Dusk Beyond the End of the World [Season 1 Episode 10]

Dusk Beyond the End of the World: Episode 10 – When Science Fiction Forgets Its Own Plot

Let’s cut to the chase: Dusk Beyond the End of the World Episode 10 is a mess. Not the “so bad it’s funny” mess, but the kind that makes you stare at your screen and go, “Wait, did the writers even watch their own show?” For a series that started with a promising premise—Akira waking up 200 years after cryosleep in a dystopia run by the authoritarian OWEL—this episode feels like a last-minute homework assignment scribbled during lunch.

First, let’s recap what we’re supposed to care about: Akira is a fish-out-of-water teen trying to find his missing cousin Towasa, who’s somehow linked to Yugure, an android with Towasa’s face. OWEL’s “Elsie” system replaces marriage with group partnerships, and the world’s a post-war ruin where AI and human control collide. Cool setup, right? But Episode 10 throws all that out the window to focus on… Towasa’s old science project.

The big reveal? Towasa invented “femtoblood,” a tech that merges human and AI cells. But here’s the kicker: She did it because she got shot and couldn’t have kids. So instead of, I don’t know, adopting or using IVF (which existed before the apocalypse, by the way), she decided to create a global mind-control virus. Oh, and then she uploaded her consciousness into Yugure. Because why not?

Fans on MyAnimeList are roasting this logic. One user ranted, “My first major invention went horribly wrong, so I’ll create Skynet and unstoppable androids—all filed under ‘just trying to help’!” Another added, “Did she dress her androids too? Maybe it’s a good thing she didn’t have kids.” Preach. Towasa’s turn from “genius cousin” to “mad scientist who dooms humanity” is so abrupt, it’s like the writers forgot she was supposed to be a sympathetic character.

Then there’s the pacing. The episode spends 15 minutes explaining femtoblood’s “science” (read: buzzwords like “organic AI integration” thrown at a wall) but skips over why this matters. We’re told femtoblood caused the AI wars, but we never see the wars. We’re told OWEL banned it, but OWEL’s goons spend more time bickering than enforcing rules. It’s like the show’s worldbuilding is a game of telephone—each episode mumbles a new detail, and by Episode 10, no one remembers the original story.

And don’t get me started on the characters. Akira, who was once confused but curious, now just stares blankly while Yugure spouts exposition. Amoru, the 12-year-old (yes, 12) with a crush on Akira, is reduced to a prop who gasps, “Towasa-san was a scientist?!” as if she didn’t watch Episode 0 where Towasa’s genius was established. Even OWEL’s androids—Yoiyami and Hakubo—are MIA, which is a shame because their catfight with Yugure in Episode 9 was the only fun part of the season.

The worst part? The episode ends with a “cliffhanger” that no one asked for. Akira finds a hidden lab with Towasa’s old notes, and Yugure drops this bombshell: “The real enemy isn’t OWEL—it’s the femtoblood itself.” Cue dramatic music. But fans aren’t buying it. One comment summed it up: “This show keeps meandering back to pointless tangents. Just tell us why Towasa went crazy!”

Look, I wanted to like Dusk Beyond the End of the World. PA Works has done great stuff like Aquatope on White Sand, but this feels like a cash grab. The animation’s still pretty—sunset over the ruins of Tokyo looks cool—but pretty doesn’t fix a plot that’s falling apart. Episode 10 is a reminder that even the best premises can crash and burn if the writers stop caring.

If you’re a completionist, watch it. But if you value your time? Skip to the end credits. You won’t miss anything except a lot of confused stares and a plot that’s lost its way.

Final Verdict: 2/10. Save your brain cells for something that remembers its own characters.

— A fan who’s this close to dropping the series.