Roll Over and Die: Season 1 Episode 2 – Recap and Review

As Flum rewrites her hero’s story, it becomes more and more clear that her part of the larger hero group had more value than given credit for.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on Hours Updated on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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Episode 2 “Coincidence and Fate” Recap and Details

How Kindness Changes Things: Milkit, Flum, Jean

Milkit and Jean have polar opposite reactions to Flum. Jean hates her, but is forced to acknowledge that she did have value to the group. Not only could she cook, but she also cooked based on the likes of each person, including Jean. Being forced to recognize this makes him hate her even more, especially as he is blamed for her leaving.

As for Milkit? With her previous three masters being mentally abusive, one unquestionably physically, Flum is perplexing. She took her on, despite her being as much of a reject as she was. Flum paints the idea that she wants to make Milkit happy, even if just to prove her own worth. Then, her refusing to abandon Milkit, no matter how much Milkit reveals?

After a certain point, Milkit resigns herself to the fact that Flum won’t rid herself of her, and because this is so foreign, it doesn’t seem she has words yet to describe what is going on.

Just When You Think You Got It Handled: Milkit, Flum

So what was the job the guild gave Flum, setting her up for failure? To rid an area of a werewolf. This, at first, didn’t seem bad, even when three showed up, because Flum’s power, thanks to the sword, put her on equal ground. However, with one absorbing the other werewolves, reviving itself like a hydra when Flum would seemingly pick up the win, things got bad.

In fact, one of the heads bit Flum, and she had to cut off her own arm, and was lucky the sword regenerated it. But, despite the challenge, because Flum wasn’t just fighting for her survival, but also Milkit, she figured out a way to not only defeat the werewolf chimera but get the proof needed to get her license to adventure and money for food, a place to stay, and clothes.

Things Are Looking Up: Flum

While many are shocked that Flum survived, she is quite happy and feels accomplished. She made more than enough money to feed herself and Milkit and, to much surprise, despite the slave marking and rumors spreading about the broker’s death, she is treated well. Mind you, not treated well with signs someone may pull the rug from under her, but genuinely meeting a nice person who seems not only happy to have a customer, but is also trying to foster loyalty.

But, with the episode ending pushing the idea part of why Flum struggles is because the Gods want her to, who knows if this all might be short-lived.

New Characters in Episode 2

Gadhio (Takaya Kuroda)

Gadhio (Takaya Kuroda) – Roll Over and Die Season 1 Episode 2
  • Character Summary: Gadhio is one of the members of the heroes’ group, who knows quite a bit about different monsters.

Other Noteworthy Information

  • Dein, while upset about Flum surviving, seemingly has already moved on, for he has a money-making scheme that, with his connections, will be lucrative for his associates at the guild.

Review and Commentary

Highlights

Understanding Flum’s Value Amongst The Heroes, Even If She Couldn’t Fight [/100]

There is always a push for raw strength or magical abilities or items, but this episode pushed that there is value beyond that. For Flum, it was the soft skills she had in terms of not only being a good cook, but knowing each person in such a way to cook the way they liked, to the point they miss what they no longer have. Then with Dein, yes, he cheated his way to becoming A-Ranked, but notice how no one treats him like a cheat. That’s social skills right there!

Granted, not the kind most think of, in terms of winning people over because of charm and being a good person, but no villain builds an empire purely on money. They have to inspire, win people over, get them to believe in their vision, no different than a CEO that gets praised and treated as a genius. It all pushes the idea that there are layers to these heroes and villains, and while many might be traditionally strong, they have strength far beyond the magic or weapons they wield.

Flum and Milkit’s Relationship

The line “A girl who lost everything, and a girl who never had anything” hits harder than I expected. For it establishes the relationship dynamic in such a way that, yes, Flum is our lead, and she has had it hard, but like with a lot of heroes who fell from grace, there is a realization that there are many out there who have it worse. But, unlike many of them, while there is a level of shock, you don’t see Flum being humbled.

If anything, it makes her embrace Milkit more and double down on her getting to experience some of the beauty Flum used to have as part of her normalcy. Now, it is hard to say what may come of this, as the whole “Master/Slave” angle does make you wonder how things could evolve. But, with Roll Over And Die focusing on building a relationship between the two leads that goes beyond surviving, but wanting to thrive, and not in some grandeur way, there is a beauty here which is undeniable.

The Action May Not Have Been Awe-Inspiring, But It Had A Purpose Beyond Winning A Fight

I would even say it aids in getting invested in the fight for, to me, Roll Over and Die doesn’t have stylish, awe-inspiring fights. The animation isn’t overwhelming to the eyes, the monster design isn’t unique or worthy of being put on a pedestal, but what is there is this feeling that the battles mean more than just who wins and who dies. While most adventurers are fighting for money and certain comforts, my experience hasn’t seen a lot of anime where it hasn’t been about status.

So for Flum to be fighting to make a better life for herself and Milkit, not become rich but have a good meal and a roof over their head, that means more to me than any other reason I’ve watched. It gives the sense that it isn’t like Dragon Ball Z, where it is about saving the world, getting stronger, proving you’re the best. All things that make everything so big that the fight has to be flashy.

With how Roll Over and Die operates, the fight is just as much part of the emotional journey as Flum being branded, saving Milkit, and the triumph of finding an innkeeper who treated her nicely. The fight is part of the story, the build of the character, and while Flum cutting her arm off is a gory moment which heightens the action, the heart of it isn’t buried beneath some dramatic journey but worn right on Flum’s sleeve. Which, for me, is a welcome change that drives home that Flum doesn’t want to be a fighter, it’s just one of the few ways she knows how to make an honest living that can allow her to be comfortable and take care of another person.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [86/100]

Being a balanced show rather than pushing to be primarily known for one thing is hard. Roll Over and Die could be a heartbreaking anime, as it goes into Milkit’s abuse, Flum being rejected, and the world being against them. It could have Flum wanting revenge against the heroes, with them either refuting what Jean said or revealing they didn’t know but agreed with him. There are so many ways the show could have went but instead it balances out so much with ease.

It does more than acknowledge the trauma, but doesn’t let it overwhelm the show. The fight sequences hold value, but they aren’t made to compensate for the story, for viewers who mainly want blood, guts, and violence. And the weird thing is, this balance doesn’t feel like the show is on a tight rope but is walking steadily ahead.

What To Check Out Next

Visit our main TV shows page! There you’ll find other shows we’ve covered, or look below for more of our coverage for this series:

TV Shows We’re Covering This Season

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.