“Along Came the Girl”
What They Say:
After dying from overwork in the real world, I’m reincarnated as an immortal witch, and I spend 300 years enjoying a relaxing life. At some point, though, I end up at level 99! All those years spent killing slimes to make the money to pay the bills gave me a ton of experience points. Rumors of the level 99 witch spread, and soon I’m up to my ears in curious adventurers, duelist dragons, and even a monster girl calling me her mom! I’ve never been on an adventure, but I’m the strongest in the world … What’s going to happen to my relaxing life?!
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As Azusa and Laika traveled along the road from their house in the highlands to the village, the dragon pupil was amazed by how easily her mistress dispatched the numerous slimes which rushed them, each being put down with a swift finger flick, movement so quick that the young girl could not see the moment of impact. The ever studious apprentice quizzed her teacher of how many slimes she killed per day, only then questioning why these methods were not more brutal for the witch to have become the most powerful being over the past three hundred years, with the teacher politely reminding the student that she should accept progress without the intention of wanting approval from others, even as Aizawa joked it was not as if the slimes would seek revenge one day. But once they returned home and Laika prepared to cook their late supper, Azusa was impressed by her positive attitude, only to be amazed by the massive omelet which was placed before her, and while the red-headed adolescent was embarrassed by her inability to ignore dragon values, the taste was still outstanding and they finished the meal easily. It was only as they were cleaning up that Laika raised the issue of how unprotected Flatta was, and with the reputation the Witch of the Highlands having recently praised as being the strongest, it would be best if they cast a new protection circle so as keep the village safe. However, it was not long until the spell was triggered, with a sneak thief being caught within the security net and everyone cheering how safe they felt with their protector watching over them, only to have Azusa promptly correct them and introduce everyone to her new apprentice.
But as lazy days passed on and the two had an equal appreciation of how each contributed to their peaceful household, they were soon interrupted by a quiet knock as they shared a snack of tea and biscuits, yet as Azusa opened the door she was not met by another challenger but a cute girl who looked up as her with sincere fascination. However, when she greeted the charming child Aizawa was shocked to be called Mama, with the ever-thoughtful Laika questioning if her teacher had a child, even as she quickly attempted to explain that the visitor was mistaken. And yet as the girl named Falfa hastily corrected the statement and the two argued that there was no way they were related, Azusa was soon taken aback when the blue-haired child boldly stated she had given birth to her along with a younger sister who was on her way to settle a score, but the older sibling had come to stop her. After inviting her inside for some cookies to discuss the matter, they soon learn that Shalsha was probably holding a grudge after being killed and was probably going to use a spell called Smite Evil which was more powerful depending on how specific the target was narrowed down. However as they questioned how problematic this magic could be, an ominous presence alerted them to someone outside, with all-seeing a similar-looking girl surrounded by a foreboding aura who coldly stated she would avenge her death and plus those of the countless slimes which were murdered, with Falfa only then calmly explaining both she and her sister were slime spirits.
In Summary:
When this series was announced, this was the moment I was looking forward to the most – the introduction of the twins Falfa and Shalsha since they are so charmingly cute as described in Morita-sensei’s light novel, and yet the actual portrayals are a bit disappointing. While the narrative is once again cut down to make space for more comedy and action, to see the sisters finally animated is a treat in itself, and yet there is an understandable deviation of how the girls are voiced in the series. The sisters are described as looking to being around ten years old, and while the older seiyūs attempt to capture their individual charms with the younger Shalsha being more reserved, they stumble in the bubbly depiction of Falfa. Although she is the older of the twins, there is none of the excessive cuteness which exudes from her in the original books, such as rarely being able to sit still or calling herself by name instead of using I, which is not translated in the subtitles even though you can hear it in the performance. Hopefully, this oversight will be corrected in the near future, but for now, this episode is lacking in the excessive kawaii factor which loyal readers wanted to see for this show.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll