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

Episode 7

When an anime character's hair changes color, it's usually a sign that something serious is about to go down. A few strands of Chtholly's hair have started to turn red, so she asks Nygglatho to run some tests on her to figure out what's happening. Nygglatho doesn't have any answers for the sudden change of color, but she does discover that Chtholly is no longer a leprechaun and may not be able to wield her dug weapon. Chtholly doesn't know what to make of this news, so she throws her energy into taking care of the other girls and trying to catch Willem's attention. Meanwhile, two other fairy soldiers find themselves stranded on the surface while on an expedition with Grick.

It's safe to assume that these new red highlights are the first consequence of Chtholly's encounter with Elq, and I'm willing to bet they won't be the last. If Elq really is the spirit who was used to make Chtholly, this could be a sign that the line between their personalities is starting to blur. What's more surprising is the possibility that Chtholly may be losing her ability to fight, since this would dramatically alter the dynamic of her fighting on the front lines while Willem stays behind. No matter how this plays out in the long run, it has the short-term side effect of shoehorning more talk about family and romance into the plot. Considering how hard SukaSuka has been pushing this angle from the beginning, the script could stand to be a little less obvious in dropping hints about Willem and Chtholly's relationship.

We also get a couple of new characters this week, though they don't make much of a splash in their first appearance. While Nopht and Rhan are perfectly tolerable, I can't help thinking that their chemistry is too similar to the dynamic between Ithea and Nephren. Nopht is the brash fighter with a big mouth, while Rhan is the soft-spoken academic. Sound familiar? The one early point in their favor is Rhan's comment about the leprechauns' relationship to the beasts. The idea that fairy soldiers owe their existence to the beasts' rampage across the surface world is an interesting one. I'm willing to give these characters a chance as long as they can keep bringing fresh perspectives to the table.

Long-term prospects aside, the new girls do at least provide a useful crisis for the protagonists to deal with. Rescuing the stranded scouting party will likely require the girls at the warehouse to head back into battle. This could act as the first test of Chtholly's ability to use dug weapons after the changes she's gone through. It could also lead to Tiat's first foray into combat, which would hold the potential for all kinds of tragic outcomes. SukaSuka has let one good setup go to waste already this season, so it will need to make the most out of this new storyline.

The most encouraging news is that the series has settled into a comfortable genre groove after last week's much-needed turnaround. This episode strikes a good balance between the show's slice of life elements and its more dramatic fantasy storyline. The persistent flaws in its presentation are still there, but they're much easier to deal with when the big pieces are all moving in the right directions. With any luck, next week's episode will bring us a proper battle scene without spoiling the outcome in advance.

Rating: B

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