Let’s talk about ENDRO!…for real this time!
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Thanks to anyone who read that First Impressions post. I don’t normally write joke posts like that on my blog since I try to be honest as a blogger but boy was it tempting to just play along with ENDRO‘s initial hook and I’m glad I did as that was honestly the most fun I’ve had with blogging in quite some time.
For real, I actually really enjoyed the first episode of ENDRO!. The whole bit with the final battle and credits is a solid hook that got my attention. All four main characters are likable and have very charming chemistry together. The Demon Lord becoming a little girl was weird and hilarious. I guess I technically said all that in my “First Impressions” but it merits repeating considering how exaggerated that post is (not to mention over-analytical). My only real gripe is that perhaps the premiere could be a little predictable. I personally caught Mao-sensei being the Demon Lord and Yusha stumbling upon the Hero’s Sword minutes before confirmation was given. That hardly is a detriment though since it isn’t like this anime is reliant on shocking the viewer. Overall, ENDRO‘s premiere is a pleasant surprise and after Wataten disappointed me, it was nice to find a CGDCT anime I could probably enjoy this season.
Now, with that out of the way, let’s talk about Episode 2.
Not to give myself credit but I was kind of surprised to find out that ENDRO! actually establishes the battle between the prophesied Hero and the reincarnating Demon Lord as a neverending cycle between good and evil. Wow, I thought I was making that stuff up in my First Impressions post. Guess I wasn’t as off the rocker as I thought.
Anyway, the plot of this episode is that Mao-sensei wants Yusha and her friends to assign a leader in their group. Putting aside the fact that Mao-sensei wants to sow division into the party, this proves to be quite tricky for the girls. Everyone seems to be quite skilled in their respective niche, including Yusha, who provides some hilariously high luck for the team. Perhaps because of that specialty, however, no one is able to coordinate. Everyone has their own ideas of where to take their group and the activities they have in mind are too narrow. Yusha wants to mess around, Fai wants to eat food, Seira wants to do housework (and accidentally reveal her own flaws relating to that), and Mei has everyone waiting in front of a store in anticipation for a limited edition magic card or “Cartado” as it’s called. It’s all really funny and charming but evidently, no one seems fit to be the leader. Frankly, it says something if Chibi (Asuka Nishi), Yusha’s pet dragon, seems the most fit for the role.
In the end, the four resolve that maybe they don’t need a leader so long as they work together. It’s a sound conclusion but as to be expected, Mao-sensei is stunned that her efforts to prevent her demise is once again futile. In fact, fearing that history will repeat itself, Mao-sensei straight up abandons her plans and decides to just be your everyday demon teacher. It’s a hilarious development, especially with how Mao-sensei smiles after having such an epiphany.
Curiously, you find out from Mao-sensei’s flashback that Yusha actually screwed up the sealing spell, thus sending the Demon Lord back in time. That might seem like it clashes with what we saw at the beginning of Episode 1 but I think that was actually just a dream Yusha has. Episode 2 backs that up as, in the beginning, Yusha dreams of giving a recap, the kind that anime characters usually give at the beginning of their show. I’m not sure why Yusha seems to have such meta premonitions. It could very well be just a running joke. In which case, it has been one of EDNRO’s best pieces of comedy.
So there’s my actual thoughts on ENDRO! so far. I’ll probably just be watching the show from here out or covering it briefly in a Lightning Round but let it be known that I am really enjoying this show…maybe a bit too much.
ED: “Wonder Caravan!” by Inori Minase
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Watch ENDRO! on Crunchyroll
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