My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's

Episode 4

In this episode alone we:

• Are introduced to Kilika
• Are introduced to Amelia and Kilika's father
• Are introduced to the entirety of elvish culture
• Learn that Kilika has brainwashed everyone she knows (except for her father, Amelia, and Liam)
• Have an action-packed duel between Kilika and Akira
• Learn Kilika's tragic backstory (being the scapegoat while Amelia was the golden child)
• Learn Kilika's forgotten tragic backstory (that she was tricked by a third party into getting Liam killed)
• Learn that her father is actually the one at fault for everything because he erased Kilika's memories
• Watch everyone make up and forgive… you know… the mind wiping, mind control, and trying to kill each other
• Have a romantic scene between Amelia and Akira
• Quickly catch up with what the “Hero Party” are up to

That's an entire story arc of twists and turns told in a grand total of 20 minutes—and that is way the hell too much.

I wouldn't care so much about the terrible pacing if it weren't for the fact that there's so much potential here if it were only given a chance to breathe—especially when it comes to Kilika. Here we have a girl who was shunned and isolated by her friends and family, all (apparently) because her sister had an inborn talent she couldn't hope to match. Then, this girl with a major inferiority complex gains the power to mind control those around her—to make herself the golden child and make her sister feel as she had felt. And, as these things go in anime, it snowballs into outright attempted murder and exile—and Kilika feels justified the whole time as the original victim. Those are some complex and powerful emotions that need to be worked through—episodes worth to be precise.

Then comes the twist that Kilika's own mind has been tampered with, that her father erased part of her memories instead of helping her work through the most traumatic moment of her life. Everyone distanced themselves not because Amelia's newfound powers made her special but because everyone was walking on eggshells so as not to let Kilika discover her mind had been altered—as well as the trauma behind it. How would you deal with this revelation—that not only did your actions kill a dear friend but you've also been living a lie thanks to your own father?

Yet, the biggest issue is that none of this complex emotional drama is explored—everyone is simply okay with what has happened. Amelia instantly forgives Kilika for trying to kill her more than once. The Elven people are 100% okay with having been under literal mind control for weeks if not years because they love their princess that much. And the real culprit behind this? The man who took the quick fix and erased one daughter's memory while not cluing the other in on what he had done? No one is even mad with him—not his daughters nor his people. It's pure insanity that not a single person who has had their mind violated is even a little bit pissed—oh, but I guess having a party will fix any lingering emotions.

There is just so much potential drama in this episode with its characters, conflicts, and twists—and nothing is done with any of it. We don't have time to stop and smell the roses—not when we can run 'em over and keep moving on at our breakneck pace. This is one of these series that desperately needs to learn that the journey is as important as the destination—if not more so.

Rating:

My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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