Rudy meets an enemy who may not, yet, lay a hand on him, as one of his new friends are put in a life and death situation, with one not making it.
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General Information
This section Includes information about the Director, Writer, and Cast.
| Episode Title | The Forest in the Dead of Night |
| Release Date (Crunchyroll) | July 16, 2023 |
| Director(s) | Nobuyoshi Arai |
| Writer(s) | Kōhei Urushibara |
| Newly Noted Characters and Cast | |
| Sol | Toriumi Kousuke |
| Previously Noted Characters and Cast | |
| Rudy | Yumi Uchiyama, Tomokazu Sugita |
| Sara | Shiraishi Haruka |
| Suzanne | Kobayashi Yuu |
| Timothy | Hatano Wataru |
| Mimir | Sawashiro Chiharu |
Plot Recap
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Quagmire – Rudy
As we all saw, in Rudy’s past life, he was obese and was by no means social. Rudy, in this life, has decided to be the opposite. He works out, has abs, is part of the community, and has even been given a nickname. Note: None of this is outright said to be someone he wasn’t before, but rather to be more prepared for what’s to come. Never mind, with building a local network and reputation, he hopes word of him being around reaches Zenith, or he can get news about his mom.
What Feels Like A Condescending Smile – Sol, Sara, Rudy, Suzanne, Timothy
But, while he is making a good reputation with the townsfolk, he is also changing the heart and mind of Sara. She has increasingly warmed up to him, maybe even to the point of developing a crush. It’s hard to say, but Suzanne quite likes him, and he is often invited to be part of Counter Arrow offenses.
However, the latest one, in the Galgau Ruins, leads to a bit of a turn. Beyond being overwhelmed by snow drakes and for a second thinking he’d be left for dead, Sol, of the Stepped Ladder, has an encounter with Counter Arrow, as their jobs conflicted. This leads to Sol punching Timothy in the face and nearly starting a fight. However, as it is explained that the ruins and Ilbron Cave have connected, it makes sense why the two groups ended up having their missions overlap.
Thus leading to, while drunk, Sol giving a half-ass apology to Timothy but then going in on Rudy. Why? Well, Sol doesn’t seem to like people who smile or seem happy, and in Rudy’s case, he sees his smile as smug and condescending, and he thinks Rudy is half-assing his work. Never mind, he’s taking up all these odd jobs and using his magic to make things easier – but at the cost of other people.
For example, there is a snow removal task which employed multiple people, but rather than use a shovel and barrel like everyone else, Rudy heated up the town square to get rid of the snow – potentially costing people a day’s work.
Who Rescued Who? – Sara, Rudy, Suzanne, Mimir, Timothy, Sol
Sol’s words haunt Rudy, as he is a sensitive boy, and it isn’t too often he is called out in a manner like Sol spoke to him. Add in Sol doubles down on what he said, even when sober, and it takes away the months of rebuilding himself after Eris’ abandonment and all the fuzzy feelings Counter Arrow have given him. Which is why when Suzanne reveals Mimir is dead and Sara likely too, Rudy is okay with doing a suicide mission to either recover Sara’s body or save her.
After all, it has been months, maybe a year, without progress toward finding his mom, and he isn’t even sure what he is doing anymore. So, to find purpose, some sense of fulfillment via finding Sara, that’s something. Yes, she is just warming up to him now, but that count’s for something, right?
And luckily for him and the surviving members of Counter Arrow, Sara isn’t too far from where she was abandoned. Also, despite the snow buffalo of the Trier Forest outnumbering Rudy, he makes quick mincemeat of them all, and the tree, reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz, doesn’t present much of a challenge when it comes to getting Sara out of its clutches.
Ultimately leading to Sara and Rudy sharing a moment, as he heals her, as she is wearing a thin layer of clothes, and it seems she is now on his side. At least, you can come to this conclusion considering how she fiercely defends him when Suzanne gets upset for him being reckless. But, after Sara calms her down, she thanks him, as does a teary-eyed Timothy.
Review
Highlights
Sara and Rudy’s Bond
Do I feel like we’re missing details here? Yes. Not in terms of how Rudy may have changed his perception, as we’ve seen his work around time. More so, I feel like we need to know why Sara has such a chip on her shoulder? Like Eris, it seems something, or someone wasn’t there, and that has led her to attach herself to the strongest woman she knows, and it makes boys like Rudy, who likely remind her of someone, persona non grata.
But, even without those details, there was something about her reaching out for Rudy in the cave, after dressing, that makes me feel, if this does become romantic, while rushed, it could potentially feel earned. The only question is, is Rudy ready to be close to someone like that again?
Sol Making It Clear Not Everyone Praises Rudy
Generally speaking, Rudy doesn’t have a lot of enemies. He does rub some people the wrong way, especially if they find out about the panties he carried around with him. But, beyond that, there is sometimes a sense of jealousy, but as for animosity due to who he is? That hasn’t been the norm.
So with Sol, it was nice, and a little jarring, to meet someone who hated Rudy’s guts and called him out on basically not making an effort. As shown, Rudy can easily take out a multitude of beasts and still have more than enough mana to move about. Add in he is getting physically fit, which likely makes his magic stronger, and you can understand Sol being upset with Rudy for taking small jobs from people like there aren’t many with mouths to feed.
Add in Sara likely isn’t the only one who has found Rudy rude in the past and has had a hard time moving past that, and it reminds you that not everyone can be won over or swayed. Some people, at best, may learn to tolerate you and can’t go beyond that.
On The Fence
Mimir’s Death Was Anti-Climatic
Being that we only spent one episode with Mimir, his death seems non-sequential. I get it is part of the trigger which has Rudy hope and seek out Sara being alive, but with Sara being a girl, never mind an attractive one, Rudy has a built-in motivator. So with Mimir’s death, and it just being straight up told to us he died, it is hard not to hunch over that.
Though all things considered, it isn’t like any member of Counter Arrow was really distraught over it, or even Sara for that matter.
| More From The Series | ||
| Previous Episode – Episode 1 | Check Out The Character Guide | Next Episode – Episode 3 “Abrupt Approach” |
FAQs
Answers to some questions you may have regarding this episode:
Whose panties do we keep seeing Rudy hold and put in an altar?
Roxy’s
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