Saga of Tanya the Evil

Episode 4

Things may have taken a disastrous turn near the end of this episode from the heroine's viewpoint, but as a viewer, everything is humming along magnificently well. I couldn't ask for anything more from this series at this point.

Time has advanced six months and Tanya is now in a military college, which she's using as a springboard to a comfy life away from the battlefield. Her every move is carefully calculated for career advancement, and she practically revels in applying principles she learned in the business field of her former life (such as signaling theory) to her military pursuits. The only aspect in which she she stumbles is her habit of always carrying her gun around and carefully maintaining it, just in case she gets a (literal) shot at Being X. She even makes such an impression on a general that her theories about where the war is going and what should be done about it are discussed at Strategic HQ. Unfortunately, she's gotten a little too zealous about showing off her insight, which earns her heady promotions but also a trip Back to the Battlefield in an even more dangerous capacity as a commander of even more troops. Seeing a familiar figure become her subordinate is certain to assure that she can't stall forming her new unit for long, especially with no shortage of applicants despite her best efforts to discourage them.

This is the first episode so far to have no action, and yet the story isn't suffering for it one bit. Instead of action scenes, Tanya gets to show off her acumen at navigating the intricacies of the military world and pushing things to her advantage, such as in one great scene where she seems to be sincerely concerned in a conversation with a captain, but she's actually manipulating him into a more fragile resolve so that she can claim his place in the rankings. Watching her maneuver through minefields in discussions with her superiors, so that she can promote herself exactly the right way, is also fun, especially since the series' established penchant for irony suggests that she's going to screw up at some point and promote herself much better than she bargained for. After all, this wouldn't be a story worth watching if Tanya had it too easy, and as entertaining as her evilness is, she's just as entertaining when being frustrated. The writing has done an excellent job at finding a good balance between these sides.

The production side hasn't been shirking, either. Quality control has been consistently high and the directorial effort has managed to find ways to occasionally make Tanya cute but not too cute and never for long. I'm also increasingly convinced that her weird eyelashes are intended to abate this cutness while enhancing her cynical side. The choices for camera angles are sharp too, including great shots like this one, where Tanya expresses her inner horror at what's being proposed to her without letting it show outwardly. The music is also hitting just the right marks. While I was initially unsure about Aoi Yūki's performance as Tanya, this episode distinctly raises my evaluation as the performance grows on me.

This episode gives a clearer idea of where the series is going next, as well as giving stronger signs that Erich von Rerugen (the HQ guy with the glasses) will continue to have a small but important role as the one Empire person who recognizes Tanya as a terrifying aberration. (The series' biggest flaw at this point comes from stretching its credibility thin about the way that so many ignore Tanya only being 10 years old, no matter her ability or clear genius.) Right now though, I have faith that whatever direction the series goes in will be good.

Rating: A

Saga of Tanya the Evil is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.