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The Dawn of the Witch Episode 3 Review – Quick Summary
In The Dawn of the Witch episode 3, “Beyond the Stream,” Roux Cristasse got her students Cervil, Holt, and Coudeau back to a village. But Coudeau didn’t have enough magic to grow back his hands. His condition does not bode well for their journey. Will they have to turn back? Or is there something Roux could do if she just had access to more magic – say, someone with infinite levels of magic?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from The Dawn of the Witch Episode 3
Holt thought that Cervil and the others were naive to trust her. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
I’m enjoying this show. Really, I am! But what I’m about to say might cast doubt on that, so I wanted to put that out there. Do you remember in the previous episode, when Cervil didn’t blame Holt for being an agent of the church? As the episode wore on, it became clear that neither Roux nor Coudeau blamed her, either.
That bothered me. She had been under deep cover. What’s to say she still wasn’t under the church’s influence? What makes them think they can trust her?
Apparently, I’m not the only one thinking about that. Holt is, too! Unable to sleep, Cervil had gone out to look at the stars. Holt joined him and asked him why he believed her when she said she was no longer working with the church. Cervil shrugged and said she wasn’t lying was she?
“Jeez,” she said (00:33). “Kudo and Professor Los don’t seem to doubt me, either. You’re all too nice! It makes me worried about the future of mages!”
That’s some pretty self-aware dialogue right there!
Best in Show Moment for The Dawn of the Witch Episode 3
Roux’s perspective on the world is very different than that of Cervil – or any other mortal. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: World-Building Matters
I appreciate little details of world-building. Take my favorite moment in this episode, for example. We know that the staff named Ludens has consumed all of Roux’s magic. In exchange, it provides all of her life energy. She mentioned in a previous episode she doesn’t even have to eat anymore. The staff takes care of her bodily needs.
Some device granting near immortality isn’t a new thing. It’s fairly common, in fact. One thing that sets this episode apart is that it explored the question of what effect that relationship would have on Roux.
As she walked through the forest with her students, Roux tried to give them a glimpse into her world. They seemed interested, which only makes sense, given her experience and longevity. She’s been alive over three hundred years, after all.
Roux took the time to give them a look into her world. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
This is where the episode got very interesting, at least to me. Roux told them she’d gotten tired of even breathing after three hundred years. Saying that not only did she not have to eat, but she didn’t need to sleep either. She asked if they could guess what that meant.
Coudeau joked that it sounded super convenient, and she agreed he wasn’t wrong. But there was more to it than that. Not even needing love or romance, she said that all that remained to her was having fun.
Delivery: Immortality Isn’t All Bad!
Holt thought she knew what Roux meant by fun, but Holt was wrong. What was fun to Roux? New experiences – any kind of new experiences. Including the huge war that happened just a few years ago. Roux had lived so long that the impact of human death had been diminished. Death – of others, anyway! – was routine to her. So the excitement of war, or of new and even dangerous experiences, was all she had left to live for.
“Seeing the pack of demons trampling humanity,” she said (17:11), “this thought leapt to mind: Ah, I’m glad I lived to see this.”
Coudeau said she had a screw loose. Holt didn’t know what to think. But Cervil seemed to get it. Or at latest, he seemed to understand that her perspective was beyond him.
Holt and Coudeau seemed to think Roux had gone crazy. Cervil, though, had a different reaction. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
It was a small thing, but I was glad that the show decided to explore it, if even just a little. Being immortal would be itself a strange experience. Being immortal without the need for food, sleep, or even love, would be more strange, from a human perspective. I hope the show continues to explore this idea!
What did you think of meeting Mercenary again? Or of seeing part of Zero’s face? What were your favorite moments in the episode? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
The Dawn of the Witch Episode 3: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Mahoutsukai Reimeiki – Episode 3 discussion
- J Reacts: BIG BOY | The Dawn of the Witch episode 3 Reaction (魔法使い黎明期) (YouTube)
- Its SpoRTan: MONSTER?! The Dawn Of The Witch Episode 3 Reaction (YouTube)
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 1: The Remedial Student and the Witch of the Staff
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 2: Don’t Call Me a Traitor
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 3: Beyond the Stream
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 4: I’m Not Afraid to Die
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 5: I Decide Who’s Worthy
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 6: Knowledge of Ignorance
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 7: I Can’t Save Anything
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 8: Respective Costs
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 9: A Stone Cast Into the Pond
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 10: Snack Time
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 11: Determination to Kill
- The Dawn of the Witch Episode 12: The Beginning of the Adventure
