In the Land of Leadale

Episode 4

This week's episode of In the Land of Leadale actually asked some pretty heavy and interesting philosophical questions. However, the show also made it very clear that it doesn't really want to go anywhere with those questions. Last week, we ended on a pretty notable—albeit predictable—revelation: Cayna is probably the only human trapped in this game since the original servers shut down. So her needing to isolate herself and think about things felt like a genuinely human and sympathetic reaction. It was also nice to have this episode start with her kids trying to find ways to get her out of that slump, and the comedy in the first third of this episode is probably the strongest in the show so far. However, all of that gets wrapped up almost immediately, and while the general heaviness of the situation isn't necessarily dropped, we just sort of carry on like it's more of a footnote than a legitimate plot point. Then we go right back to where we were two episodes ago with Cayna just sort of randomly trying to decide on what to do next. I like the conclusion that she came to—that as long as she has her digital family, she's not really alone and is open to starting a new life here—but it feels like that revelation came way too quickly. I still don't really know what the show is trying to be about. If you just wanted to be a dumb lighthearted fantasy story then I don't see the point of even touching on these heavy elements. Just establish your premise and then move forward with the over-the-top comedic family antics.

Yet the show doesn't seem ready to do that either, as the second half of this episode gets really morally gray and existential. Cayna starts finally coming to the realization that these NPCs are not just standard programs but seem to have their own needs and desires. This would explain why she initially treats her family the way that she does; she might've just seen them as components of the game rather than real people that harbor genuine affection for her. I have two problems with this revelation though. First, its arrival feels far too late, as it literally takes her seeing dead bodies on the floor (that I guess don't disappear like in a standard video game) for her to realize this. Secondly, the minute after coming to this realization, she just straight-up murders someone. Granted he was a bandit trying to rob them, but considering how overpowered Cayna is established as, I don't see how she couldn't have disarmed him or knocked him out without killing him, especially since it's pointed out that she can't be defeated unless someone more powerful comes after her. What are we supposed to take away from the scene where she's staring at the guy's shattered body on the floor? Why did she make that decision when there were multiple other options available, and how is she going to react to everybody now after coming to this seemingly big realization? I get the feeling that nothing is really going to be that much different from what was established before. I hope I'm wrong, but with the direction that the show is going, I'm not really confident that I will be.

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In the Land of Leadale is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.