English Dub Review: Tomb Raider King “Tian Fu’s Relic”

Overview

While searching for Tian Fu’s Relic, Jooheon finds an underground tea field being worked by children.

Our Take

Picking up from the previous episode, Tomb Raider King continues to move at a breakneck pace, but this episode at least gives Jooheon’s actions more purpose. Rather than simply overpowering everyone in his path, he’s occasionally forced to think creatively and work around certain obstacles, which makes his ruthless personality more entertaining. The episode also has plenty of comedic moments, while the increasingly bizarre relics continue to provide some much-needed originality and humor.

There are also some enjoyable character moments involving Irene and Jaeha that give the episode a bit more personality. The strange abilities and forms of the relics remain one of the more entertaining aspects of the series, and the animation shows some noticeable improvements during the more action-heavy moments. Unfortunately, the story still moves so quickly that many developments don’t have enough time to make much of an impact, leaving the characters and conflicts feeling less developed than they could be.

Overall, this was a solid and entertaining episode that benefits from its humor, creative relics, and character interactions. The pacing remains the biggest weakness, as the series continues to rush from one plot point to the next without giving its story enough room to breathe. Still, there’s enough here to keep things enjoyable as we head toward the season finale next week, which should hopefully give the series a chance to end its first season on a strong note.