Luck & Logic

Episode 9

Ah, Olga Breakchild, the cocky and useless Logicalist with the best name in the show. He's not a goody-goody like so many of the others, and his conflicting abilities and motives make him interesting to watch and root for. As a result, this is the most entertaining episode of Luck & Logic we've seen in weeks. Between Olga's relatable imperfections and—in stark contrast to that—his indomitable spirit, plus some unexpected intrigue and chaos, Luck & Logic proves that it does best when it ditches the half-hearted slice-of-life for sheer action.

Olga is one of those characters that puts on a tough front in order to hide just how much he's hurting. The other Logicalists see right through him and aren't bothered by his lofty attitude, and they even want to help him out now that it's clear Olga is getting desperate. When Lucifer arrives and asks to Covenant with a spare Logicalist, a suspicious Director Jarno refuses. It makes sense since Lucifer is extremely powerful and has quite the reputation, but Olga is furious with him. At this point, he'd do anything to Covenant, but does that mean he's desperate enough to put the ALCA in danger? That's the question at the center of “Enemy or Friend,” an episode title that could refer just as easily to Olga as it does to Lucifer. It's even hidden from the audience until the conclusion whether or not Olga chose to release an especially feisty Foreigner, Enlil, in exchange for Enlil's knowledge about Lucifer and what it would take to Covenant with him. It's a brilliant storytelling choice that works because Olga isn't always on the straight and narrow. I also liked the twist involving Shinobu, the replacement to the unmemorable incompetent who let Quetzalcoatl escape before, who seemingly appeared to become Olga's ideal love interest. Luck & Logic has given me so many similar clichés, I never saw her betrayal coming.

While this episode focuses on Olga, our other Logicalists are relegated to the background for once, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. Now that we've gotten to know their shallow personalities, combat is the most entertaining interaction they can have. In both a practice and real battle with Enlil, the ALCA group performs some serious moves that show off Luck & Logic's costume and enemy design well. (By the way, I didn't realize until this episode that ALCA stood for Another Logic Counter Agency. Eyeroll.) But even Chloe shows some depth this episode in her ability to empathize with Olga, stating truthfully that she probably would have done something risky to follow her dream of being a Logicalist. Including Olga, who doesn't fit the group's otherwise cohesive mold, makes the other characters more interesting too.

I'm praising Olga a lot this week but honestly, I didn't like him until this episode. Like everyone else, he had a pretty shallow personality: the snooty incompetent one. Now the show has given him a serious, desperate motive and the willpower to pull it off, which makes him interesting. If Yoshichika had something he wanted this badly, I would find him more interesting too. Motive was the missing piece to the storytelling puzzle, and it's finally in place.

Rating: B+

Luck & Logic is currently streaming on Funimation.

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.