In the Land of Leadale

Episode 5

I had a feeling that the philosophical questions raised in the last episode weren't going to play a part in this episode at all, and I was right. Instead, this episode puts the show's family dynamics front and center as Cayna discovers that she was more or less tricked into meeting her grandchildren for the first time as a surprise. It makes sense, considering that as elves, they have incredibly long lifespans—it would've been weird if her family didn't expand after about 200 years. So I consider this an adequate payoff to last week's setup regarding the letter she was asked to deliver. And despite my previous complaints, this is probably the first episode where I feel like the family angle of the show was played up the best.

While the show still focuses a lot on the over-the-top reactions, now that we've spent some time with these characters, it makes more sense how they would react to certain things that we were supposed to accept and laugh at before. Cayna's daughter telling her children to be fearful of their grandmother makes sense when you consider the fact that Cayna really isn't the most mature person, which she thankfully acknowledges in this episode. It's probably one of the more self-reflective moments she's had in the show so far, and if she meant what she said in the last episode about how she wants to get closer to this family that she didn't even realize she had, then I think that's a good start.

I also like that unlike before, her violent reaction this time wasn't based on anything random. She got mad because she felt like the people that she had been staying with while adventuring were insulted even if that wasn't the original intention. Plus, now that the show has more firmly established the kind of temperament that Cayna has around others, her family being in fear of her also makes sense. Maybe self-preservation is part of the reason behind why they're such doting children? It would be very interesting if we got some kind of flashback into what Cayna was like when she first made her kids, but I digress; the show seems to be more concerned with gradually getting to certain plot points with some cute character moments sprinkled in between.

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In the Land of Leadale is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.