Animegataris / First Impressions / Snapshots

「エリカ, レイヤーxレイヤー」 (Erika, reiyaa × reiyaa)
“Erika, Layer x Layer”

You know what could really help you sort through these important issues? Akibahara Shopping Spree! While it is fun to see everyone take a stroll around the Akiba strip and discovering merch from shows and movies the series references, a lot of the fun comes from the conversations that happen as they walk about. After Kai discovers merch for his best girl, him and Miko find common ground in his admiration of her knowledge of his best girl’s actions in the light novel. In the process, we also learn about Erika’s penchant for cosplay, and how Minoa will eventually be pressure to join her upon finding out about her bunny costume antics. There are funny moments throughout the episode as well with the girls taking delight in the yaoi teasing that the two boys of the anime club display on-stage, or Miko and Kai discovering their mutual love of a specific series through an intense LN battle scene.

My favorite interaction was the meta analysis of the “Three Episode Rule”. The characters are actually well-versed in the rule as they examine why viewers decide by Episode 3 whether they are hooked on an anime or gave it a big skip, complete with a throwback to the Madoka shocker. Part of me thinks they’re just trying to make us guilty in case we drop Animegataris, but it’s clever moments like these that have me admire their dedication to capturing the spirit of the anime fandom through the group dynamic that these characters have. By having every character reflect on a specific attitude that viewers have about 3-ep-cutting, it provides a funny and genuine approach to anime fandom which shows that the writers are dedicated to understanding the subculture.

The episode’s central conflict and resolution might not follow the cast’s description of marking a turning point for the show after a third episode, but it does hint towards a deeper meaning for why the student council is aggressively trying to dismantle the anime club. For most of the episode, they are slapped with the label of the killjoy authority figures to the point of them pulling a “Stop, we have to get him off-stage before he delivers a truth-bomb” moment that is prevalent in 80’s movies when Kai delivers an inspirational plea for the school to let the anime club do their thing. The supernatural vibes the show has and the ominous feel when their president said “It’s happening again,” makes me think that there is a reason why the student council wants to ban them other than trying to ruin their fun.

While the conflict wasn’t as interesting, I’m getting more and more curious about the characters themselves. Kai had the most development this time around as we see him finding some common ground with Miko, and getting familiar with Minoa. He also showed off his full potential as he took off his glasses to summon up the burst of confidence it took for him to tell everybody how anime inspires him. It’s the bond Minoa had with Kai that also has me thinking that there might be something between them considering that Kai is taken aback with how accepting Minoa is of his quirks as an anime wizard, and actually wants him to tell her more about what he loves about anime. Minoa’s inability to hide her feelings also caught Erika’s attention considering how, until now, she was the only person who was close with Kai. Whether there’ll be some dramatic love triangle or if the show won’t go too far with it will be neat to see develop.

28 Comments

  1. I wasn’t sure if I would be one to stick around after the third episode when I first began watching this but I am glad I am still here. This is a really fun and happy series 🙂

    Please…. please don’t fool me and turn dark!

    Oh Mitty….. oh oh Mitty! Why?? (I am going ta’ need therapy for that)

    Tepenga
    Reply

    1. I wasn’t sure what to make of the series, but it’s been quite a bit of fun so far to watch the characters interact, and see all the references to other anime that they make.

      I’m surprised that they didn’t pull a complete 180 on the plot at the end to adhere to the Three Episode rule, but I’d guess that’d be a good indication that it won’t get too dark.

      Choya
      Reply

    1. I saw in the Past some of this Shows, but the last one “burnout” the Seiyuu’s out, because the Studio also wanted to use them as Idols.. and i do not no if that was an good idea

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

      2. I forgot about the Love Live scene with the empty auditorium. Love Live’s first season was so great that it’s surreal to see how much its inspired pushing seiyuu as potential idol material. It’s good that LL has become a great platform for the members to make music and still take on good anime roles, but with poor direction, it could set seiyuu towards the path of forcing them to dedicate more time into the idol business than anything else like what happened with the Wake Up, Girls

        Choya
        Reply

      3. It was not Love Life, it was an Anime about 3 Seiyuu’s doing their Job in the Studio. As an Side product they also got Radio Shows and even an Music Video.. I do not know now their Status.

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

  4. I’m gonna be honest: if Love Live didn’t pull that “empty auditorium” twist at the end of his third episode, I would not have completed that season! It proved to me that it wasn’t just some happy, cheery show with no threats to the main characters, and that they’ll deal with actual problems. It kind of pulled on the heartstrings too!

    starss
    Reply

  5. Already cut this anime, won’t pick it up again unless I hear that it actually goes somewhere other than just “anime fans are great because anime is great” pandering. Constantly preaching to the choir gets boring as hell.

    cutit
    Reply

    1. So, what you expect? They will rule the World and put all “normal” peoples into Slavery to draw them their Manga and Animes?

      Why not just Slice of Life? Like the girl just want an Club room to share the joy with others? its not enough Action? not enough Boom, Bang!, Pew pew, peng peng?

      Sorry, Pinky and the Brain is out

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

      1. Say what now? I’d have no problem with a slice of life anime about an anime club. What bores me in this is the overblown propaganda about how great anime is and how great it is to be a true anime fan, directed at people who friggin already know all about anime and what it means to be a fan. Being meta for the sake of being meta doesn’t a great show make.

        cutit
        Reply

    2. i’m similarly not too much a fan of ‘anime fandom’ oriented animes, unless they offer some real insight, or come at the topic from an original/creative perspective.

      this appears to do neither (thus far at least).

      grayne
      Reply

    3. I can see how it can get overbearing, especially with the big speech Kai made about why battle anime are so special. He did a poor job applying it to life skills that would ultimately benefit someone’s school life, and justify why it’d work well as an on-campus activity. The “Goku taught me many things” rageface meme did a better job at explaining why being an anime fan would be beneficial to one’s school life than Kai’s battle anime speech that ultimately won everyone over.

      It didn’t impact my enjoyment of the anime, but I can understand why someone would find it to be just preaching to the choir about why an anime fan would think anime is good. Kinda like when people talk about what it means to be a gamer when it’s just a goofy label that doesn’t need to be taken THAT seriously.

      Choya
      Reply

  7. I have no pity for a show that acknowledges the 3 episode rule and yet 3 episodes in does not know what the hell it is doing to keep people interested.

    Is it supposed to be a school club show? A slice of life-ish show for anime otaku? A fantasy show with talking cats, magic hats and mysterious rooms? A mystery show with whatever the hell is going on with the student council’s conspiracy to keep the club from forming? Or whatever the hell is going on with “the impending end of the world” in the shows synopsis?

    At this point I’m going to continue “watching” this show and essentially skimming through for a few more episodes at least not because I’m actually enjoying it but just because I’m so damn curious about where the hell it is all going.

    qwert
    Reply

    1. They’re trying really hard to subtly drop “Madoka-esque” vibes with the talking cat, mysterious beret, and the Student Council President worried about Erika “again”, but I’m hoping it’s all just a bad red-herring. This show doesn’t need some super-serious twist when it can just keep making fun of itself for laughs.

      Aex
      Reply

    2. It did throw me off that with all the talk about how pivotal a 3rd episode is for a show’s direction to become clearer, Animegataris didn’t use its 3rd episode for any such instance. No big twist or cliffhanger; just small subtle hinting and anime club hijinks. Ultimately, it felt like that one show they mentioned people 3-ep-dropped out of sleepiness in its unclear sense of direction even at this point. It’ll be interesting where it goes from here, but it did drop the ball at doing justice to the episode’s 3 episode rule examination.

      Choya
      Reply

  9. Weirdly coincidental they talk about the 3 episode rule and that during the 3rd episode the studio needs to put the bomb to make people curios and continue watching…
    And I think they did just exactly that when the student council girl said “It’s happening again, ain’t it, Erika!”

    That kinda make me curious probably some event has happened to the previous anime club and with that room – and that’s why the student council wanted to close them down. And also that weird talking neko

    ornehx
    Reply

  10. Before I watch this episode I must say I had somewhat of high hopes for this series. Whilst, this is no Genshiken and their ‘The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture’ I think this series is fumbling around with the concept of Anime way too much.

    The show seems to be catering towards viewers who just got into anime or has no idea what Anime is (parents). If you payed any attention to the second episode of Animegataris you would hear a bunch of knock off titles from Kamigusa and kouenji, I ask is this necessary?

    Maybe it’s just me but whenever I watch Animegatris I feel singled out and isolated because Anime is still so…for beginners. Or I could be miss interpreting again and this series is just trying to create a club about anime and using more well known titles of the millennium.

    https://randomc.net/image/Animegataris/Animegataris%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2036.jpg

    Renasayers
    Reply

  11. Ep 04:

    With this Episode, we have introduced the “enemy” of the Anime-club. Well, every Yin needs an Yan. Also just an slice of Life with full of Anime easter egg vibes would be boring with time, right? or would you always see the “Evangelion” memes? (as example)

    But perhaps this is the hidden secret of this Anime, showing that Anime-fans are not “weirdos” Otakus..

    I think this is not an Secret if in this Episode Cosplay Costumes are now the focus. We all know from the OP that the Anime-club president (and episode 03) loves Cosplaying

    Worldwidedepp
    Reply

    1. also…

      some of the Anime-veterans could create some light stories… Like their standard Dramas and other stories

      They consume so many animes, that they receive some “i can smell the lines” skill

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

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