Welcome, dear readers, one and all! It’s time for an anime rant! Presented here today is a review of Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files, episodes 4 and 5. Enjoy!
Episode 4 Review: A Workshop, a Graveyard, and a Necromancer
I’m a bit confused about who is who and what they want, but I understand things better as I write them out, so allow me to give you background info about the characters and factions relevant to this episode. Sir Trevor was the great mage who owned the workshop, land, and manor known as Marburry. He died in a lightning strike, as did some civilians. His son is Willis the necromancer, important in Clock Tower’s Spirit Evocation Department. Waver wants to gain favor with them so they’ll recommend him for the Holy Grail War. So, when asked to uncover the truth of Sir Trevor’s death, Waver, Reines, and Gray accept.
Willis is one of the suspects for killing sir Trevor, according to Hishiri Adashino, an envoy from Clock Tower’s Policies Department. She (Adashino) and her bodyguard Walleta want to solve the mystery so they can take all the properties of Marburry. It’s fairly obvious that this woman is also a suspect. Kairi Shishigou, a famous mercenary, is another suspect who shows up at the manor. The fairy who dwells in and protects the area might also be a suspect. I still don’t know who the guy was talking with Reines at the outdoor cafe early in the episode. Other than him, I think I’ve covered everyone.
The setup for this episode is a mystery which will continue into the next. Because of the fierce storm outside, everyone is “trapped” inside the manor. During this time, Lord El-Melloi II must solve the mystery. It seems like he had some kind of realization, after considering how these things are connected: graveyards, necromancers, and workshops. To be honest, I’m not sure what kind of answer he found. Maybe someone wants to raise an undead army? That’s my only guess. It was revealed at the end that Walleta was struck by lightning and killed, but if you ask me, Adashino wanted her dead for asking too many questions. That’s just a guess that ould be grossly incorrect.
There were some interesting character moments. Waver wants to participate in the Holy Grail War again, which honestly kind of surprised me. Perhaps he wants to try summoning Iskandar again. After all, Waver seems obsessed with his memories of that man. He cries and talks to the piece of Iskandar’s cape, at the start of the episode. Frankly, that’s a little weird. It’s like Iskandar was his lover or something. 😛
Gray is usually obedient and attentive to her master’s wishes, but in this episode, Reines convinced her to explore underground with her. That’s definitely not what Waver would have wanted Gray to do. Then there’s Reines. She’s as incorrigible as ever, joking about the possiblity of having sex with Waver and bearing a child, just to see Waver’s shocked and horrified reactions. What a lewd little loli. All in all, it was a good episode. Now let’s dive into the next and learn whodunit, howdunit, and whydunit!
Episode 5 Review: The Lance that Shines to the End of the World
And the Fairy Eyes
In this episode, the mysery was finally unraveled, and there were some good action scenes as well as lore about magic and legends about King Arthur. Some of the story elements were so fascinating to me I wanted to cheer aloud. Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files, as well as a few other anime this season, have been bringing me large doses of those weird things normal people call joy and enthusiasm. It’s feels out of character for me, but I like it.
Back to story elements, I love the idea of a manor and large property designed solely for murder. (See, it’s still dark stuff like this that typically fascinates me.) Helped along by power drawn from Willis’ Fairy Eyes, the complex enchantment placed on Marburry kills people and erases their human souls. They are replaced with artificial Fairies in the form of Black Dog spirits of old British legend. Speaking of which, I was pleased to learn about the fairies in this anime’s world lore. Most of it is based on actual mythology from England. For instance, the legend of King Arthur’s Wild Hunt was mentioned. I love that!!
There were several interesting character moments. I’m curious about Kairi and who in his family was so interested in fairies. He’s a good-natured and a very likeable character. We learned that Gray was once a gravekeeper who was found by Waver and given the spear of King Arthur with power restraints and a disguise in place. (That’s why it looks like a scythe most of the time.) Reines being helpless/useless and ordered around by Waver was funny because she’s usually in charge and manipulating him.
What I mentioned earlier about Waver being too attached to Iskandar was brought up again by Kairi. He says that nothing good comes of being bound to the dead, and that Gray should help bind Waver to the present. It was cute how Gray got flustered about that.
Throughout this and last episode, I’ve been amazed by the visuals, and especially by the detail that goes into the backgrounds and sets. Sometimes it seems like the characters themselves aren’t detailed or realistic enough to fit into such settings, and they’re not as good as in Fate/Zero, to be sure. Still, the art-style and character designs of TROYCA are good enough to satisfy me most of the time. The voice-acting and music are excellent.
Finally, this episode taught us something that will likely prove key to where the show goes from here. (The episodic mysteries are highly interesting and entertaining, but if there’s never any over-arching plot, it might eventually become boring.) Adashino gives Waver documents pertaining to Rail Zeppelin, a lengendary train containing a collection of Mystic Eyes. Apparently, Willis wasn’t born with his Mystic Eyes, but they were bought for him by his father from the Rail Zeppelin. Waver accepts the documents, and audiences are left to wonder what this will mean for future episodes.
Go seichō arigatō gozaimashita! That’s Japanese for, “I’m grateful for your attention.”) In other words, thanks for stopping by and reading my work! Have a safe and happy day! 🙂
Previous Posts About This Series
Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files Episode 1 Review
Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files Episodes 2 and 3 Review
Images from: Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files Rail Zeppelin Grace Note. Dir. M Katou. TROYCA. 2019.
Anime Rants 
5 thoughts on “Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files: Episodes 4 and 5 Reviews”