Plus-Sized Elf episode 6 review: Characters defy expectations in Studio Linden’s latest installment and it is hilarious

Modified Aug 11, 2024 13:41 GMT

Honeda as seen in Plus-Sized Elf episode 6 (Image via Elias)

Plus-Sized Elf episode 6, titled The Hindsight Bones and the Snowy Dragon, was released at 12:00 am JST on Sunday, August 11, 2024. It was first streamed on HIDIVE and was subsequently broadcast on channels like TOKYO MX, BS11, and AT-X. In this episode, as expected, two new fantasy characters were introduced. Naoe helped both of them to lose their weight. However, these two characters stood out from all the previous ones, not only in their designs but also in their personalities.

The anime is based on a Japanese manga series by Synecdoche. The series was initially published on the Comic Gum website of Wani Books. A sequel is being published in Akita Shoten's Dokodemo Young Champion magazine.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers.

A skeleton and a dragon seek help to lose weight in Plus-Sized Elf episode 6

Plus-Sized Elf episode 6: A brief synopsis

Laika, Oku, and Honeda as seen in Plus-Sized Elf episode 6 (Image via Elias)

In Plus-Sized Elf episode 6, Laika is seen gnawing on a large bone. She has been bringing these bones to Naoe's room each day, though no one knows where they come from. Next, she produces an entire skeleton from under Naoe's bed. As everyone accuses Laika of committing murder, she vehemently denies it, insisting she only nibbles on the bones. The skeleton then sits up and introduces herself as Honeda.

Honeda explains that she was a mage for a kingdom but was falsely accused of treason and executed. She returned as a skeleton and found a portal in a dungeon that brought her to this world. But then she got into a car accident that scattered her bones all over the place. Thankfully, Laika gathered them and she can now move around and explore the world.

Honeda would have gone exploring but was held back by the fact that she had put on a bit of weight. While everyone wonders how a skeleton can become overweight, Honeda uses her magic to transform her body back to its living form, revealing her flabby appearance to them.

Gonda as seen in Plus-Sized Elf episode 6 (Image via Elias)

Naoe teaches her some lower back stretches and exercises, which tone her back. Feeling content and free from her dark feelings as a skeleton, Honeda rests. Everyone feels sad to see her leave so soon, but this stirs emotions in her heart, prompting her to return.

Later, in Plus-Sized Elf episode 6, Elfuda finds a dragon buried in the snow during her walk. She takes the dragon, called Gonda, back to Naoe's place and makes sure she is nice and warm.

Once she is awake, Gonda says she wants to eat and lose weight. Hoping to gain Gonda's treasure, they introduce her to Naoe, who suggests arm swinging and hip rolling exercises to tone her waist and hip muscles. After the exercises, Kuroeda asks for Gonda's treasure, but Gonda gives her dragon gems, which turn out to be decorative marbles, before leaving.

Plus-Sized Elf episode 6 review: What the episode does differently

Kuroeda, Naoe, and Elfuda as seen in Plus-Sized Elf episode 6 (Image via Elias)

With the basic tropes of the show now firmly established, viewers are likely to expect fresh elements and playful twists in the format in every installment going forward. For instance, in the previous episode, the usual dynamic was flipped when Naoe, who typically helps others lose weight, needed help with his own weight loss after he got spellbound.

In Plus-Sized Elf episode 6, the sudden shift to a winter setting, with snow covering everything, felt a bit abrupt. The episode managed to weave this into the plot by having Goneda trapped under the ice. Unfortunately, this shift meant that the Satyr's much-anticipated attempts to have her revenge on Naoe had to be skipped. Hopefully, she will return in a future episode.

The present episode also added depth to Kuroeda's character. Previously, she seemed quite similar to Elfuda, short-tempered and quarrelsome. But now, perhaps because she is a dark elf, she appeared more scheming since she plotted to acquire the dragon's treasure without Naoe's knowledge.

The humor in this episode largely stemmed from stark contrasts. For example, Honeda, despite being a skeleton, claimed she was fat, and Goneda, instead of offering a legendary treasure, handed over worthless stones.