English Dub Review: Plunderer “The War of Waste Disposal”

 

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Rihito has elected to receive the operation to turn him into an Ace. This is the big moment that the time travelers wanted to change, but knowing what they know now, they can’t agree to stop it when it might jeopardize the lives of so many.

The surgery is going well until a military force arrives hunting for something and shooting anyone they encounter. Class A is barely hanging on when they get news that the power has been cut. Rihito will die if they don’t get the backup generator started. In an effort to save his life, they band together and make a break for the generator.

Our Take:

The War of Waste Disposal shakes things up for the first time in a little while. The time travelers have gotten comfortable at the school, and it seems like with every new thing they learn, the less of a difference they can make on the future. But now all that changes when the soldiers attack. Instead of fighting to change the future, they must fight to preserve it. If that sounds super cool, it really isn’t.

The first half of the episode is spent documenting how torn up everyone is about Rihito and his potentially deadly operation. It’s such a big disconnect with the heroic guy everyone is worrying over and the actual bastard we know Rihito to be. Even the explanations some of his friends give are just bad, dumb, lazy, or all there. Hina says she might be so attached to him because… he was the first guy she ever got to know? Honey, you could do so much better. And Mizuka has developed an attachment to him that’s straight up unhealthy, as Jail notes, just because he stood up for her one time?

When the guns start blazing and everything hits the fan, the episode gets a bit more interesting to watch, although it definitely doesn’t get any smarter. Mizuka starts bawling while Doan bulldozes baddies out of the way. I’m not sure if the show is trying to redeem Doan by having him rescue her, but it was just weird. Captain Alan ends up sacrificing his face so that some of the class members can make a break for the Licht-saving generator, which is the most heroic thing that happens in this episode.

The dub is fine this week. It’s kind of weird to judge, because a lot of what makes the dub dumb is due to the show itself. I almost lost it when Lynn was recounting her memories of Licht to Pele, and says: “Remember when Pudding saved me from falling off that cliff? It made me so happy.” I mean… yeah?

It’s still a little confusing about what the time travelers are supposed to actually do in the past. Jail and Hina come to a conclusion that, while they can’t stop Licht from turning into an ace, they can stop him from killing people, and uh… we’ll see how that goes.