English Dub Review: Ragna Crimson “Will of Resistance”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Olto Zora used to be someone else once, and Starlia reminds him of someone he knew long ago.

Our Take:  

When we last saw Crimson, his plan to escape with his new servants had been thwarted by none other than Fu’s young sister, Majo.  Using her teleportation magic, Majo sends the red-haired trickster and his brainwashed soldiers to an abandoned city, where they fall to their doom.  Spoiler alert: they didn’t survive.  But don’t worry.  Crimson can easily come back from his bone-breaking injury like he always does.  Until then, we return to the ongoing war between the Argentum Corps and Olto Zora.

However, instead of filling itself with flashy action scenes, the episode mainly focuses on the Monarch through his flashbacks while Starlia and her men finally confront him.  It’s revealed that Olto Zora was a human once before his transformation, but he wasn’t just any human.  Zora was a soldier for his former master, Lakucia, an accomplished Solarian princess whom Starlia reminds him of.  During the struggle, Zora recalls his memories of serving Lakucia before Waltekamui murdered her.  Afterward, Zora, refusing to kill Starlia due to her resemblance to Lakucia, invites her to become a Monarch.  Knowing her, I think we know how she’d respond to a heinous request like that.

Overall, “Will of Resistance” manages to keep the prolonged war interesting by focusing on Zora’s past and Starlia’s perseverance. Usually, by this point in a series, I would be tired of a single battle dragging on for too long. However, Ragna Crimson proves this isn’t the case with its engaging character moments and impressive animation style.  More importantly, it showcases that the Corps finally has the upper hand, thanks to their shining willpower.  Will it be enough to finally end their war against the dragons for good?