Episode 5 "Crying Doesn't Mean Your Weak. Enduring Doesn't Mean You're Strong"
Admittedly, I've been tentative about giving "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" too positive of a review in fear of a disappointing payoff.
Fortunately, the past two episodes have demonstrated that the series has a specific preoccupation with the emotional journey of the characters in a scary and new environment.
That is to say, I can endorse "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" because in a genre (MMO world) that is constantly focused on plot gimmicks and twists, the series takes the opposite approach and focuses on developing the characters into real and genuine people.
After having spent five episodes following Haruhiro, the audience has learned that is now on a journey to being much more than he expects of himself. He's the kid in the class, or in this case the guild, who is content to be a peacekeeper and friend but is forced to lead because people look up to him.
This theme of greatness thrust upon a protagonist is something that's done often, but it feels refreshing here because the series has taken the time to show crucial parts of his personality - his empathy, curiosity, anxiety, and his humanity. It makes sense then that Manato's death would ultimately lead to everyone looking to Haruhiro to lead.
All of the focus on their individual personalities with the sprinkling of plot has made "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" a weird yet exciting hybrid genre of fantasy, MMO, and slice-of-life drama. It's a series that instead of relying on stereotypes for characters to lead us through plot, decides to build its plot only after the you care about the characters.
Overall, while I feared that the series may have been moving too slowly, "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" moves at the pace of a different genre. That choice has ultimately created the interesting tension of caring deeply about the characters and then always being concerned that at any moment, tragedy could strike for them.
