The following contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Management of a Novice Alchemist, "A Monster Appears," now streaming on HIDIVE.
Management of a Novice Alchemist is a brand-new anime title of the Fall 2022 anime season -- a vaguely isekai-style story that's all about Sarasa Feed's new mission to open an alchemy shop and run a proper business in a remote rural town. It won't be easy, but Sarasa has some serious skills on her side and now, some serious friends, too.
Sarasa felt like a total outsider when she arrived in the town in Episode 2, but that didn't last long. She found a friend in Lorea, and during a moment of crisis in Episode 3, Sarasa forms her first real adventurer team -- the same team anime fans saw in the Novice Alchemist trailers a few weeks ago. This is where the real adventure begins.
Episode 3 brings together the main girl squad in an unusual fashion. Rather than crossing paths during an adventure out in the wilds, the four main girls -- Sarasa, Lorea, Kate and Iris -- meet during a medical emergency in Sarasa's alchemy shop. Just moments prior, the blue-haired swordswoman Iris suffered serious wounds just outside town, and Andre, a gatherer, found her and brought her to the shop. Now, Sarasa must show off her medical expertise as an alchemy novice, and she delivers instant results.
Even if she feels nervous and anxious on the inside, she can externally keep her cool and efficiently serve as a doctor to save Iris' life. Sarasa gives everyone else a few basic orders while administering care to the injured Iris, and within moments, Sarasa heals Iris' nasty wounds, including reattaching a severed arm. Kate and Iris deeply thank Sarasa for the help, even if it comes with a stiff medical bill.
The four girls are now friends, but it takes another crisis for Sarasa, Lorea, Kate and Iris to become a true "cute girls doing cute things" squad. That crisis is the arrival of hellflame grizzlies -- fire-based bears who go on a frenzied rampage in Episode 3. These beasts are a serious threat to the town and all gatherers in the area, so Sarasa takes charge and gathers her new friends, along with the townsfolk, to help. Sarasa, Iris and Kate set an excellent example when they take charge of the town's defenses, while the non-combatant Lorea takes cover in the alchemy shop.
The stakes are high, but these girls are best friends in the making, and they prove it when they lead the counterattack against the hellflame grizzlies and dispatch them all. Often in anime, it takes just one shared battle for survival to bring strangers or loose acquaintances together as friends, and the same is true here. After that shared experience, the girls are an official team, and they have much to offer one another.
Episode 3 not only establishes the main squad but also showcases what each of these characters can do and expands upon Management of a Novice Alchemist's combat system. This isn't a pure action series like Demon Slayer or Chainsaw Man, but rather a balanced series where small businesses, wilderness exploration, medieval action and the power of friendship all blend together in a wholesome, inspiring narrative. This helps make the anime feel multi-faceted and nuanced, and the new squad of friends represents this balance well. Kate and Iris are brave warriors while Sarasa is a warrior, small business owner and a clever alchemist all in one, and Lorea is a model employee and friend. These four girls are a core sample of what makes Management of a Novice Alchemist what it is.
This makes it wonderfully clear that the power of friendship is very real in this optimistic anime, and it promises to deliver laughs, inspiring moments and fun, squad-based action sequences now that the four main girls are an official team. Episode 3 marks a turning point where Sarasa has gone from an outsider to a key part of her community, and this girl squad is her own mini-community that drives the story forward. Whatever happens next, Sarasa and the rest will surely face it as a team, learning how to better support one another as both business professionals and best friends.