English Dub Review: Doreiku the Animation “Plan”

A larger story starts to take shape in an excellent Doreiku.

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS BELOW)

Holy shit, last week’s extended aside paid off even faster than I’d expected.

Between “Abuse” and this latest installment, knowing what to expect from Doreiku has become delightfully difficult. Watching “Plan” essentially consisted of having each of my expectations subverted in quick succession; I’m not even mad about it after seeing the results. For instance, on two separate occasions, the episode seemed to be veering towards a largely standalone plot similar to “Abuse”, only for the writers to reveal that these are simply additional pieces of a mysterious overarching continuity. This was especially true of a second-half sequence introducing the character Zero, that not only pulled off a great twist but provided a huge clue to where the series will likely go from here.

Similarly, a brief conversation between Yuuga and Eia indicates that the former is keen to cast himself as a challenger to Ryuuou’s dominance in the SCM-wearing community. Eia’s concern at the mention of how many slaves are on each ‘team’ is palpable, hinting subtly at the inevitable breakdown of their partnership first mentioned all the way back in the premiere. Meanwhile, Eia is finally given something to do this week with another clever twist: the dog seen at the end of “Abuse” is her long-lost pet, Zushioumaru. It’s sweet enough to hear Eia promise to bring ‘Zushi’ to see (presumably) her family, although, I’m even more intrigued by when/how she’ll react upon learning of what he’s been up to recently. After all, most dogs typically don’t go around enslaving people.

OUR TAKE

“Plan” masterfully connects Doreiku’s established plot to an exciting preview of things to come. In fact, the occasionally uneven tone of early scenes featuring Zenichi is the episode’s only issue, which the rest of its writing easily overcomes.

The knowledge of prior events required here means that this isn’t a great introduction for new viewers, but it’s the strongest evidence yet for the series’ status as a must-watch anime.