English Dub Review: The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System “Dreamlord”

Overview

Ruche returns to save Elymas from a desperate situation, and they make one last gamble to beat the Dreamlord.

Our Take

Picking up from the previous episode, Elymas and Ruche face off against Embryo, whose ability to adapt to attacks leaves Elymas’s ranged attack useless. Their only chance is for Ruche to land a critical hit with Dice Thrust, but her first attempt fails. Refusing to give up, she uses Acrobatic Amble to run across the ceiling and attack Embryo from behind, rolling the six she needs to kill it and the Tin Knights. The victory earns them a massive amount of EXP and over 60 million gold in loot, while Elymas realizes that Ruche’s greatest strength isn’t her level or class, but her determination and willingness to never give up. Defeating an enemy more than 30% above their level also earns them the “The Upsetter” title, giving them another useful reward before the collapsing dungeon teleports them safely outside.

Unfortunately, the episode’s biggest problem is once again its pacing. While the actual battle was intense and gave Ruche a chance to shine as a capable combatant rather than simply someone whose luck benefits Elymas, far too much of the runtime was spent recapping previous episodes, repeating scenes, and stretching out moments that could have been handled much faster. The long recap at the beginning was especially excessive, making it feel like there was barely any new material despite the episode technically moving the story forward. It’s frustrating because the animation and the central character moments remain enjoyable, but the constant padding makes the series feel much longer than it needs to be.

Overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to the dungeon arc buried underneath some truly painful pacing. Ruche’s determination and clever use of her abilities made her the clear MVP, while Elymas learning to value her for who she is rather than simply judging her by her level or class was an important step for their partnership. The rewards also give the story plenty of room to move forward, particularly with the new skill book and their newfound fortune. It’s just a shame that so much of an otherwise entertaining episode was sacrificed to recaps and repetition. At this point, the real boss of the series might not be Embryo; it might be the runtime.