WARNING: PLOT SPOILERS
At the beginning of "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" episode four, there is a sense that things are too good to be true. In fact, the series has relied heavily on this slight sense of dread since the beginning, with little breadcrumbs left behind in conversation where people feel accustomed to doing something but can't seem to remember why.
The mood is disorienting, and that has sustained three episodes of relatively straightforward action as the guild simply learns to survive in the world of Grimgar.
Episode four however is the first glimpse at tragedy, and how, despite the slice-of-life glacial pacing, "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" is interested in elevating the mundane and overdone experience of living in a new world.
Because of the light novel and studio connections, I can't help but be reminded of the "Red-Nose Reindeer" episode of "Sword Art Online," where Kirito experiences the death of a guild that he only wished to save. There's the typical feelings of pity and fear, but it's tragic because you know that unlike Kirito, this guild is full of inexperienced yet genuine players of the MMO.
They don't deserve to die - there was no way they could have predicted these results.
"Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" takes a different approach to the first tragic death and goes for plot mis-direction. It's obvious that the moment the ambush begins, one of Haruhiro's friends will likely die. And yet, the series somehow manages to stir feelings of sympathy through the surprise and shock that, despite the struggle to make money and remember the old days - consequences in Grimgar are much darker than real life.
"Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" episode four is for the most part, everything you saw before. A slowly developing exploration of a guild as they learn the reality of Grimgar and begin to make decisions about the meaning of their "new life."
But it's notable that this week's episode does manage to stir feelings of empathy, pity, and fear. Manato's death is not just tragic because it's unexpected. It's tragic because no one in the guild ever grappled with the idea that their lives were truly in danger.
