I May Be a Guild Receptionist

Episode 6

I was surprised by this week's episode, in a good way. I thought last week was a step in the right direction and back towards what made the series work, for me anyway. And this week we just reinforced those same themes. There is a heavy emphasis on character interactions, exploring the backstories of some cast members, and letting supporting cast members express their feelings. I think this serves the series well and puts its best foot forward, whereas the dungeon exploring and monster fighting is fine but feels typical.

The main plot of this episode is still based on trying to stop the rumormongers. This happens and sure it's a big feature early on but this is not a plot-heavy episode. This is just the necessary obstacle to the fair and an excuse to get the party out adventuring for a bit.

Most important this week is the character exploration elements. I was surprised that Lululee got another episode largely dedicated to her backstory. Not that it isn't interesting or anything - I think it's great! - but I expected the narrative to shift to someone else. Instead, we spend a second episode in a row exploring her past and I think we're better served for it because it's grim and heartbreaking and a great fit for fantasy tropes. “What if you only had enough magic to help one person but two lives were on the line? So you split your power but saved neither?” That's a good hook within the dungeon fantasy milieu, and her pain over it is brought across well. Top that off with some fun swimming silliness and Alina being incredibly relatable (staying up all night before a day off is the best thing ever), and we've got a real winner this week.

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