English Dub Review: Chained Soldier “Encounter, Kyouka, Rampage”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

With dozens of Shuuki detected, and a score to settle, Yuuki and the Demon Defense Force Squadron take an interdimensional trip!

Our Take:  

The latest episode of Chained Soldier has Yuuki and Kyouka taking a road trip back to the human world.  Unfortunately for us, it’s not due to them going on a much-needed relaxing vacation.  While they do get a nice breather through some parfaits, their trip to Earth serves as the series’s plot progression, which could provide more interest in its characters and their struggles, mainly Kyouka.  The episode delivers more insight into Kyouka’s past, in which her hometown was destroyed by a powerful Shuuki, whom she deemed “Unihorn” due to its one horn.  This emphasizes her ambition to become the Supreme Commander, safeguard innocent lives, and seek vengeance against the creature accountable for destroying her village.

The episode also showcased that the Demon Defense Force will be fighting against human-like Shuukis, including one Yuuki might recognize.  Yuuki has mentioned that her older sister, Aoba Wakura, disappeared during a Shuuki attack five years ago, but this episode showcased where she’s been all this time.  In a twist I already figured out, Aoba has become a humanoid Shuuki, and she’s looking at having Yuuki all to herself.  Of course, as if things haven’t become more problematic already, the members of the sixth squadron, Tenka Izumo and Yachiho Azuma, arrive with an important message for Kyouka.

Amid Yuuki’s sexual rewards and comical mishaps, the episode offered plenty of development for the characters to advance its plot, mainly for Kyouka and Yuuki.  Kyouka’s vengeance against the Unihorn could spell doom to her and her desire to protect others. Yuuki’s discovery of her sister turning to the dark side may also strain his partnership with the Demon Defense Force.  If it happens to continue exploring these elements, this show could wind up being more than just a series of low-brow, sex-related shenanigans.