What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us? (SukaSuka)

Episode 10

Willem has finally arrived at his old hometown, and some sinister secrets are being unearthed along with all the artifacts. More troops are sent underground in order to speed up the process, despite Grick's warnings that large teams will attract more beasts. Nopht and Rhan warm up to Willem despite a rocky first impression, while Chtholly endears herself to the airship crew by showing off her domestic skills. Willem searches through the artifacts that have already been unearthed, and he finds the dug weapon he needs in order to help Chtholly. However, it may be Willem who needs help now, as he pieces together a horrifying truth while tuning Nopht's Kinslayer sword.

Frankly, this episode could've done without the lengthy process of Willem winning over Nopht and Rhan. If earning their trust had been crucial to the main plot, then the time spent on it would have been justified. As it stands, however, it's just long enough to slow the episode down without actually doing anything useful. The point of their interactions is to get the question about the beasts' origin out into the open, and this could've been accomplished without the awkward venenum massage and the eventual reconciliation. By the same token, we've already seen enough of Chtholly cooking and cleaning at the warehouse that having her spruce up the airship seems superfluous. Come on, SukaSuka, we've got a story to finish here!

Once the slow stuff is out of the way, this episode starts to pack more of a punch. Chtholly's dream carries some curious implications about the connection between Elq and Lillia. If the two of them fought in the past, it may have consequences for Chtholly since she was made with Elq's spirit but uses Lillia's weapon. While it'll take a while for the series to sort through those connections, the relationship between Chtholly and Willem is clearer than ever. At this point, pretty much everything is out in the open, and they've both made their feelings clear to one another. Their relationship also feels more balanced now than it has in the past, with Willem leaning on Chtholly for support instead of the other way around. Willem even makes what appears to be a serious marriage proposal, which is just asking for trouble in a dramatic series like this one.

Getting Willem to admit his feelings to Chtholly takes some work, and the revelation that finally breaks through his calm exterior is pretty unsettling. Up until now, the general implication has been that humanity created and was ultimately wiped out by the beasts. The idea that humans might have instead been transformed into the beasts changes the situation into a much more twisted affair. Instead of avenging his species, Willem now finds himself in a position where he must help exterminate what's left of mankind in order to protect the people he cares about. I can't really blame the poor guy for being freaked out by that realization.

SukaSuka continues to frustrate me by giving itself unnecessary baggage to deal with, and it continues to impress me by turning in solid episodes in spite of those obstacles. While this episode is weighed down by some of its storylines, the core plot is still on track toward some sort of heartbreaking conclusion. With nasty monsters already snacking on the salvage teams, it should be do-or-die time for the fairy soldiers next week. Let's hope the series can get out of its own way long enough to make this fight worth the wait.

Rating: B

What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us? is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.