2.5 Dimensional Seduction

Episodes 1-3

The first three episodes set a light-hearted, comedic tone that mostly works despite the characters' somewhat predictable nature.

As a full disclosure: this series is a bit outside my wheelhouse as a reviewer—series like 2.5 Dimensional Seduction that is light on plot but heavy on flirtatious banter are not my typical fare. That said, I'll try my best to evaluate the series for what it is attempting to do rather than my preferences as much as possible.

The first three episodes really focus on a very small cast. We have Okumura, Ririsa, and Mikari—that's it as far as characters go. Sure, a few other background characters appear now and then, but, by and large, it is just this core trio. And from these two episodes, one thing has become clear: if you don't enjoy the cast, well... that's the entire show.

Personally, I find them interesting enough but a bit flat. Okumura and Ririsa exhibit the show's best strengths in their comedic timing and expressive reactions. These really make them endearing personalities to watch, with lots of charming little back-and-forth exchanges in their conversations. Mikari does not get as many opportunities to be funny—instead falling into more typical fanservice situations and facilitating flashbacks. Again, for the type of show, this is pretty standard stuff, but her flashbacks are mostly about Okumura—and don't give Mikari much personality beyond "childhood friend with a secret crush,"—so she seems like more of a blank slate.

The voice acting is particularly good in this show. All of the seiyuu give energetic performances. It was a bit distracting at first because they were in such mundane situations, but the energy was palpable, and in no time, I was chuckling along with every absurd line delivery. They lean all the way in on these line reads, and it is a core part of the appeal to have such passionate reactions to every event.

That said, there's not a whole lot else here that I find appealing. I don't get much out of these cheeky explorations of otaku culture, and all these characters being high schoolers is… not something I enjoy—especially the fanservice parts. Perhaps it is more appealing if you are also in their age group and enjoy the escapades of local manga clubs. Even the otaku obsession bits felt very surface level with banter about: "Well, the OVA should get a new release cause it has this one legendary scene" or "This is the costume from the cover of a certain volume." It's relatable but a bit generic. Maybe future episodes can go deeper.

Similarly, it's hard to get invested in the characters beyond the comedic bits. They are very tropey, and the events follow a predictable rhythm. My enjoyment was carried exclusively by the comedy beats and voice actors' performances. The rest of the show is perfunctory at this point, but that could also be a function of this being the first two episodes; maybe with time, more cast members and character dynamics can create complexity. Time will tell.

The third episode is particularly worrying for my enjoyment going forward. Nearly the entire runtime is rather obvious jokes and setups that don't really work for me. There's very little sense of an outside world or responsibilities, just three school kids acting out the same old setups in a one-room purgatory. I really hope we at least get a broader view of the cos-rom scene or outside responsibilities sometime soon because, right now, it's all very rote.

Episode 1: Rating:

Episode 2: Rating:

Episode 3: Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

2.5 Dimensional Seduction is currently streaming on HIDIVE.