Shangri-La Frontier

Episode 22

This is one of those episodes that's difficult to write a review about because it consists mostly of characters moving from point A to point B. Sunraku thinks he's found a workaround for achieving his next objective and it requires leveling up Emul's sister Bilac. However, they need some key materials to accomplish this and those materials also conveniently line up with what Sunraku already needs for a side quest given by the boss rabbit.

I like Bilac as a character because she has a lot more fire than Emul (who feels quite passive). Although I like the running gag in this episode about how Emul seems to be adopting a little bit of Sunraku's mannerisms. It makes me wonder how old she is supposed to be. Is she an impressionable child or is this just a simple case of people starting to act like the friends they keep?

The action was also on point with a very strong emphasis on slow-motion fluidity. There were some moments where I felt like I was watching a movie directed by Zack Snyder and you could feel the impact of the blows. There are also a lot of good callbacks in this episode—both in universe and out. My favorite bit in the entire episode was the 8-bit animated sequence of the characters walking from town to town with arcade-style background music.

We're also reminded about the curse that's been placed on Sunraku and the unexpected utility that it brings. While it does extensively force him to play the game on hard mode, it also makes him immune to less powerful curses—which, in turn, allows him to traverse areas that are prone to leaving small-yet-prolonged curses on players with no ill effects. Again, I like little moments like this where you can strategically take advantage of one aspect of a game to make another aspect easier. But overall, that's pretty much it. There's some nice setup here and some cute moments but this feels like nothing more than a transitional episode. With this season almost over, I can only hope that we get a bit more to chew on soon.

Rating:

Shangri-La Frontier is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.