are part of the reason the show’s tonal shifts are occasionally off, especially during a serious moment between Hajime and Olive.  At this point, Hajime is becoming more like Kazuma Satou from KonoSuba regarding his behavior, though less humorous and more forgettable.  A couple of those moments still worked regarding its humor, but for a tranquil adventurer anime like this, one can’t help but still feel a tad iffy towards this “heroic” adventurer.