Sagrada Reset

Episode 11

Well that was an exceptionally useless episode of Sagrada Reset. I realize that's a low bar to clear at this point, but this show has become ambitious in its capacity for dullness. Why not treat us to an episode where Haruki spends five whole minutes picking out what to eat at a bakery?

So this week is dedicated to Haruki's day off, which is as boring as it sounds. This is a heroine so passive that I barely have to mention her while recapping the show. What can she possibly get up to when Kei – the person she has dedicated her entire life to – isn't around? The answer is: not much.

First she tries to make friends with that girl with cat powers from about six episodes back. It's a successful bit, but pretty awkward in that they just end up talking about What Constitutes Friendship in the most coldly abstract terms for like ten straight minutes. This feels like it was written by someone who's never had a friend and has to approach writing it by referring to the Wikipedia article. You're two teenagers hanging out. You're already friends. It's not that hard. Why does everyone in this show act like a weird robot who's never socialized before? That is, everyone except for the girl who can turn into a ghost, Mirai, the show's token Person Who Can Socialize Normally. You know, if her ghost powers hadn't been established already, I'd assume that Being Able to Talk Like a Regular Human was her ability. Truly a rare skill in the town of Sakurada.

The second half of the episode consists of her manipulating Haruki into doing something kind of not awkward. It's still pretty awkward, but there's only so much you can do about these people. Basically, Mirai's trying to push Haruki and Kei together by secretly coaching the two of them from the shadows. Her plan is to get Haruki to bring him a treat while he's sick, in the process getting Kei to express a human need by asking Haruki to bring him some snacks. This is difficult since Haruki possesses zero initiative on her own, and the show will never allow Kei to express human vulnerability. Mirai eventually tells Kei to request snacks because it would make Haruki happy to feel useful. This, of course, feeds into Haruki's horrible problem of tying her self-worth to her utility to Kei. It's pretty gross that the show continues to frame this as the crux of their romance.

By the end of this episode, Haruki has made a For Real Official Friend and reaffirmed her debilitating dependence on Hero-kun. I'm sick of these frustrating idiot teenagers. Who wanted a show where every single character (except for Mirai) is Rei Ayanami? It looks like things will happen next week, at least. Will our heroes face consequences for bringing a person back to life? God I hope so.

Grade: C-

Sagrada Reset is currently streaming on Amazon's Anime Strike.