English Dub Review: Plunderer “I Hate You!”

Overview (Spoilers Below)
Licht continues his battle with the fake Ace, eventually finishing off the phony and saving Hina in the process. However, in an unexpected turn, Licht takes away Hina’s ballot and leaves her at the military headquarters.

Devastated, Hina walks back to Nana’s restaurant. She tells Nana about Licht’s odd and cruel actions, as well as giving her a stuffed bear that Licht “traded” the ballot for. However, Nina hears a ticking inside the bear and realizes that Hina might just want it after all. As it turns out, the bear was really the ballot in disguise! Nana then tells Hina that Licht did this to protect her, as ballots are a major no-no in their world. As such, Licht helped Hina escape from a life of a hunted-down criminal.

Upon hearing this, Hina dashes out to find Licht. She finds him leaving within a carriage. Despite her many pleas though, she’s unsuccessful in getting him to stay.

Out of nowhere, one of the military men comes by Hina. He gives her thanks for her help in locating the Legendary Ace. He then calls up his actual commander, telling him that everything went according to plan…

Our Take
Alright, now we’re getting somewhere! This was definitely better executed than last week’s episode. Lots of enticing action and emotional heart here for all.

To begin with, the basic elements that make up this episode were charming. The animation’s still appealing to the eyes, even with the various shortcuts used at times. The fantasy setting and its lore continues to be of interest as well. I particularly enjoyed the explanation of the legality of the ballots in their world. As the ballots will surely come into play throughout the remainder of the series, it definitely helps to know that information. The emotions definitely run wild too, particularly during the scenes between Licht and Hina. It’s definitely nice to see that underneath all that perversion is someone who actually wishes to protect those around them. While I cannot condone his perverted actions, at least he has some morals left in him.

However, the tonal clash here involving Licht is mind-numbingly odd. It feels like our heads were being jostled around all over the place. Yet, I understand what they were trying to go for. He almost has to deceive her so that she doesn’t get branded as a criminal. I think it’s more so a matter of the pace they went about it. The change in his mood just seemed so instantaneous that it felt confusing. Another thing I don’t really get is why the show seems so intent on making one of the main leads a love-hate relationship. First, they depict him as one thing, and then it’s something else entirely later on. It’s all over the place! Overall, Licht’s entire characterization feels rather off-putting in all honesty.

To continue, the ending of the episode surely puts things into an intense position. I honestly can’t say where the show will end up heading from here. The ending presents so many questions that it’s making my head spin just thinking about it. What’ll end up happening to Licht? Will Hina end up meeting Licht again next time? How on earth did the military commander manage to set up this entire charade? How did Licht manage to hide the ballot inside his stuffed bear? Do Legendary Aces possess powers other than raw strength? The episode leaves us off with more questions than answers. That way though, it’ll certainly keep everyone guessing until next week arrives.

To conclude, I’d say we get our money’s worth this time. Thankfully, this episode steers far away from the disgusting crap featured last time. Instead, we get what I initially expected the series to be: fun, action-packed, and fantasy-based, with some lore to boot. However, given the next episode’s preview, the series may end up veering back into the perversion territory. I just sincerely hope it’s not the central focus.