English Dub Review: WorldEnd: What are you doing at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us? “Dice In Pot”

Waiting is the hardest thing to do.

Spoilers Below

Willem has been having nightmares. Ever since Chtholly, Ithea, and Nephren were sent off to Island 15 to fend off the enemy, his dreams are haunted, searching for the trio of leprechauns all over the house. The dream begins with fixing a leak in the roof and ends with Nygglatho arriving to tell him the girls died. Speaking of dreams, however, Tiat (the tiny green-haired one) has had her Harbinger. The Harbinger is a prophetic dream that signals when a fairy is ready to become a leprechaun. It’s like fairy puberty. So, it’s up to him to take Tiat over to the nearest town for a checkup and a magical tuning by their doctor. This town, Ciel del Luche, is not only a historic town but a common backdrop for movies. Tiat being a film buff, she can’t help but nerd out on every landmark she sees and regales him with factoids from her favorite lizard-people romantic dramas. He finally wrangles her over to the doctor’s office. The good part is, she has no real health problems, except for cavities and some lactose intolerance. The tuning will go throughout the night, though, so he heads off to the nearby army base to sleep.

Or, at least attempt it. The posh quarters are a bit too comfortable for this old soldier. He gets up and wanders the base a bit, noting two goblins arguing about fixing a leak in the roof. He continues on and is almost bowled over by a dog-girl. She’s looking for Commander Lime-Scale, and doesn’t look military. Unfortunately, a magical barrier has cut Lime-Scale and Wilhelm’s girls off, and no news has come through… until just now. The defense of Island 15 has failed. Shocked and despondent, Willem collapses in the rain. But, what’s this? Familiar voices ring out! The girls follow behind Lime-Scale asking for permission to use a communication crystal to contact Willem. A rush of wind, and a spark of light, and Willem wraps Chtholly in a bear hug that would make Zangief proud. Though everyone is disturbed by his super-speed, he’s just glad that his girls are alive.

Though this episode was a bit slow-going, I feel like it was used for universe building. We get a bit more about the life cycle of the leprechauns, and some of a display that Willem hasn’t lost his heroic capabilities. There seems to be a link between prophetic dreams and magic, although Willem isn’t aware of it himself. There is also a hint about a group called the Annihilation Brigade, a group of folk who just want to smash stuff. It was a really short scene with them, but I feel like they’re going to show up again. I’d like to know a bit more about Nygglatho, though. They keep hinting at her past, and she seems to have a reputation beyond other Trolls for eating people. I really do enjoy this series for the depth of drama that I see here in its art and story. Willem hasn’t been with these girls long, but he’s really trying to bond with them and care for them, which pulls us along for the ride.

The animation wasn’t anything special, really. Though the artwork, as always, suggests a melancholy depth in an otherwise happy world, there really wasn’t much going on in this episode that required high-end animation. Willem’s Barry Allen impersonation was fun, but not particularly spectacular. The voice acting was fine for the most part. Lara Woodhull’s Tiat was intentionally high pitched as she geeked-out about the movie landmarks, which I can forgive because she was supposed to be trying your patience. I would like to see Micah Solusod dig a little deeper with his portrayal of Willem. He isn’t doing a bad job, but the character is multi-layered, and I’d like to see that a bit more in the performance. With that, I give this episode seven leaky roofs out of ten.