After three episodes in a row of the characters in Tensura sitting around and talking to one another it was kind of a relief that episode 41 at least finally had them moving to prepare for the upcoming events. Sure it isn’t exactly enough action to really redeem this second part of the second season, but it at least indicates we’re finally getting somewhere which is enough to keep me from dropping this in a fit of boredom.
Actually, the real saving grace of episode 41 is that unlike the previous episodes, we’re finally seeing some of the personality of the core cast come back. Instead of stuffy, formal meetings, we see Benimaru responding to Rimuru’s order to destroy an army with a ‘hell yeah’ before he corrects himself to more formal language but it was a small spark of energy that was fairly infectious as all of the characters seemed to find themselves again.
Tensura 2 – finding the fun in war.
Perhaps the characters are a little too upbeat at the prospect of a potential war with the animal kingdom at stake and another conflict to begin in the human city and Clayman still to take out, but Tensura’s characters are happy little warriors and the prospect of taking action isn’t just lightening the audience’s mood but visibly makes Shion, Diablo, and even Veldora seem far more at ease and more like themselves.
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Sure there’s still some plans to be made such as deciding which of the vast characters in Tensura will accompany Rimuru to face Clayman and figuring out how to transport a whole army (easily really and we’ll have an instant magical fix to that), but by the end of episode 41 there’s a definite sense that we’re finally getting somewhere.
This week also we get a scene where they work to establish the ice-sword guy leading the enemy army as a complete jerk who deserves to be unceremoniously crushed underneath Benimaru and his army’s heel. It isn’t in any way subtle as we have him bullying two priests and even slicing the arm off of one really just because he could.
His actions served one purpose in Tensura and that was to make us happy he was on the opposing side to Rimuru so that when he inevitably is defeated we feel pretty happy about. Because let’s be honest, Rimuru has so far devoured every enemy that has crossed his path with the possible exception of Hinata. Even if this guy manages to overcome Benimaru’s forces (which seems unlikely) he certainly isn’t going to get to celebrate that victory for long.
Not to mention, what is with that outfit he’s wearing. There’s so many different attachments, textures and colours there it just kind of looks like he fell into a prop closet of someone who has a lot of cosplay options and just came out wearing whatever attached to him in the process. I’ll give him points because his sword is cool (not just because of the whole ice thing) but really this is not a great look and it doesn’t really seem to fit with the rest of the costumes in Tensura.
But, if I was after magic and wonder and just the general pleasant feeling that the protagonist could succeed, Tensura Season 2 Episode 41 certainly delivered. And Rimuru’s magical transportation act toward the end of the episode was suitably shiny and spectacular for a display of power.
Basically this episode got back to more or less what Tensura has always done best. It set up a villain who seems insurmountable and yet they establish that Rimuru is pretty nonchalant about the whole thing and as he gears up to fight its pretty clear that Clayman has definitely ended up in over his head.
For the viewer we once again have a clear enemy for the characters to be pointed at and enough promise of a suitably spectacular smack-down so things are pretty much on track. I just wish it hadn’t taken three episodes of ‘meeting’ to get here.
Images from: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2 Part 2. Dir. Y Kikuchi. 8bit. 2021.
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Karandi James
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