This Week in Anime
The Executioner and Her Way Hot Wife
by Jean-Karlo Lemus & Steve Jones,
Who knew that the answer to the isekai trend was bringing together a group of murder wives and letting them go hog-wild?
This series is streaming on HIDIVE
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Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead.
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Steve
Jean-Karlo, I regret to inform you that we've reached the part of the anime season where we have to start talking about potato-faced schoolboys getting isekai'd into unwarranted and undeserved power fantasies that probably involve hot elf babes and also slavery for some reason. As sure as the sun rises and sets, this is our lot here at “This Week in Anime.”
If only there were another way...
Jean-Karlo, I regret to inform you that we've reached the part of the anime season where we have to start talking about potato-faced schoolboys getting isekai'd into unwarranted and undeserved power fantasies that probably involve hot elf babes and also slavery for some reason. As sure as the sun rises and sets, this is our lot here at “This Week in Anime.”
If only there were another way...
Jean-Karlo
Aren't you tired of reviewing isekai? Don't you wanna go apeshit?
Aren't you tired of reviewing isekai? Don't you wanna go apeshit?
Yes, actually!
That simplifies so much! Hold still, potatoes, this'll only hurt for the rest of your short lives...
It's dirty work, but somebody's got to do it. And that somebody is our titular executioner in The Executioner and Her Way of Life, the latest anime adaptation in the long and twisted chain of isekai written about and in response to other isekai. In fact, you could pretty easily argue that this kind of incestuous metatextuality is an intrinsic quality of the genre, but we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about women with knives and bad personalities. Thank the heavens!
For a minute, this series reminded me of the controversial Isekai Tenseisha Goroshi, and I'm glad it actually stuck around for longer than one chapter. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. There's quite a bit to The Executioner and Her Way of Life and it's all in the presentation. This isekai yarn starts with a potato named Mutou who finds himself summoned to another world. After having been determined to have null power, he's abandoned and hides out under a bridge.
Already off to a great start! But he's in luck, because here comes a cute priestess who exists solely to help "Lost Ones" like him get back on their feet. Nothing suspect about this at all.
This is Menou. She is a priestess of the Faust, a religious caste separate from the citizenry and Noblesse. According to her, summoning Otherworlders like Mutou is taboo, but she's willing to help Mutou get on his feet—which is gonna be hard, because he can't do the isekai-bit of importing Japanese comforts into this world to turn a profit. As it turns out, scores of other people have come to this world before him. Not only is the technology roundabouts that of a post-industrial world, much of the language and writing has changed to reflect Japanese influence. Also, they have mayonnaise.
I legitimately like this a lot. Most isekai have some sort of explanation or handwaving for why a Japanese kid can speak and survive in a fantasy world. Which is fine, whatever, you gotta do it. This, on the other hand, both feels like a logical extension of Executioner's exaggerated approach to the genre, and comes across like a one-off shitpost. That's the best kind of worldbuilding.
It also helps Mutou come off as even more of a loser: guy has absolutely no redeeming skills or merits outside of him being happy he doesn't have to deal with the folks back home who ignored him.
...Actually, scratch that, he has one thing going in his favor. As it turns out, it's not that he has "null power," it's that the power he's gained as a result of being transported to another world is "The Power of Null". The Pure Concept of Nullification lies within Mutou, and he can just nullify things now.
Okay, nullify this, lmao
The scary thing is: he tries.
And this is where the shoe drops, because Menou is the titular executioner: priestesses like her are tasked with killing people that get transported from Japan. I remember there being some gnashing of teeth from the peanut gallery when this twist dropped, but I love it. It's like Talentless Nana: we see in short order that these teenagers having far-reaching magical powers is a really bad idea. In Mutou's case, the guy had a massive chip on his shoulder. No sooner does he learn he can disintegrate things does he start thinking of how he can use it to destroy anything that tries to get in his way. Having spent the amount of time on the internet that I have, that kind of power being given to that kind of personality is terrifying . It's like thinking Menou is the bad person for killing Kevin Bacon in Hollow Man.
And this is where the shoe drops, because Menou is the titular executioner: priestesses like her are tasked with killing people that get transported from Japan. I remember there being some gnashing of teeth from the peanut gallery when this twist dropped, but I love it. It's like Talentless Nana: we see in short order that these teenagers having far-reaching magical powers is a really bad idea. In Mutou's case, the guy had a massive chip on his shoulder. No sooner does he learn he can disintegrate things does he start thinking of how he can use it to destroy anything that tries to get in his way. Having spent the amount of time on the internet that I have, that kind of power being given to that kind of personality is terrifying . It's like thinking Menou is the bad person for killing Kevin Bacon in Hollow Man.
So with that knowledge, I reiterate: Mutou's dying breath was spent with him trying to use his power to Nullify the moment he was stabbed. And he got close to pulling it off. If Shiki Tohno can use his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to "kill" the poison in someone's body, Mutou could have nullified a headwound with his Pure Concept. Forget stabbing, the only way to be sure is to glass the freaking potato from orbit.
Ah, you gotta love the ol' bait-and-switch premiere. I don't know if it pulls this gambit off as well as Talentless Nana did—and I was already primed for it this time around, to be fair—but it's a fun and slightly irreverent way to kick off your show, that's for sure.
Like, yeah, maybe it could have used that time better, but I gotta show some respect to an opening statement that's all about taking the wind out of bog-standard isekai's sails. And then using that wind to flashback to Drakengard instead.
I'm just saying if that isn't White Chlorination Syndrome, then I don't know what is.
I mean, they literally compare that incident as to a previous one involving Pure Concept of "White," so foul-mouthed hermaphroditic swordfighters and gynoids with 328-pound butts can't be too far off. #ShitSquareEnix
It's also a good, uncanny way of showing the kind of horror at stake here. It's one thing to say that these Japanese schoolkids are a threat to the entire cosmos, but it's much easier to look at a giant horrible salt monster and realize "oh that's bad." Like, it makes the existence of Menou's job make more sense, which is important for everything else that follows.
To wit: Menou's church recognizes four great disasters called the Four Human Errors, each of them being continental-sized disasters caused by an otherwise innocuous-sounding power going rampant. And as it turns out, the more a person uses their Pure Concept, the stronger it gets until it inevitably goes out of control. So it's not just the Joker-wannabes who are a risk because of these powers. Literally anyone wielding a Pure Concept is a threat to both the people around them and themselves. It's not a matter of "if" the power goes out of control, but "when."
We see the result of one of these Human Errors: a Purification power that manifested as a sword. And it turned a continent and everything on it into salt. Even the Old Testament God wouldn't go that far. So yeah, offing a few high schoolers is pretty justified, I'd say.
We see the result of one of these Human Errors: a Purification power that manifested as a sword. And it turned a continent and everything on it into salt. Even the Old Testament God wouldn't go that far. So yeah, offing a few high schoolers is pretty justified, I'd say.
Personally, I just think it's good when women do a stabbing. I get the thematic impetus to wrap Menou's motivations up into a complex but ultimately understandable moral blanket, but I sincerely believe she has every right to slice up every guy in a gakuran and every gal in a sailor uniform within eyesight. Women can have little a wanton murder, as a treat.
Dangit, you're making me want a Menou/Nana crossover, those two pink ladies would have so much to talk about.
I mean, Menou already has a Nana, if we're talking about tiny pink pigtailed monsters with names made up of one syllable repeated twice.
Momo, as you can see, is very normal.
Momo, as you can see, is very normal.
Down, girl. Anyway, Menou is tasked with infiltrating the Noblesse's manor again, because they summoned two students this time around, and the second apparently has a healing power that makes them a threat. This involves Menou appealing to the folks who like Shuffle. Do folks remember Shuffle? I remember Shuffle.
Editor's note: Watch Shuffle.
Editor's note: Watch Shuffle.
As with murder, I don't think there's ever a bad time for maids.
And this, her second victim, is where we finally get to the heart of what Executioner is "about." Because Akari's power is not healing, but time manipulation, which makes Menou's go-to execution method (stabbing) a lot trickier to pull off. So instead, Menou resolves to stick with her isekai'd quarry and "befriend" her until she can figure out a way to send her seifuku'd ass into the great beyond. And if I know one thing about morally-conflicted isekai hunters pained by constant pangs of confusion and guilt over their messy, bloody job, it's that spending a lot of time with their prey is definitely going to make that job easier.
This is also probably a good time to mention that this is a yuri series lol
This is also probably a good time to mention that this is a yuri series lol
Harold, they're lesbians
They've dreamt about each other. All they gotta do is talk about how beautiful the moon is.
Akari, bless her heart, is very forthcoming.
Very forthcoming.
Like, VERY forthcoming.
Very forthcoming.
Like, VERY forthcoming.
Menou is the fulcrum of a full-on love triangle. Momo's almost green with envy at Akari. Though a good chunk of it is probably boob envy. Don't worry, Momo, you'll get yours!
It's just so funny that literally the minute Akari meets Menou, she's head-over-heels and already gunning to be the world's most insufferable flirt. No half measures. Just full gay.
And you know me, I'm a sucker for a nice, twisted romance, so the begrudgingly budding feelings Menou starts developing for Akari are sweet music to me. It's hardly a novel concept, building affection based on false pretenses that eventually give way to painfully real pretenses, but it's a great one when done well. And especially when assassination is in the mix.
And you know me, I'm a sucker for a nice, twisted romance, so the begrudgingly budding feelings Menou starts developing for Akari are sweet music to me. It's hardly a novel concept, building affection based on false pretenses that eventually give way to painfully real pretenses, but it's a great one when done well. And especially when assassination is in the mix.
"Twisted" is the right word for it. While Akari is trying to get into Menou's priestly habits, Menou is tasked by her archbishop to transport Akari to Garm where the Archbishop can perform a rite to outright annihilate Akari from the world. And to get there, they need to take a train.
This train doesn't have much of a dress code.
This train doesn't have much of a dress code.
Plus, I imagine it's hard to enforce one on a princess, especially one as boisterous and violent as Abshu—sorry, Ashuna.
I love halter-tops so I won't begrudge a woman for wanting to show off her gains, especially when she kicks as much ass as Ashuna. But also, the only thing keeping that thing on her is presumably a lot of double-sided tape (the secret of Japanese cosplayers everywhere). Also, to Momo's chagrin, the only thing Ashuna likes more than showing off her chiseled back muscles and washboard abs is fighting strong people, and she thinks Momo is very, very strong.
This train sequence is where we first see the show's main quartet (Menou, Akari, Momo and Ashuna) in action together, and this crystalized for me the real appeal of Executioner. That is to say, all of these women are varying degrees of terrible—with bad personalities, foul tempers, evil duties, world-ending powers, etc.—and it's wonderful to see them clash so spectacularly.
Ashuna and Momo are probably the loudest example, because Ashuna is a thick meathead who only speaks in knight, and Momo is this tiny demon who cannot stand the sight of her. I can't wait for them to kiss.
Ashuna and Momo are probably the loudest example, because Ashuna is a thick meathead who only speaks in knight, and Momo is this tiny demon who cannot stand the sight of her. I can't wait for them to kiss.
The train sequence also illuminates further on Akari's powers: first off, she and Menou are super-compatible so they can tap into each others' Ether. Normally, it's supposed to hurt, but uh... Akari... yeah.
Second, Menou gets the impression that Akari might have less control over her Time powers than originally thought: there's the very real possibility that the accident on the train (terrorists hijacked it, you see) ended in disaster and Akari's powers might have reset things a few times before Menou got it right. Menou would have no way of knowing if Akari had replicated King Crimson's powers.
Second, Menou gets the impression that Akari might have less control over her Time powers than originally thought: there's the very real possibility that the accident on the train (terrorists hijacked it, you see) ended in disaster and Akari's powers might have reset things a few times before Menou got it right. Menou would have no way of knowing if Akari had replicated King Crimson's powers.
Yeah, it's our first inkling that time travel shenanigans are going to be a much bigger part of the narrative than Akari rewinding time on a couple of boo-boos. And it goes without saying that delving into time travel fiction opens up another whole can of worms filled with potential plot inconsistencies and worn-out tropes, but there's promise in there too.
And Executioner, thankfully, doesn't waste too much time before getting into the thick of it, by way of another classic fantasy trope: church bad.
Menou brings Akari to the Archbishop (who—get this—is named Orwell), and things go sideways when the bishop asks Akari how she feels about the NieR:Automata raid in Final Fantasy XIV.
As it turns out, the Noblesse in Garm are working together with the Archbishop to summon students from Japan in a bid for power. In exchange, the Archbishop is allowed to use her cronies to kidnap young women in Garm to pull an Elizabeth Bathory and use their blood to try and make herself younger. With that failing, Archbishop Orwell hopes to use "White" to blanch Akari's mind and soul and use her time powers to reverse time until Orwell is young again.
Amusingly, Ashuna helps Momo investigate and agrees that what the Noblesse is doing is wrong. She even tries to help Momo fight off a dragon andan actual freaking demon off. Ashuna may flirt by way of trying to lop Momo's head off, but she's got good moral fiber to her.
As it turns out, the Noblesse in Garm are working together with the Archbishop to summon students from Japan in a bid for power. In exchange, the Archbishop is allowed to use her cronies to kidnap young women in Garm to pull an Elizabeth Bathory and use their blood to try and make herself younger. With that failing, Archbishop Orwell hopes to use "White" to blanch Akari's mind and soul and use her time powers to reverse time until Orwell is young again.
Amusingly, Ashuna helps Momo investigate and agrees that what the Noblesse is doing is wrong. She even tries to help Momo fight off a dragon andan actual freaking demon off. Ashuna may flirt by way of trying to lop Momo's head off, but she's got good moral fiber to her.
Orwell makes for a pretty crappy villain, to be honest. She doesn't have much of a presence or motivation, and I think the church already occupied an interesting moral grey/black area due to the fact that they've been sponsoring kids like Menou. Thankfully, though, Orwell doesn't end up being the star of this confrontation. No, that status belongs to Akari. By which I mean, the real Akari.
Girls with black hair and purple eyes are always looping time ad infinitum until they manage to consummate their lesbian relationship. It's normal for girls.
Girls with black hair and purple eyes are always looping time ad infinitum until they manage to consummate their lesbian relationship. It's normal for girls.
As it turns out, Menou was way more correct about Akari's powers than she could have ever imagined. Akari has been through the timeline of trying to get Menou to kill her countless times. Every time something happens that might kill Akari, her powers activate (it's some kind of geass), and she sashays out of the way. Then she uses her powers to erase her memories so that she doesn't unwillingly change fate by trying too hard to change events. All she leaves is "a sense of déjà vu and [her] feelings for Menou." A lot of folks today joke about wanting to get stepped on or murdered by some female character or other; Akari actually wants Menou to kill her, and won't settle for anything else.
THIS is my shit. THIS is true romance. Good for them!!!
Screw "healthy" relationships. We are here for the girls who want other girls to kill them so bad that they're willing to snap the fourth dimension in half in order to make it happen.
This twist also rules because it totally contextualizes Akari's immediate and overbearing affection for Menou. In fact, it just makes it all the weirder, but in a way that makes narrative sense. I love that!
Screw "healthy" relationships. We are here for the girls who want other girls to kill them so bad that they're willing to snap the fourth dimension in half in order to make it happen.
This twist also rules because it totally contextualizes Akari's immediate and overbearing affection for Menou. In fact, it just makes it all the weirder, but in a way that makes narrative sense. I love that!
This is also fun because as correct as Menou is about the nature of Akari's powers... she still has no real confirmation that she's as right as she is, so she can only fumble around trying to find ways to kill her as Akari shakes her head and goes "Aw crap, she's doing this one again. Alright, better luck next time, hon'."
It's frustrating when two characters have a very simple problem but won't communicate because they're idiots. Here, we have two weirdos with a problem that they can't communicate because as simple as it is (kill Akari), it's hard enough to find a solution, let alone one that'll stick, and communicating might actually make things worse. After all, there have to be a few timelines where Akari did fill Menou in on the details only for things to end in tragedy.
It's frustrating when two characters have a very simple problem but won't communicate because they're idiots. Here, we have two weirdos with a problem that they can't communicate because as simple as it is (kill Akari), it's hard enough to find a solution, let alone one that'll stick, and communicating might actually make things worse. After all, there have to be a few timelines where Akari did fill Menou in on the details only for things to end in tragedy.
I like, too, that this means both Menou and Akari are hiding things from each other, and in two wildly divergent ways. It makes their relationship all the more fraught, and thus all the more interesting. And it's really a boon for Akari. No longer just an overwhelmingly gay airhead, now we know she's just as dedicated to her cause and twisted up by it as Menou is by her calling. They really are perfect for each other. Brings a tear to your eye.
And the worst part is, there are still external threats to deal with. Namely, The Fourth, a clan of aristocrats that insist they're a fourth separate caste of society divorced from the Noblesse and the Faust. Their leader, Lady Manon, has some big shoes to fill, being that her father was a big cheese for them. And Manon is also completely batty, owing to how she just shoves kids into Iron Maidens.
Don't know what you're talking about, she seems like an upstanding young lass to me.
By the way, we have no context for this scene yet. She literally just invites a kid into an iron maiden, and that's the note we leave this week's episode on. And as a connoisseur of bad taste, I give this a thumbs up.
I don't know if I can call The Executioner and her Way of Life "bad taste," but it is absolutely entertaining. This show goes places and doesn't stop for a minute to apologize for any of it. As far as I'm concerned, it's heads and shoulders above other isekai in so many ways. The character designs and world are unique, Akari's relationship with her powers are interesting, and the main goal isn't seeing some self-insert power fantasy get his ego stroked: the fate of the world feels at stake in a creative way.
I always said a lot of boring shows starring potatoes would be more interesting if they just axed the potato and left the female cast, and uh... The Executioner and Her Way of Life is bearing me out on this one.
Agreed! It's a fun take on isekai that I legitimately enjoy a lot, spiced with a nice pinch of shlock and a fun cast of murder wives. I really hope it only gets thornier and more messed up as it progresses, too. It's all the more interesting for all the ways it lets its female characters be flawed—let them make bad decisions, let them flex their abs at inappropriate times, let them punch an entire dragon to death, let them collapse spacetime into a singularity in their pursuit of true love. That's that good shit right there.
Oh yeah, I wanted to talk about this some where, but uh... Momo freaking punched a dragon to death. We get to see the dragon's brutalized face. Its eyes are hanging from its sockets, and the skull is only vaguely recognizable. It's grody and awesome. But also, Momo gets cold-clocked by a headbutt beforehand, and that's funny too.
She told him he'd pay for it and she did not tell a lie.
How can you not love her?
How can you not love her?
I can think of two good reasons. (Hey, Momo herself said it!)
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