English Dub Review: Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling “I Evolved Into an Evil Dragon”

Overview

Illusia isn’t powerful enough to defeat the Rock Dragon. Victory is still possible, but it will come at a terrible price…



Our Take

Picking up from the previous episode, the story continues the confrontation with the Rock Dragon while Illusia and Gregory slowly begin building trust with each other amid the chaos. The episode focuses heavily on protecting the village and dealing with Doz’s interference, while Illusia struggles with the pressure of evolving into a stronger form without putting innocent people in danger. Although the episode has some solid tension and a few emotional moments, the pacing feels stretched due to lengthy recaps and repeated cliffhanger setups.

One of the biggest issues here is that nearly four minutes of the episode are spent on recap material, which makes the actual progression feel far slower than it should during such a critical moment. Important developments like Illusia’s possible evolution and the escalating fight with the Rock Dragon are constantly teased without fully committing to them, making the episode feel padded despite the high stakes. Some of the characters also make frustratingly reckless decisions during the chaos, but Gregory continues to stand out as one of the more grounded and likable characters as Illusia wrestles with both his monstrous nature and the mysterious “Divine Voice” guiding him.

Overall, this episode feels more like a setup for the major transformation and battle that’s clearly coming next rather than a fully satisfying payoff on its own. The pacing issues and excessive stalling hold it back quite a bit, but there are still enough interesting ideas surrounding Illusia’s evolution, the darker dragon forms, and the growing tension around how humans will react to him moving forward. With the episode ending right before a major turning point, this definitely feels like the first half of a larger confrontation that will most likely continue next week.