I honestly didn’t look forward to talking about this show because it so quickly became a disappointment after my initial interest in the first episode. The ideas are familiar and sound: another isekai, a former assassin reborn as another assassin, a mission to save the world. So where did it all go wrong?
Usually when I think back on isekai a common pattern emerges: the main characters lead dissatisfying lives that are cut off either accidentally or by their own hand. Most of them are young, underlining the unfairness of their suffering and shortness of life. Neither of those hold true here with our lead, who starts off the series as the world’s best assassin nearing retirement. When his life is cut short, it doesn’t feel unjust; it’s all part of the territory of his career, which has already been long and accomplished. When the goddess gives him a chance to start over in a fantasy world, he seems even more blessed to get not only a second chance for another long life, but one where he can possibly make his own choices as long as he fulfills the goddess’ request–kill the Hero and save the world. Easy, right?
And it really is easy because not only does he retain all his memories from his previous life despite being reborn as an infant, but he is raised in a legendary assassin family. The Tuatha Dé serves their kingdom from the shadows, ensuring continued prosperity and wellness. This is where the fun ends.
While we didn’t get any insight into our lead’s former life other than the introductory episode where he is already at the end of his life, we can assume he wasn’t born into the career and that significant training was involved to get to his skill level. Now that he represents the Tuatha Dé as their only son, Lugh, he one again undergoes rigorous sculpting, except this time from childhood. We’re treated to a disturbing scene of him naked before his father whose “professional” eye on Lugh’s physical growth still comes across as more than a little skeevy. Not only does this begin with Lugh, but it continues on to the young girls he acquires over the series. And I do mean “acquire,” because that is exactly how he treats them: objects. They are tools to his goddess-given mission.
His encounters with first Tarte and later Maha are framed haphazardly in a savior light–of course they’d be willing to remake themselves to his needs because he saved their lives and gave them new purpose. Forget the fact that Lugh only rescued Tarte from abandonment, starvation, and death because he noticed her magical ability; he would have saved her either way, right? Her ensuing training mirroring his own is by any other name grooming. If she chose to eventually leave him, I don’t doubt that he would kill her immediately for her knowledge.
And then there’s Maha, an orphan leader among other orphan girls, almost all of whom are captured and subjected to slavery and prostitution. As the most beautiful and expensive of the lot, her captors save her for last and just as she’s about to lose her virginity, Lugh swoops in to save the day. It’s no surprise then that she’d adore him for giving her a new life along with all her friends, nor that she’d throw herself at him physically, never mind her trauma. All of this leaves a horrid aftertaste that lingers far after the show is over.
The narrative attempts to attribute his actions, including his handling of those around him, as a part of who he is and the goal he has been given. Everything is done with the purpose of positioning him close to the Hero fully capable of killing whoever it is. What could have potentially saved this show is something we see done successfully in another show, Mushoku Tensei. There, our lead starts out very similar in personality to his former life; through his interactions with others and his experiences growing up a second time he slowly grows into a better person.
I dearly wish Finest Assassin had done something similar–show us Lugh warming to other humans through his moments with Tarte, Maha, Dia, and his parents. Don’t pretend to love through your verbal proclamation to Dia; it isn’t convincing in the slightest. Perhaps it’s his profession that holds him back from changing, or his compulsion to find the Hero. Either way, he is at the end who he is at the beginning, and I’m not really interested in seeing any more from him.
Rating: 0 dango
*Rating system:
- 0 dango – average and forgettable.
- 1 dango – very good in its category.
- 2 dango – excellent show that is worth a try.
- 3 dango – exceptional show one must watch.
Anime B&B 