Shangri-La Frontier

Episode 11

The first half of this episode perfectly sums up why I loved Shangri-La Frontier and why life-threatening stakes aren't always necessary to make an appealing story. Stumble upon hidden quests, fight overpowered bosses, discover brand new weapons ahead of the player's level, etc. All these things are part of why open-world RPGs are so enthralling. When you watch good media, whether a video game or an anime, sometimes you get so wrapped up in the world that you don't care that it's not real. When the Chief Rabbit forges these weapons while singing that song with a beautiful score in the background, I don't care that I am ostensibly watching a cut scene because my curiosity and investment into this world supersede any immersion-breaking thoughts. When they pull up the interface and realize they can't use the weapon at all, that reality comes crashing down, but I can't help but laugh.

This episode was more set up. There are a lot of indirect nods to the meaning of this mysterious encounter and how it's most likely an undead NPC with tragic lore. This would be a perfect opportunity to blend the world's lore into something that would impact the real world because Arthur is planning something. This fight is about much more than gaining experience points or bragging rights based on the brief moment we caught of Aurthur by herself in previous episodes. This episode was good enough that it reignited my excitement towards the series.

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Shangri-La Frontier is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.