Two years after Yuuto Suou was summoned to the Earth-like, Norse mythology-based world of Yggdrasil, he has managed to rise to the position of patriarch of the Wolf Clan. Using military and negotiation strategies from his original world stored on his smartphone, and with the help of the superhuman Einherjar Felicia and Sigrun by his side, he leads the clan to victory over their rival, the Horn Clan, and convinces their young patriarch Linnea to become his “little sister”, placing her and her clan under his care and leadership. He’s only doing all this to give himself peace to find a way back home, but that peace is short-lived when another clan begins to invade the Horn Clan, forcing Yuuto to take up arms once again to protect his new allies.
Having read some of the original light novels, so far The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar (Japanese title: Hyakuren no Haou to Seiyaku no Valkyria) looks to be a solid adaptation of a series I’m enjoying. This is an isekai story where the protagonist does not have any superpowers of his own, and instead uses the knowledge of his original world to gain whatever advantage he can get. In that way, it’s like How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom, but with more of a focus on fighting wars (also, Yuuto isn’t as inherently knowledgeable on these matters and must rely on whatever knowledge he can find with his smartphone). The biggest issue I can see with this first episode is that a lot of world elements are given little to no explanation: the nature of “parent/child” or “sibling” oaths, how Yuuto got summoned and what happened in those first two years, how he gets the information he needs on his smartphone, or even who exactly Mitsuki is and how he can call her. I can see new viewers unfamiliar with the source material struggling to understand what is going on, and while I like the characters enough, they aren’t shown to be particularly notable yet. (Also, I could probably have done without the off-color morning wood humor…) Overall, I would say this is mainly a show for established isekai fans, or those who want an isekai where the protagonist uses modern knowledge and wits over cheat powers.
The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar is streaming on Crunchyroll. You can also check out the ongoing translation of the original light novels at J-Novel Club.
