REVIEW: ‘Plus-Sized Elf’ Episode 4 — “The Baron’s Dog And The Floating Pig”

Plus-Sized Elf Episode 4, “The Baron’s Dog and the Floating Pig,” is one of the most packed episodes of the season. It not only introduces new characters and highlights their background but also includes new critical world details the previous episodes lacked.

The episode starts with Elfuda and Naoe jogging in a park. Elfuda states that she enjoys the activity, but the other girls can’t keep up, so they declined her invitation to continue. Naoe asks if Elfuda has been to the park before, and she points out a shady tunnel located there, which she frequently uses to travel back and forth from her world. Naoe is shocked and asks if he can use it, but Elfuda claims only those with Mana can use the portal.

Elfuda decides to take a short break to munch on fries, and this attracts a nearby fat dog. Naoe decides to pet it, and it’s revealed that the dog is actually a female lycanthrope or werewolf called Laika. She admits she’s been on a diet and has been walking a lot to lose weight, but to no avail. Elfuda, rude as usual, makes fun of her for getting fat, and they begin arguing.

Naoe then suggests that she stretch, as it will limber her up to run more efficiently. After a short stretching session, Laika thanks Naoe and invites him to join her pack. However, we learn that obeying Naoe’s instructions during the stretching session subconsciously made her submissive to him, making him her new pack leader. This leads to a goofy scene with Naoe giving her commands and her resisting. Elfuda then teases Laika for being a subservient dog, leading to a physical fight between the two that Elfuda loses, proving that a lycanthrope is unsurprisingly more physically capable than an elf.

The first half of the episode does a fine job of introducing a new, eccentric character. It also reveals that the other girls all know each other. With the help of Naoe, they’re all making efforts to exercise and stay fit despite sometimes faltering. Additionally, for the second time this season, we learn new details about this world’s otherworldly visitors, specifically that only fantasy races and characters with Mana can use the portal, which would explain why the other realms haven’t had human visitors like the human world and the lack of overall chaos between the races.

The second half of the episode sees the whole group of characters going to a sports gym to use their swimming facility. The group all warm up in the pool, but some characters like Mero and Kusahanada are limited in what they can do because of their race. After warming up, Naoe gives another lecture about the benefits of swimming while dieting by explaining that the energy used in swimming helps burn fat, and buoyancy helps reduce strain on the joints.

This motivates the elves to start swimming immediately, but the excitement quickly dies when it’s revealed that they can’t swim. Naoe then tells them to walk in the water for thirty minutes instead, as that has similar benefits. While instructing the elves, Naoe spots a woman who looks like his boss and calls to her. She corrects him and introduces herself as Oku. Oku is in good shape and works out constantly.

It’s revealed that she’s an Orc, or a “pig-like human,” who came to the human world chasing a legendary technique for losing weight. Turns out the technique is just the human art of dieting and exercising. She’s been doing that ever since and has worked hard to maintain her figure by swimming regularly, all to change the stereotype of Orcs being “fatheads” and “slowpokes.”

This impresses the elves and convinces them that swimming is the optimal exercise, and they get inspired. However, the next scene reveals that Elfuda didn’t actually keep up with swimming. Oku then bursts in to complain to Naoe that the gym has closed its pool for renovations, causing her to regain all her weight. This leads to an unfortunate but humorous end to the episode.

Plus-Sized Elf Episode 4 is much better narratively than the previous episodes. The episode reveals more details about how and why other mythical races come to the human world and introduces perhaps its best character yet. Unlike other characters who are in the human world to loaf around, Oku has a good reason for being there and is working hard to stay fit. While very limited, the episode also reveals some information about the new characters, which hasn’t happened for a few episodes.

Overall, Plus-Sized Elf Episode 4′s narrative is much better than the previous episode’s. It takes the time to flesh out its story despite only drip-feeding viewers character information and narrative details.

Plus-Sized Elf Episode 4 is streaming now on HiDive.