Tomb Raider King ‒ Episode 10
Episode 10 of Tomb Raider King is the best entry of the entire season, and it's not even close.
I can't believe the 180 this show made in just one short week. My laundry list of complaints all got addressed more or less within the first five minutes - and then it just kept going! Let's take a look at the particulars, shall we? This week we have in no particular order:
-an interesting new twist on a pre-existing myth,
-someone other than Jooheon saving the day,
-Jooheon being selfless and working with others,
-consequences for Jooheon's prior selfish actions,
-situations which arise that match some of his recollections but have new dimensions he didn't expect,
…and much more! It's… wow, what a difference this all makes. At least we have a hero who is not flawless, who is not an island of perfection amid a sea of mediocrity, and a world that responds appropriately to his actions. It's not even that Jooheon faced that many challenges, or that he had to fight all that hard to overcome them, but the fact that he did face challenges makes a world of difference.
Perhaps most importantly, the world around Jooheon actually mattered in this episode. In the evil mystic pool, Irene had to save the day. Imagine that, a world where the actions of more than one person can change things. The introduction of her brother George also creates a great moment. George pointing a gun in Jooheon's face because he ripped him off and then telling him to stop talking like he knows everything is one of the most cathartic moments I've experienced all season. It makes sense that if you make your whole deal ripping off powerful people with access to powerful objects, then, eventually, they would want revenge or, at the very least, stop trusting you.
The new angle for Jooheon trying to help Irene's parents is also quite welcome. Not only is Jooheon trying to help someone other than himself, but it's also partially tied to the struggles he went through back in his past life, and it creates a wrinkle where his past knowledge only partially applies. If someone can do things he can't quite predict, that means he may have (gasp) new challenges to overcome in the future. For once, I'm optimistic about future episodes of Tomb Raider King and wonder what will happen next. It's a good feeling.
Rating:
Tomb Raider King is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
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