Anime Best in Show

Review: Campione! Episode 3 Best in Show

Quick Summary

In Campione! episode 3, “From Afar, An Enemy Comes,” Touma Amakasu told Yuri Mariya that he suspected the new Campione, Godou Kusanagi, had smuggled a dangerous artifact into Japan. And by dangerous, he meant “world ending within a few days.” Mariya couldn’t believe it. Godou just didn’t seem the type to be part of a world-ending conspiracy. He seemed too grounded, especially compared to all the other Campione! And at first, when she asked him about it, he denied it. Then Mariya learned two things. First, she was right: Godou wasn’t the type to be knowingly involved in a world ending prophecy. Second, Godou wasn’t the type to know enough to know when he was in the middle of a world-ending conspiracy! Because what was to him a present from Erica Blandelli was actually the foretold world ending artifact. Can Godou learn enough about his new role to protect the world? Or will he accidentally end it?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Best Moment in the Show: Mariya Lectures the King

As my little cousin used to say, Mariya was “‘p-i-s-t’ pissed!” She was absolutely aghast that someone in Godou’s position of power and responsibility would be so reckless! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

We got to see a new side of Mariya in this episode, and I have to say that I liked it! When she first met Godou, she practically prostrated herself in front of him and begged him to take his anger out on her, even if it meant her death. Godou didn’t know what to do with a statement like that. First, he hadn’t been angry with her. Second, even if he had been, he wasn’t in the least bit inclined to kill her. Heck, he wasn’t inclined to raise his voice at her! It even made Amakasu chuckle as he observed Godou was not the kind of god-killer they’d met before.

in this episode, Mariya asked Godou to meet her on the roof, and she started by apologizing for always asking for the favor of his time. Again, he told her to chill out and just talk to him. “I don’t really want to get involved with this god or king stuff,” he said (05:26).

She visibly relaxed. She’d come to ask him if he’d brought some kind of divine instrument back from Italy, and his answer seemed to suggest that he had no interest in that kind of thing. But when she asked him about a divine instrument, his answer put her on guard again.

He asked if she meant an instrument like a violin. In response to her confusion, he said he was just joking. Shocked, her cheeks flushing, she snapped, “A joke? Stop joking around!”

She should have known then that the conversation wasn’t going to end well. She described what the divine instrument looked like, and at every point, Godou seemed increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, he placed the stone disk in her hands. Of course, it was the divine instrument in question.

I’m not sure which made Mariya more angry: that Erica had given it to Godou, or that Godou had accepted it. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

“You told me not to think of you as a King, correct?” she asked him (07:10), gritting her teeth.

Showing the courage that makes him a Campione, he answered yes. And Mariya went off.

“You don’t consider what’s happening around you carefully enough!” she said, furious (07:16). “You are one of the few esteemed individuals that managed to become a demon king! Please understand that each of your actions affects everything around you! I humbly ask you to keep in mind that making a small mistake or doing something that isn’t a big deal to you might very well lead to the end of the world!”

Sorry for the long quote, but I wanted to give it to you in full because a) little quiet shrine maiden Mariya just chewed out a Campione, and it was awesome and b) it showed something I’ve not often seen. I’m used to protagonists who don’t have a clue wandering through a narrative. Godou certainly doesn’t have a clue, but he’s learning — and Mariya just pointed out that if he doesn’t learn faster, people could die. Lots of people. Like, maybe all the people. I just loved how this moment combined character and narrative. Especially because Mariya isn’t a quiet passive cliche. She’s a serious young woman who wants to do the right thing — and was willing to read Godou the riot act to make it happen.

What did you think of Athena in this episode? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!

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