It’s time to play the villain.
©Ryohgo Narita, Shinta Fujimoto/SQUARE ENIX, DEAD MOUNT DEATH PLAY Project
This episode is mainly a setup for the big action climax in the next episode. Each character is paired—Polka >
Simply put, Civil is looking for a solution where it belongs. He was supposed to become Arius—however, Arius’ spirit never arrived. He was rejected and abandoned for reasons unknown to him. And so he comes up with the idea that he belongs not to this world but to an imaginary one — and is willing to help (and use) the cult to get there.
Of course, there’s always the second option: turning this world into a fantasy world. Until meeting Polka, Civil could not use outside magic and thus could not change the world on his own. However, now that he has awakened, he can do it. That said, a necromancer’s power will be much more effective than his own. After all, what could change the world more fundamentally than the promise of eternal life? If Polka wanted, he could instantly conquer the world by giving that gift to his followers.
But what Civil doesn’t understand is that Polka doesn’t want that. He has no desire to rule and no reason to return to the fantasy world where he is hunted and persecuted. At the start of the series, Polka is a zombie who wants nothing more than to be alone in peace. As the series continues, he adds that he wants to live happily with the people he cares about. This season, however, he is forced to strike—giving up his peace to ensure the safety of those he cares about.
In this episode, Polka takes another step in her journey. Regardless of his desires and dreams, his very existence in our world has made him a lightning rod for dangerous and power-hungry people. Now the streets of Shinjuku are literally on fire, magical monsters and wizards are fighting it out. This time there was nothing to cover up.
Polka must choose: either fight endlessly (and possibly futilely) to protect herself and her friends or defeat the immediate threat and disappear. And so he chooses the latter. With this, we are nearing the end of Polka’s character arc. He has gone from selfish to altruistic—now caring more about the happiness and safety of others than his own. And while he may be willing to play the villain to achieve victory, it’s not hard to see who the real hero is.
Rating:
Random thoughts:
So not only Polka and the Real Polka brothers but also their mother is a female succubus who somehow came to our world in body rather than spirit? I have many questions.
→ I’m confused about how Civil’s magic works. I think you need to attract spirits to perform magic-those could be elemental spirits or the spirits of the deceased (unless you have a supply of jewelry like Polka). But aren’t there far fewer of them in our world than in the fantasy world?
I’m glad Misaki was assigned the task of saving Real Polka. She begins the story by killing him and ends by saving him.
© List of uncounted wildcards: Phantom Solitaire, Bao and Majiri.
Dead Mount Death Play is now streaming on Crunchyroll.