REVIEW: ‘Dead Mount Death Play,’ Episode 5 – “The Monster”

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With a potential three-way confrontation brewing at Clarissa’s bar capping last week’s episode, this week opens with a bang as we see what Lemmings is truly capable of and his objective, as well as what is truly most important to Polka in Dead Mount Death Play Episode 5.

This episode’s opening fires on all cylinders as the confrontation blows up fairly fast. With Arase deciding to move in on Lemmings, the situation quickly devolves into a slugfest. While Arase proves more able to handle himself than I expected, it is quickly established that he is no match for his opponent. Luckily for him, he isn’t the urban legends target. Unfortunately for Lemmings, his target is Misako. Polka is left with a dilemma when the notorious hitman attempts to make off with Misaka. He can attempt to save his comrade, but to do so would require him to reveal his powers before a number of eyewitnesses, including several cops. Knowing this could end any chance for his dream of a peaceful life, Polka has to seriously weigh his actions very quickly. This moral conundrum is the highlight of Dead Mount Death Play Episode 5, as the show continues to do a fantastic job of building Polka’s character.

But while Polka is the star of this scene, I have to talk about Misako here. The cheerful young companion that embodies the phrase “she’s sweet, but she’s psycho” delivers a few wonderful moments during this sequence. Her eternally chipper attitude allows her to make an initial splash during this moment, but her surprising cleverness gives her a standout moment. While I’ve loved Misako as a largely comic relief character, I always love seeing personalities get to grow beyond their first impressions.

After the conflict at the bar resolves, Dead Mount Death Play Episode 5 sees Polka decide to make money to have a peaceful life. The eventual scheme the group comes up with, thanks to the possessed pen now aiding the group, is wonderfully clever. While technically a swindle, I trust Polka to try to use his newest venture to impact his clients positively, so I’m willing to forgive him.

This episode closes its narrative with Polka’s first encounter with some of his host body’s family. It doesn’t go smoothly. With Polka only having limited access to his body’s memories, he has to be himself with his newly reacquainted niece and nephew. Unsurprisingly, Polka does not act how they expect him to. But something is following the children that requires Polka’s help, and Polka is always willing to help the restless. And while Dead Mount Death Play has featured some excellent ghost designs in the past, this spooky watcher has to be the creepiest thing the show has delivered yet.

Dead Mount Death Play Episode 5 hits all the notes that have made the show excellent to date. Solid combat, great character growth, and a generous helping of well-implemented humor make the episode a blast to watch.

Dead Mount Death Play Episode 5 is streaming on Crunchyroll.