Isekai Quartet 3

Episode 3

With this episode of Isekai Quartet, we once again watch as our massive cast of characters are split into new groups—this time tasked with growing morning glories. This, in turn, allows us to see interactions between the characters who've never really spent time together before. Most of these are just fun, silly notes—like Megumin carrying Puck as much as she would carry Chomusuke or Aura wanting to add Garfiel to her beast collection. But one is a bit more than that.

Tanya's conversation with Ram highlights the main philosophical difference between the two emotionally reserved characters. Ram is a person who is willing to step back from the action—to let others plan, worry, and, most importantly, take responsibility in case something goes wrong. Tanya, however, is a massive control freak. The idea of leaving her fate in the hands of others—be they mortal or divine—always irks her. Yet, the important thing here is that Tanya recognizes this about herself. She has enough self-reflection to understand that her need to take control adversely affects her—that if she could be more like Ram, her life might be easier. That doesn't mean she can change who and what she is, however.

As for the overarching plot of the season so far, Class 2 is reeling from the first appearance of Shadow—a person with magical power beyond that of even Megumin's explosion. The more evil characters of the class—namely, Tanya and Demiurge—are worried that he is not a member of their class. This is because the rules of this world promote companionship within your specific class, but not explicitly with the other two classes in the school. (And yes, there are two. Thank goodness the credits show us Yunyun is at least allowed to hang out with the butlers and “school pets” and not forced to sit in her classroom all alone.) If they were Shadow, they would consider exploiting this loophole to attack the other classes when their guard was down. They double down on this worry after listening to his mysterious pontifications on light, darkness, and shadow.

The big joke of the episode is that, while Tanya and Demiurge (i.e., two serious-minded, middle-aged adults) take Shadow seriously, Kazuma, Subaru, and Ainz do not. After all, they're all young, somewhat nerdy guys who fully understand the concept of having “chunibyo.” They see Cid for exactly who he is—something no one from his world has ever been able to do. Moreover, while Kazuma, Subaru, and Ainz would have come to the same conclusion if they had encountered someone like Cid in their respective fantasy worlds, the unique setting of Isekai Quartet allows them to share this—people who truly understand. And for three guys who are normally fish out of water, this has got to be a relief—even if they don't consciously recognize it themselves.

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Isekai Quartet 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.