The fantasy genre has been done to death in anime at this point. You can’t go a single anime season without a dozen “new” fantasy shows popping up, all with similar premises. This goes doubly so for those who have a woman as the protagonist. They are usually damsels in distress or have to use alternative methods (such as politics or espionage) to achieve their goals. When I first heard of May I Ask For One Final Thing?, I had assumed this trend would not be broken, but then I watched the first episode and let's just say, this series is paving its own path.
SPOILERS FOR EPISODES 1-4
Taking place in the Kingdom of Pallistan, Scarlet El Vandimion is the daughter of Duke Vandimion and fiancée to the second-born prince Kyle von Pallistan (although not of her own accord). Kyle isn’t the most respectful of princes, treating Scarlet like a glorified maid and always finding a reason to threaten her. This all comes to a head when Kyle breaks off their engagement in favour of being with Terenezza Hopkins. However, instead of crying or fleeing the scene of her greatest embarrassment, Scarlet decides to beat the living shit out of everyone in her immediate vicinity. Now unshackled from an obnoxious prince, Scarlet is free to do as she pleases, which includes snuffing out any shady characters in the kingdom and promptly beating them senseless.
I love this premise, and I haven’t become bored with it after the first four episodes. When Scarlet started throwing hands in the first five minutes, I was fully engaged in the story. Having the protagonist’s first answer to any and all problems be to beat the shit out of them isn’t something I’ve seen in anime a lot, especially from a female-led series, so this shake-up of the genre was refreshing. I did fear that the schtick would overstay its welcome quickly, but the subsequent episodes have introduced enough interesting plot threads to keep the series engaging.
The first four episodes cover the first major arc, involving exposing a slave ring in the kingdom, which isn’t what I would’ve expected and seemed disconnected from the first episode. The series is able to bring it back to the beginning in the fourth episode, with Terenezza playing a part in both Scarlet’s former engagement annulment and the slave ring. I’m curious to see how the story progresses over the course of the 13-episode season and whether it will maintain its momentum.
My favourite part of this series are the dynamics between Scarlet and the rest of the characters, which is only emphasised by the excellent performances from the actors. I’ve watched the first four episodes in both sub and dub, and both nail the vibe. Scarlet is the standout, voiced by Asami Seto and Morgan Laure, as both provide a chaotic energy that is hidden beneath the façade of nobility. I love the moments where Scarlet is trying her best not to punch someone in the face, and then the inevitable beatdowns that occur. My favourite moment happens in Episode 4, where her goal is to beat up one specific guy, and even manhandles a dragon that gets in her way, all with a smile on her face.
The influence of a character like Scarlet not only impacts the story but also the other characters around her. The rest of this cast appears to be the generic fantasy crew you’d expect, but when you pair them with a character like Scarlet, everything changes. Julius von Pallistan, voiced by Wataru Katoh and Reagan Murdock, is a prime example of this. In any other fantasy series, he would be the obvious love interest who woos the heart of the heroine. However, because Scarlet doesn’t take no shit, he just annoys her to no end. He becomes a shit-stirrer/rage-baiter prodigy, which both actors convey perfectly.
Then there’s Leonardo El Vandimion, voiced by Shoya Ishige and Alex Hom, Scarlet's doting brother. This overworked, overly anxious, ever-concerned brother is desperately trying to get Scarlet to act like a proper noble, but fails at every turn thanks to her penchant for violence. This leads him to drowning his worries in a flask (that I can only presume is filled with alcohol) whenever he has to deal with his sister's antics. The performances from both actors perfectly encapsulate this struggle, and I hope his troubles only increase (cause they're hilarious). Other characters like Kyle, Terenezza, and Aflame haven’t had enough screentime for me to form an opinion on them or their actors' performances, but this next arc seems to feature them heavily, so I’ll just have to wait and see.
Liden Films Kyoto Studio is handling the animation for this series, and they’ve done ok so far. The first episode had the best animated sequence so far with the initial fight between Scarlet and a room full of nobles, but the series hasn’t hit that same level of quality again yet. I noticed this the most in the big fight in Episode 4, which featured average animation quality when I was hoping for it to be on par with Episode 1. It’s not bad, but I’m hoping they’re just saving the budget for future episodes. The rest of the animation is your standard fair, with nothing overtly offensive. I do really like the art style of this series, as it is a pretty show to look at. I just wish it were a little better in motion.
The OP is “Flower of the Battlefield” by CHICO with HoneyWorks, and the ED is “Inferior” by Shiyui. Both songs are catchy enough and fit the series' vibe. I do enjoy the OP a bit more, as the faster-paced song is more up my alley, but the ED does give hints at future plot points, which makes my theory brain snap into action. Neither are bad songs, but we’ll see if I still enjoy listening to them after nine more episodes.
May I Ask For One Final Thing? first four episodes have got me interested in this series. The premise is unique, and I adore Scarlet as a main character, and how she interacts with a typical fantasy world is a breath of fresh air for the genre. I’m hopeful that the animation for future fight scenes improves, as well as hoping the series schtick doesn’t get boring. But I am keen to see how the rest of the series unfolds and will be eagerly awaiting Scarlet’s next violent endeavour.
Have you started May I Ask For One Final Thing? What did you think? Will you be watching the rest of the series? Let us know in the comments where we can talk about all things anime.
