Tomb Raider King Review Finds a Shallow Wish Fulfillment Tale
The review's central complaint is that the series' cynical, out-for-himself protagonist and recycled gaming tropes undercut any potential the opening episode showed.
Reporting from 1 source: Anime News Network.
Anime News Network reviewed the first four episodes of the Korean TV anime Tomb Raider King, streaming on Crunchyroll. The review finds the opening episode a decent if tropey hook, but says episodes 2 through 4 devolve into wish fulfillment. The protagonist Jooheon faces no real opposition and overcomes every situation with trivial ease, leaving the reviewer unimpressed.
The review opens with measured praise for episode 1, calling it a decent hook with enough bloody action and unanswered questions to spark interest. Jooheon, a worldly protagonist looking to make his mark and get paid, is described as relatable if not exactly admirable, and the show makes no pretense about his righteousness.
That goodwill does not survive the next three episodes. The reviewer writes that Jooheon faces no real opposition, is cynical and selfish, and overcomes every situation with trivial ease. Everyone around him knows less than him and is easily overcome by his secret powers. The Crow, a threat hovering overhead, feels like a weak justification for what the review calls a tale of never-ending wish fulfillment.
The review singles out a scene where Jooheon ambushes a young Japanese woman holding a book of prophecies, explains her powers to her, then takes what he wants and destroys her powers forever. The visual execution is clean enough, the review concedes, but the contents feel like a shallow and cynical exercise. Tomb Raider King is streaming on Crunchyroll.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime News Network Tomb Raider King Episodes 1-4