Shy Season 2

Episode 16

Let me start by saying that I must have double-checked the word a dozen times, and I still misspelled Amarariruku in last week's review. And yes, I did so even after making a joke about it in my author's blurb at the end. That wasn't a bit. That was entirely my own dumbassery. I have failed you all. But if Shy is about anything, it's about accepting one's own weaknesses and soldiering onward regardless—because that's the right thing to do. So I will take that lick and keep on trucking. Seriously, though, would it have killed Stigma to choose less of a tongue-twister? He truly is a supervillain.

Anyway, the first half of the episode wraps up Ai's introduction and it's cute. She shows off her shinobi prowess, Tokimaru reveals more of his backstory and motivations, and Ai reaffirms her commitment to “save the soul” of her counterpart in Amarariruku. The most interesting part here is her spiel about rocks having hearts. Hearts, obviously, are really important in Shy's cosmology. They're the source of everyone's powers—and thematically, they're also the source of everyone's insecurities. Ai doesn't have a pair of magic bracelets but she can tune into the frequencies of inanimate objects like her sword and skipping stones. It's akin to the Shintoist concept in which inanimate objects can contain the same “divinity” that people do and Teru's empathy helps her pick up on it quickly. This idea should be something to look out for as this arc progresses.

The meeting between the adults gives us a glimpse into another side of Unilord's team, although I hesitate to call it a more mature side. That being said, Century is definitely the dad of the group. He's more or less the “newest” addition to the superhero bunch, since he didn't get a lot of screen time last season. He's also pretty boring but that makes sense to me. The American concept of the superhero is the default concept in the wider public sphere (as well as the concept Shy draws the most from), so it stands to reason that Century is going to drive his SUV down the middle of the road. In context, I think he works as a counterweight to Pepesha's and Stardust's eccentricities. Given that all of the other heroes have at least hinted at some personal trauma or tragedy driving them, however, I'm curious to find out what he's got going on under the hood. It can't all be cargo pants and hamburgers.

My favorite part of the episode comes after Amarariruku deploys yet another evil orb, this time in Tokyo. As Unilord gathers her champions, she appoints Teru to lead the infiltration team. Teru accepts this new responsibility with poise and grace—i.e. she has a mini panic attack. Thankfully, Piltz comes to her rescue with sage advice about the nature of leadership. A good leader doesn't do everything by themselves. A good leader is someone who understands their own shortfalls and assembles a team that can make up for them. I love this because it goes against so much contemporary propaganda that lionizes leaders as infallible geniuses. That's bullshit! Leadership is about having the soft skills and emotional intelligence to effectively manage a diverse group of people. It is, genuinely, something Teru has the aptitude for, and we can see it in the way she timidly yet firmly confronts Century with her concerns. Plus, I think it's good to have some anxiety in her position. She's going to take the job seriously.

Unsurprisingly, Ai also inserts herself into the center of the upcoming battle. Whatever her relationship with Utsuro is (right now I'm betting on her being Ai's long-lost and/or dead twin), that connection is the thread Teru and her allies will have to follow. She was only able to defeat Tzveta by supporting Pepesha, so it stands to reason this conflict will be similar. I also think it's charming that Iko got dragged into the space station again. She truly is in the story to fulfill the traditional girlfriend role, giving Teru some words of encouragement before she struts cautiously with her chosen team members into her next mission.

I also took this opportunity to check out the English dub, which I forgotneglected to do last season. It's good! Veronica Laux's Teru sounds like she's always 20 milliseconds away from bursting into tears on the spot, and that's exactly how it should be. The rest of the main cast do a similarly good job matching the comedic and heroic beats of their characters. If I have one note, I would have liked the dub to lean harder into the show's international cast of crime fighters. Aaron Campbell gives Stardust an English accent, but the rest of the cast sounds unmistakably American. I think that's a missed opportunity. Arknights, for example, has gotten pretty good about this. If they're dubbing a character from their equivalent of Germany, then they might recruit a German-American actor, or they'll let another actor lean hard into a German accent. Obviously, there's a fine line to walk here without descending into cultural stereotypes, but Shy's tone certainly lends itself to some campiness. I mean, Pepesha, the Russian hero, carries a bottle of vodka everywhere. I think there's room for a little silliness.

Rating:

Shy Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Steve is on Twitter while it lasts. If he has misspelled "Amarariruku" anywhere in the above review, you have permission to rub it in his face. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.