JuJu Reviews: Grimgar of Fantasy & Ash Episode 3

After watching the episode a few times, I have come to the conclusion that Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is one of those series that has a slow build. It spends time showcasing characters, how they interact with their surroundings, and showing them move up little by little. The show does this all while sneaking in some comedy or plot. With that being said, Grimgar is actually doing it decently, but that doesn’t mean it’s anything amazing. From my point of view, Grimgar seems to be a slow and steady ride. That’s fine. Let’s go ahead and get into it.

SPOILERS AHEAD! If you haven’t seen this episode, I would recommend that you stop here. If you haven’t watched the series, please have a look at my first impression of Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, it’s spoiler free!

The first chunk of Grimgar of Fantasy & Ash episode 3 focuses on the comedic relief of Ranta being a pervert last episode, and how that affects the rest of the boys in the group. This carries on into a conversation between Haruhiro and Yume about how it was okay if it was him, but it wasn’t okay at the same time. This implies that she’s willing to break her standards if it is certain people: in this case, Haruhiro. I want to take the time to state that there is a lot of monologue from Haruhiro. It was to the point where it felt like he is reading something from a novel to us. Despite that, if you can bear with the episode through the first chunk, things did pick up a bit later on.
The meat of the episode is Haruhiro and the group taking on more goblins and moving up a little. I do have to note two things: the music and the art. Of course with this being a fantasy series being done by A-1, the art is always pleasant to look at, but the music is something that caught my attention once again. I could have sworn I heard some jazz in there somewhere and the soundtrack that plays while the group is hunting for goblins is nice as well. Speaking of goblins, we get to see our team take one down and it was well-planned too! We can see Manato take the lead with a strategic plan and some of our characters even communicate using hand signals, which is a nice improvement on their part. My favorite part is when Yume and Shihoru take down one goblin who was dancing his butt off on top of a pillar. It was a nice clean shot, too!
There is one thing that I am suspicious of, and it involves Manato. I noticed that he does this sign with his hands, which causes some sort of symbol to gleam by his forehead. He also does it in the previous episode. I just shrugged it off as just some magician gesture and nothing more, but I am curious about it now. I believe there is more meaning to it, and I am itching to find out why he is doing that. Speaking of Manato, him and Haruhiro have a nice moment together with them talking about themselves, which ends in Haruhiro discussing who they were as people in their previous lives. Since we do not know the full mystery behind their appearance in the fantasy world, it’s hard to say if they are dead or still alive. Judging by Haruhiro’s monologue, he assumes everyone is dead, so there’s one point of view on the matter.
Overall, the episode was once again decent with its pacing and progression. We can see by now how it will handle things. While it will require patience to get the series going, it’s understandable on why it is taking its time. To add to that, I know of a few friends that have read the light novels and from their experience of reading it. The series does take a while to build up, with the first volume being focused only on the first level. It’s anime adaptation is similar to the Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers anime, and how it only adapted the first volume. Despite being a slow and steady ride, I wonder what Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash has in store for us. The potential is still there and I look forward to seeing more! Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is currently streaming on Funimation & Hulu.