Anime Review: May I Ask For One Final Thing? Episodes 1 - 4
May I Ask For One Final Thing? is a fantasy anime based on the Japanese light novel written by Nana Otori and illustrated by Satsuki, which was originally published and serialized online by AlphaPolis in April 2018. A manga adaptation illustrated by Sora Honoki was then serialized and published in June 2019 by AlphaPolis' Regina manga website. The TV anime series is produced by LIDENFILMS Kyoto Studio.
The anime revolves around Scarlet El Vandimion, the daughter of Duke Vandimion, who got fed up with her fiancé, Prince Kyle von Pallistan, the second heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Pallistan, after he suddenly terminated their engagement and falsely accused her of constant bullying and a bogus crime she never committed.
Fueled by many years of torment, she finally snapped and unleashed hell on Prince Kyle and his royal allies, beating the crap out of all of them. Scarlet then exposed the prince of being a crooked noble, who was later disowned and disinherited by the kingdom. Scarlet would later learn she'd be fighting an even bigger battle after the incident with Prince Kyle.
From the get-go, this anime would be filled with a lot of fight scenes, as evidenced in episode 1. Scarlet is a very relatable character, albeit with her quiet, stoic demeanor. Her actions are very much vindicated, and Prince Kyle needed to be taught a lesson. Revealing to the kingdom his evil ways was clearly the icing on the cake for Scarlet.
Her fascination and joy in beating people up adds another layer to Scarlet's personality. The title itself, which Scarlet actually did to kickstart (literally) her adventures, is actually brilliant.
The latter part of episode 2 showed that there's more to Prince Kyle's diabolical mind than what was initially exposed by Scarlet, thanks to her new ally, Nanaka. Quite literally, the plot thickens with Nanaka's revelation.
Scarlet decided to investigate and dig deeper into what she learned from Nanaka in episode 3. She's joined by her older brother Leonardo El Vandimion and the first prince of the Kingdom of Pallistan, Julius von Pallistan, to help her with the investigation.
Unsurprisingly, Scarlet beats up some thugs to gather some intel, which she enjoys. After going through all that, including some side activities between Scarlet and Prince Julius, they put they're plans to action in episode 4.
Everything seemed to be going well according to plan. Still, then Scarlet decided to drop it as soon as she had located Godwin Bene Carmine, the big cheese of Pallistan's most corrupt and greedy nobles, at the auction, because it was time to kick some ass! Godwin's goons kept them busy while he tried to escape, but Scarlet still caught up with him and got his ass whooped.
Godwin then revealed to Scarlet that he was the one who co-plotted with Terenezza Hopkins, the lady who convinced Prince Kyle to end their marriage, who got sucker punched by Scarlet at the Engagement Ball. To make things more complicated, Godwin also revealed that she is a reincarnation of someone from another world.
May I Ask For One Final Thing? is very enjoyable to watch. Lots of hilarious scenes, especially with her overprotective older brother Leonardo. There were some scenes where Scarlet drops her guard for a moment when Prince Julius is around, especially during their downtime at a market in episode 3. Of course, Scarlet knows that Prince Julius likes her.
The anime's highlight is definitely Scarlet raising hell and kicking ass – no brainer. Speaking of which, some cuts on the fight scenes looked rather stiff. Hopefully, there will be improvements in the upcoming episodes. The titles of each episode are actually very clever and witty.
Overall, LIDENFILMS Kyoto Studio did a great job with the anime adaptation of May I Ask For One Final Thing? Fans of the original light novel would definitely enjoy this anime. Even those who have never heard of the original light novel can easily pick up this anime.
If one is looking for a fantasy-comedy (with a bit of isekai) anime to watch, May I Ask For One Final Thing? is definitely worth checking out!
May I Ask For One Final Thing? is now streaming on Crunchyroll with new episodes every Friday.
