Ragnarok episode 3 gave us a few more character introductions, and actually took a more serious role in its tone, for the most part. At the start of the episode, though, not so much.
To begin this week, we’re given twin lolis. Yep…they’re introduced with an awkward sensual hug, which didn’t really surprise me. There’s a whole thing about being sisters, which made me wonder if they were actual sisters or just Ragnarok-awkward sister things, but it turns out they’re actually sisters. Their names are Al and Chris.
After this awkward scene we’re thrust into a victory meal of the Wolf Clan, which attempts to play on the relationships Yuuto has with the other characters and also makes an odd attempt and some sort of marriage thing with a guest. Overall, it was lackluster and annoying.
However! However, we’re officially introduced to the red-haired character that showed up at the end of our last episode! He decides to waltz into the celebratory meal, announced his name (which I will shorten to Stein for typing and pronunciation’s sake) and begins to harass the guests.
Stein is the patriarch of the Lightning Clan in the north and he has a reputation.
Well, Stein immediately pisses Yuuto off, and it’s all over Yuuto’s face. But, Stein has two runes–Mjolnir, which makes him crazy strong, and Megingjord (spelling is actually wrong, but that’s as close as I can get). Apparently this guy is one of maybe three people in all of Yggdrasil that is “twin-runed,” so I guess he’s super powerful?
He’s also insanely arrogant and sort of annoying. It’s almost like the writers were trying to make him seem like such a badass that his character actually fell flat. And while we have a more rounded character in Yuuto after two episodes, our main man handled Stein like a collected and confident leader of a strong clan. This was nice to see because it set up a potential battle that could escalate between the two. Subtle? Not so much, but it still gave us something to wonder about.
Now, after this we jump around a bit. Yuuto calls his sister (or friend, or whomever) again in front of that mirror thing. I’m thinking that’s some super powerful object that needs to get fleshed out, since there’s an identical one in her room during the call, but we don’t have much to go on.
However, there is an emotional moment, which sort of gives us what could be an over-arching plot and endgame for our show? But I really can’t say. It’s just not in the forefront of the episodes, so it almost seems forgotten and secondary.
Afterward, we have some slavery aspect within the city which was odd, yet showed some world-building. Yuuto noticed a slave trader trying to get rid of a woman and child, bought them himself, and told a guard to make sure they were taken care of. While I liked this, it seemed too predictable. Good guy leader makes sure his country doesn’t have slaves so he buys them himself, makes sure they’re taken care of, and frees them? Is that was that was? I don’t know.
Then we get patriarchal paperwork, which I think adds a nice flavor to the world and gives us a sense that Yuuto actually has a sense of duty within himself to care about his people…sort of like the slaves? Maybe?
Slowly we’ve been given aspects of this world in episode three, but is it too little too late?
The end of the show brings us back to the two loli girls from the beginning, Chris and Al, who all but break into Yuuto’s chambers and Sigrun can do nothing about it. We’re given some character differences between the two, with Chris (the more adult, yet younger) and Al (the “screw-up,” yet older) and something about becoming wives.
This seems odd and completely forced, to be honest. We’re given two loli characters and completely different personalities that don’t seem to mesh very well. Instead, it seems like Chris is controlling of Al in basically every aspect and is the one who comes up with everything they plan on doing–while carrying it out and hoping Al doesn’t do anything stupid.
Turns out these two were testing Yuuto and had no intention of becoming his wives or concubines, or whatever, but they agreed to the Oath of the Chalice to become loyal to him.
In the end, Yuuto gives them a quest: Bring something here that will impress me.
And that’s it. We didn’t get much from this episode other than two lolis who want to become united with the Wolf Clan through the Oath of the Chalice and the leader of the Lightning Clan who was all brawn and no brains coming at Yuuto and showing off. While I think there is a potential for some good story with Yuuto and Stein, and the seriousness of their interaction was all good and well, the rest of the episode fell flat and didn’t offer us much. We got more harem girls, and Yuuto talked on his phone, but that was about it.
Overall, there’s something happening in the show now, that much I can see, but it’s still building itself much too slowly to be as exciting as it could be. However, I don’t really want to drop this show, because for some reason I’m now hopeful something will happen between Stein and Yuuto in episode 4.
Alex 🙂
Alex's Arena 
I kind of liked some of the potential set ups this anime had during this episode. Enough that I’m going to stick around a little longer, so I guess it did its job. It isn’t great, but there’s some interesting elements going on.
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