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「獅竜、共闘」 (Shi Ryuu, Kyoutou)
“The Lion and the Dragon Unite”
Oh boy if there was ever a showcase of SnS’s, erm, uniqueness, this episode would be it. We got the speedbump fights, the sacrificial enemies, the confusing and ungrounded game mechanics, and—oh yes—the usual relationship infighting with entirely predictable outcomes. Harsh though it may sound, this week was truly the perfect storm of everything problematic with SnS, and the show went all in on every single point.
While having been brought up before, this week threw back the veil on one of my biggest pet peeves with SnS: just who the hell is the enemy? A big baddie being kept waiting in the wings is understandable for longevity mind you, but just what was the purpose of our united guild duo? Never once were their reasons for actually wanting Asahi explained, and while I can get behind delusions of utopia and creating a perfect world (if being entirely forgettable), never once were they elaborated on or those obvious ulterior motives discussed (see the moment before blondie’s death). In the end both just existed for the sake of saying they existed, although I’ll give some credit to our dude in red armour: that was a hilariously impressive bit of head on motorboating.
Part of my bewilderment this week though may stem from the fact SnS can no longer hide the fact its game world is, for all intents and purpose, just a name. It’s been a running concern for a while now, but beyond initial appearances there is no real depth to anything game-related mentioned. The guilds are the biggest example in this case considering their lack of any noticeable ties to the story, but magic and its use really made its presence felt here. Just what are the Senses, where are they drawing their impressive powers from, and what are the boundaries on this power? It’s one thing to have wildly amazing abilities (and often it what is drives this type of story), but damn is it too much to ask to place them in context with the setting? A mana pool, HP bars, hell even some shounen-esque measure of power difference between people? The stuff may look cool in practice, but even with its story importance you need something to ground these abilities or in the end it’s just a bunch of story-specific jargon without any of the fluff required to properly explain it away.
Now to be fair there’s still time for SnS to give an explanation or two, although whether we reach that point before season’s end remains to be seen. From events this week it’s now known that awakening refers to each Subaru member’s Sense ability and that one of the missing members (Clive) was seemingly involved in the Asahi kidnapping attempt along with our recurring unknown in Elicia. Given the flashback supports the idea of someone wanting to utilize Asahi’s Sense outside of “normal” conditions this is an intriguing revelation because it suggests that one or more members Subaru may be involved in Asahi’s current state. Probably not deliberately mind you (that would be one meaty twist), but via family and other friends? Definitely possible. With the Subaru Senses being the key (in part) to rescuing Asahi and Clive apparently knowing what’s going on, I wouldn’t put it past one or both missing members to understand what’s required. It would certainly one way of tying up some of these loose plot ends.
Whether we get any of those answers in the upcoming beach episode, well, that (and quite a few other choice things) we’ll just have to wait and see on.
Preview
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I think Takanori is a classic example of tsundere guy. He still claims haruto as his enemy for love of asahi but deep inside that moment they teamed up it is already clear that they are definitely friends again. Anyway we see Clive doing something in background but where is their summoner nozomi? 6 episode in and another 6 is left and we are yet to see her. And the very spoiling OP… There are still a number of characters that are yet to be revealed. Those shady characters with cloaks, and that “looks like asahi” but seemingly evil due to her dark colors. Who are they. This show is adding more question than answers. Probably the weak part of SnS is they lack the the time to play out the story in detail. This episode seemed to be rushed but could have been better if expanded.
As an addon, its possible that it was Clive who has hand on whats happening around Asahi. And probably the big bad. In OP there’s a guy seemingly weak and is in a hospital. I feel like that would be Clive. I think he is trying to make Asahi manifest her ability outside the game to find a cure for his disease by “looking into the future”
I liked how Satsuki used up almost all of her power, is worried about losing again, and was at the point where she could at most summon one more elemental. Unless she summoned six of them at once. And the six were the elemental kings, whatever that means. Apparently it could be construed as being an eager servant. Added bonus, now nobody needs to worry about the anti-elemental magic that the guild ostensibly employed. This episode was just one dumb thing after another, so there’s no point in even trying to catalogue it all.
The only part that was kind of fun was when Angelus reassured his erstwhile partner in crime that he had a plan, and then stabbed him with a spell.
I haven’t really enjoyed this show but I was thinking that maybe it might delve somewhat into the meaning of life, using Asahi’s unique circumstances. Oft times, shows do some things poorly but other things well, so I was kind of hoping that beneath the mounds of dross there might be something worth seeing. Alas, it’s looking like this story will be more banal than I imagined it even could be (and that’s in addition to being a train wreck story).
in a well written story, even minor villains we encounter first often get interesting stories
here our short-lived antagonists didnt even warrant pre-mortem rant about thier motives
regarding Senses, they seem to be individual traits depending on very attitude of player involved (soul?)
most players have some common form but the strongest are unique, and here we had what can be achieved when game-breaking combo of such is used
I am disappointed in the show but I’m gonna continue to watch because I am interested in teased mian villains (corporation running the game?) and what exactly they did to Asahi… and if somehow can she be resurrected in the real world?