Princess Connect! Re:Dive

Episode 5

“In which our heroes somehow overlook the countless bloody hand prints covering the walls and floors.”

This episode begins with the revelation that Yuuki is sick. While Kokkoro and Pecorine tend to him--namely by feeding him bug-based home remedies--Karyl suggests they take him to an actual medical professional. Unfortunately, none of the girls has been to a doctor in this city and so they pick a place at random.

From the start, the hospital they pick is a bit suspect. The nurse and doctor don't exactly dress the part--and there's the matter of the barred windows on the room doors. Choosing to ignore these warning signs (and the bloody hand prints all over the place), the three hand Yuuki over for treatment. Soon however, they realize that this is more a prison than a hospital and they'll probably need to break Yuuki out.

However, the real danger comes not from the doctor or nurse but from their security guard, Eriko. She first appeared in a cameo back in episode three where Yuuki, in his own misguided way, attempted to help her when he saw her face-plant in the middle of the street. (He gave her a rice ball). Since then, she has gone full obsessed-psycho and spends her free time roaming the streets in search of her “true love.”

Eriko is the first non-main character we get to follow without the main quartet present. We see her daily life--basically being hit on, beating those men up, and then taking all their money for herself. She has a single-minded obsession and doesn't hesitate to violently deal with anyone who gets in her way.

Because of the time we spend with her, we know the danger that Yuuki is in once they meet again in the hospital. This in turn adds tension to the admittedly comical adventure and gives a time limit to Kokoro, Pecorine, and Karyl's rescue. Then, all that's left is to sit back and laugh at how it all plays out.

If last week's episode was an example of how not to introduce the countless additional characters from the original game, this episode is a prime example of how to do it correctly. The three Twilight Caravan guild members are introduced organically into the story and are the direct cause of its main dilemma. As the “villains” of this particular episode, they work well--especially Eriko as the love-lorn yandere chasing after the hero.

And while this episode still features no progression on the main story nor any real character development for our main quartet, it still presents a fun, self-contained, silly adventure--and that's perfectly acceptable at this point in the series.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• I hope this isn't the last we see of Eriko. I know the series probably has a billion more characters to showcase but she's a fantastic addition to the cast that can be used to throw a wrench into the plans of the heroes and villains alike.

• I don't know about you guys but after I see a doctor, I want to feel 100% better--not 30%.

• I don't get Karyl's continued hatred of bugs. My cat loves to eat them.

• I wonder if Karyl sacrificed herself to save Yuuki because she felt responsible for sending him to this particular hospital in the first place.

• Best gag of the episode? In the post credits scene, Karyl is still only shown as a ghost-image in the sky.

• Yet again, we see that for Pecorine, food is the solution for all the world's problems--including sickness.

• “How crazy is that” count for the week: 0!

Princess Connect! Re:Dive is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.