Shangri-La Frontier

Episode 24

This episode technically didn't resolve any of the issues I brought up last week. In fact, in some ways, you could argue it's actually a little bit worse because Sunraku is pretty much completely by himself and spends twenty minutes revisiting the same area over and over again. This is the definition of a stilted plot. So why did I enjoy this episode a lot more than last week—despite it playing into the same issues that I brought up? Because this episode leaned into a lot of the show's strengths—tapping into what it means to be a gamer who likes to explore and experiment in a new area.

The whole idea of exploiting a cheat or a weakness in a game system is an addictive feeling. It's almost like our brains are hardwired to try to optimize things as effectively as possible—so we'll always try to look for the loophole in a situation. Video games are as the perfect setting to look for these exploits. Seeing Sunraku take advantage of the crystal's scorpions' tendency to swarm and combining that with a potential oversight that came with the new inventory system he acquired was a lot of fun. I've seen a very similar exploit used in a variety of open-world RPGs. Last week, we were going up against the boss, and while that also played into a similar idea of looking for exploits, it felt a little bit too easy because we've seen Sunraku take down bosses bigger and stronger. But here, I think it helps that Sunraku was immediately overwhelmed, forcing him to come up with a plan that didn't exclusively rely on his physical skills alone.

That's what I want—just some variety that still plays into the overall theme of the show. If you are going to downplay the stakes after a major revelation, or if you want me to forget about those big plot points that you introduced, at least show me something inventive and entertaining. It also helps that I was laughing my butt off through the majority of the episode due to how insane Sunraku was getting as he spiraled down that hole of frustration that I know all too well. Even though I could see some of the jokes coming from a mile away—like the final one about not being able to grab the stinger in time—the voice acting for Sunraku sells the scene. Still, we only have so much time left—and with this episode not ending on any definitive point, it makes me wonder on what note the show is going to end.

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Shangri-La Frontier is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.