I hate not having ideas for what to write for these pre-review paragraphs, as I feel like these really help to set the entire mood for the post. So, instead, I’ll just strap down, lock-in, and write this review.
The episode begins with Alan and Elena playing with the contracted beasts and saying they want to talk to them. Of course, the contracted beasts can’t now, and Takumi points out it would be fun if they could understand them. Place a pin in this. We’ll come back to it later.
After the opening, Takumi teaches the kids how to count the money of this world and the fun world of addition. Seeing Takumi teach Alan and Elena something unrelated to doing quests is admirable and shows that he’s still a responsible father in what would be considered normal. Takumi even decides to take them out to test their new skills by having them ask to buy some fruit from a stand and count the money to buy it on their own. This was such a sweet and wholesome scene, and seeing the kids do so well with this skill was nice.
They also stop by a library, with Takumi looking at a book. The kids advocate for getting their own books, and as it turns out, the owner actually has materials for younger readers, which Takumi decides to buy. Yippie!
At the guild, the family of three decides to do a search quest for a cat, and Takumi employs the help of his contracted beasts. It was amusing to see the group trying to find the cat they were looking for, but they found either a cat that wasn’t the one they were looking for or, on a couple of occasions, one of the contracted beasts instead. Of course, they do end up finding the cat, and Takumi tells Alan and Elena to approach slowly. The two do so, but the cat gets scared…though it manages to calm down once Alan takes off his necklace.
After completing the quest, Alan and Elena insist on taking another quest, which just so happens to be, mainly because it seems to be a type of quest nobody who could take it was taking. Takumi decides to take it, so the three head out to the village that sent out the quest! They’re let inside after verifying that they’re adventurers and talk to the chief, who doesn’t seem to believe that they’re capable of dealing with this at first. After showing off his ID, however, the chief appears to be more willing to accept that they’re there to help…and at that moment, they’re alerted that the goblins have arrived. Takumi grabs the kids, and they head outside. Takumi helps a woman getting attacked by goblins by using one of his wind skills, and the kids (as well as the contracted beasts in their small forms) begin attacking the goblins! Takumi tries to fight alongside them…but doesn’t get the chance, as the others have already removed all the other goblins.
After the battle, all three contracted beasts gain the skill of telepathy, making communicating with them much more manageable. After letting the beasts know that he’s not comfortable being called ‘Master’ and getting each of them a nickname to call him, a fire begins, giving Taku the perfect opportunity to practice his water magic! Of course, this doesn’t go all that well, and instead of putting out the fire, he just makes the ground wet. After two additional failed attempts, he just has Joule put the fire out. Takumi could’ve just moved closer to the fire, but oh well.
After doing everything to get the quest marked as done, Takumi heads back to the inn with Alan and Elena. Both want him to read them one of the picture books they got! Takumi does so, though the two are confused when he reads a part talking about fish and the ocean. So, Takumi decides that he’s going to head out with the kids to a seaside place to show them the sea and tells Vault and the vice-captain dude their plan. We also get to see them talk, relieved that Takumi is staying in the kingdom because war could break out, and they want the strength of Takumi and the kids on their side.
After saying his farewells to the folks who have helped him in this town, Takumi is about to head out…but he gets stopped by a human trafficker who notices that Takumi has the two kids he had thrown out as bait for monsters. Alan and Elena are scared, and rightfully so.
And…that’s where the episode ends. Just…wow. There’s not much I can think of, but this show seems to be veering in a more serious direction, even if just for a short time. I bet part of the next episode is Takumi and the human trafficker fighting over who gets to keep custody of the kids. If this does occur, then my bets are on Takumi. But it’s nice to see that they’re just sticking with this basic concept and just rolling from there. Definitely interested to see where this goes next week!
Additional posts about A Journey Through Another World: Raising Kids While Adventuring:
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