Overview (Spoilers Below): Satou and his friends head to Idanokan, the Land of Earth. However, having previously been destroyed in a battle with the Abyss King, the dwarves have abandoned the city, as the group searches for the Ring Princess that which they feared most occurs.
Our Take: This week’s episode has the crew finally reaching Idanokan, hoping to find the final ring to complete Satou’s power. However, unlike the previous kingdoms they visited, the land of Earth is already in ruin due to being destroyed by the Abyss King. Because of this, the dwarves that lived there have either died or retreated underground, one of which may be the dwarf princess possessing the Earth Ring. While attempting to find the princess, the crew comes across a shocking discovery that puts them at a disadvantage besides the dwarves’ magic-powered robots. The tenth episode offers a surprising change of pace for the season’s formula, which seemed appropriate, considering we’re nearing its conclusion. Instead of helping a princess protect her kingdom from a threat, either by the Abyss King or someone else, Satou and the others wound up in a challenging situation that resulted in the prophecy and the characters’ faith being tested. In addition to Alabaster questioning his duty as the Great Sage, the episode showcased Satou wondering about the rings’ importance since the Empire is seemingly confronting the Abyss King without them. It also doesn’t help that the Abyss King has already resurrected by the cursed rings and sent a horde of Abyssal Demons after the crew. With its change in formula fitting the season’s climax, the tenth episode would’ve been an emotional and game-changing feat for a series involving naked princesses. However, based on my experience with the previous episodes, this one didn’t leave much of an impact on me direction-wise. Max Hartman’s performance as Alabaster didn’t help much either, as his emotional range came off as stiff. There’s also a post-credit scene involving the princesses trying out bras that seemed misplaced after a downer ending. With only two episodes remaining and the Abyss King finally able to rule Hime’s land, one question remains: is Satou’s journey really over?