Highlights
- Episode 6 of TTIGRAAS was another plot-heavy affair, leading fans to expect a main event that still hasn’t arrived.
- Adalmann reveals secrets about the corrupt Holy Church, shedding light on the Church’s hierarchy and power dynamics.
- Frustration mounts as the episode structure remains the same: lots of dialogue and tactical talk with recycled humor.
The following contains spoilers for That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, Season 3, Episode 6, “Those Approaching”, available on Crunchyroll.
The sixth episode of the third season of That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime was a particularly frustrating affair for fans of the series as it mirrored the format of the five before it, consisting primarily of more conversations, plans and dialogue, when it seemed that all was in order for the main event: Demon Lord Rimuru Tempest vs Holy Knight Captain Hinata Sakaguchi.
Previously, the outcome of Rimuru’s war with Falmuth was decided, Hinata’s true allegiance revealed and the Ten Great Saints introduced among various other important political developments surrounding the aforementioned to lead up to the Otherworlder’s fated second encounter with Rimuru. The pacing has been slow but bearable; however, last week’s episode made it seem like things were finally going to speed up, only for it to be more of the same.
Adalmann Details The Corruption of The Church
The Pious Fallen One Speaks
The episode begins in the boardroom with Rimuru and his allies, with Shuna advising that Adalmann, an Undead who was once one of the “Fingers” of Demon Lord Clayman, would be the best person to ask for information regarding the Western Holy Church, given that he was once a high-ranking member of the Luminous Faith.
During his life, Adalmann had given his life to the Church and became its best Holy Magic user; however, he was killed in a trap set by the Seven Luminaries, mythical figures within the Luminism faith who select and train Chosen Heroes on the surface but are actually corrupt. Adalmann explains some of the basic aspects of the Church’s hierarchy and the Holy Empire Lubelius. The nation is supposedly run by an entity known as the Imperial Agency, of which the Church was just a branch with no military force.
Their goal was merely to expand the Luminous faith, but to protect believers from monsters, the Temple Knights were founded. Due to conflict with other territories, the emperor’s personal guard called the The Rooks was founded, changing the fundamental power structure within the Empire and the Church.
A new military force known as The Crusaders was founded, growing the power of the Western Holy Church, all because of the influence of the Seven Luminaries, whose authority was second only to the Holy Emperor, and because they were shrouded in mystery like the Holy Emperor, they were eventually considered mythical beings by the average proponent of the Luminist faith. Adalmann has interesting insights, explaining some of the details surrounding the Temple Knights known as the Ten Great Saints and the fact that they’re of Enlightened Class, making them quite formidable. A number of these Saints are on their way to Tempest together with Hinata Sakaguchi, which, judging from how the previous episode ended, it’s easy to assume this would be the main subject of this episode.
Battle Stations… Almost
Six Weeks of Conversations Later, A Pattern Emerges
Frustration has built up over the last few weeks of That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime as the main event that has been looming over us since the second season is nigh, yet also seems out of reach for now. Six weeks of the same kind of expository interactions and lore-laden conversations could make even the most hardcore fans a little jaded, and it doesn’t help that the humour used to liven up these long portions of sit-down dialogue is recycled from episode to episode.
Like in the last five episodes, Rimuru and company sit in the boardroom and talk tactics. Shion interjects from time to time and a “tsukkomi to boke” (wiseguy and idiot) dynamic emerges between herself and Rimuru, who often shuts her down. There’s usually a recurring joke about Shion’s propensity for overkill that will be thrown out, sometimes multiple times in an episode; Rimuru gives his underlings their various assignments, and those in leadership positions vocalize their own delegation, tactics, etc; Veldora chimes in, hoping for some screentime, and another wiseguy and idiot dymanic is used to elicit humor there too.
There are also usually some stills shown of Edamaris and Edward due to the stewing civil war in Falmuth and a headshot of Youm on a map; Diablo will have some new plan and some talk time, but his initial main character status has effectively been revoked after the conclusion of the Falmuth situation. Structure-wise, the first few episodes of this season have effectively been the same, and just like the previous episode, the conference in Tempest has some kind of shadowy analogue somewhere else, as Granville, head of the Rozzo family conspires with the arms-dealing Eastern Merchants.
This means that the mystery mastermind influencing the various developments from the shadows has finally been revealed, and one of his closest, most trusted underlings is none other than Glenda Atley – one of the Ten Great Saints and a Master Rook dubbed “The Raging Sea”. This development is welcomed because it at least means that the episode has advanced the story in some way, but this is how this season has maintained some level of anticipation over six weeks without much payoff, and at this point, this episode structure is losing steam fast.
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