REVIEW: ‘Love After World Domination,’ Episode 9 – “My Big Sister Has Changed”

Love After World Domination is a romantic comedy anime produced by Project No. 9. When Fudo’s visit to Desumi’s dorm room was interrupted by the unexpected arrival of her father and little sister Urami, it looked like Fudo might get caught in enemy territory after all. But there may yet be a chance for him to escape unnoticed, provided he can survive the wrath of Urami in Love After World Domination Episode 9.

Ever since Love After World Domination began showing the viewer the young lady behind the reaper skull, one of Desumi’s biggest character arcs has been centered around everyone’s preconceived notions about her. Everyone at Gekko presumes she is a terror despite every interaction disproving that belief. Up until now, I had wondered how Desumi could put up with it so effortlessly. Now I get it. She’s been dealing with it her whole life.

Love After World Domination Episode 9 sees her father’s attempts to dominate the direction of her life as her sister makes presumptions about who she is and who she is supposed to be. While both characters seem to mean well, it certainly makes me feel bad for Desumi as she stands in the middle of it all.

But while her dad comes off as loving yet overbearing, it is Urami whose character demands a bit more empathy in the back half of the episode. As the sisters spend some time together the narrative goes on a series of flashbacks that reveal what life was like for a younger Urami and just how much her big sister meant to her.

While it is never fair to put someone in a box they never wanted to be in, these peeks into the past help the viewer understand Urami’s need to see her big sister in a certain light. Her struggles cause her to put Desumi on a pedestal that represents what she feels she needs and it is hard for the girl to discover that her big sis isn’t what she wanted her to be. While most of the episode focuses on Desumi’s family, Fudo delivers some highlight moments as he navigates the dangerous waters he finds himself in.

One of the most delicate aspects of entering another person’s life in a relationship is dealing with their family. There are long-standing social structures that are unique and often messing with them can cause lots of problems, even for the person you intended to help. Fudo however shows some remarkable tact when he chooses what to say and how. He manages to be strong enough to garner even more of Desumi’s affection through his determination to see her needs met, while still not coming off strong enough to upset her by completely disregarding an important family member’s feelings. If only we could all handle such scenarios with so much grace.

The visual side of Love After World Domination Episode 9 brings these largely heartfelt, though occasionally humorous moments to life well. This is especially true for the back half of the episode when Desumi and Urami go out. The duo genuinely feel like sisters and a large part of that is due to the show’s delivery of the visual similarities between them and how they behave.

When all is said and done, Love After World Domination Episode 9 delivers some interesting commentary about family and expectations and addresses both of these things. It deals with these fairly weighty topics in a way that is both lighthearted and meaningful. It is a hard trick to pull off, yet it manages to do so nicely.

Love After World Domination Episode 9 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.