Shy Season 2

Episode 18

Prepare for the trolley problem like you've never seen it before! (Spoilers: you've seen it like this before.) Kufufu doesn't win many points for ingenuity here, but I still like this jester and the scene she instigates. By and large, it's an excuse for Teru to put forward her best Tobey Maguire impression and recreate the subway-stopping scene from Spider-Man 2. That's arguably the most iconic moment from the best film in that trilogy, and it tracks well onto Teru's burst of courage and delegation. It's not simply about her becoming stronger; it's about her astute decision-making under pressure.

I really like how focused this arc has been on Teru's "soft" leadership skills. That's not atypical for the superhero genre, but the storytelling feels especially grounded and natural here. It's not as if Teru is suddenly powering up when the fight requires it. She's acting as a facilitator, utilizing the intuition and thoughtfulness she had already demonstrated. The only difference is that she has a team now.

In this case, however, it's all for naught because there was never any danger anyway. Kufufu, in true trickster fashion, punked them all. While I typically think this kind of "lul xD" behavior walks a very fine line between acceptable and obnoxious, Kufufu continues to charm me. Her balance of mania and edginess just feels right. For example, take her affection towards that pile of blue goo that may or may not be the remains of Tzveta. It looks ridiculous on the surface, yet there's also a twinge of genuine despair and denial within her prancing and rambling. That's what Pepesha picks up on. As with the last episode's pairing of Doki and Mianlong, this is a thematically appropriate showdown. Both Pepesha and Kufufu have been processing the grief of losing Letana/Tzveta, and intentionally or not, they might end up helping each other get through it.

Incidentally, I also like these reminders of how goopy and formless Amarariruku's aesthetic/identity is. Kufufu has a bond with a sentient pile of slime. Stigma makes his victims cry tar and sprout ugly black crystals. Doki looks like a scaly dragon, yet loves fluffy things. And now there's an evil angel. Taken together, these disparate details reinforce that Amarariruku is a collection of individuals more so than a unified team (Kufufu straight-up says she doesn't care what Utsuro is doing). Therefore, it stands to reason they might not all be as committed to the supervillain schtick as Stigma is, which Ai picks up on. Teru has already helped Iko overcome his influence, and we've seen Pepesha give Tzveta peace in his soul. It's been subtextually evident for a while that Amarariruku is made up of broken people who need salvation, but it doesn't hurt to throw that into the text itself now and then. Come to think about it, these heroes seem to have their fair share of psychological and emotional hangups as well. I wonder if that means anything.

Anyway, the second half of the episode takes us into Ai's past as she regales the team on Mai's betrayal and destruction of her hometown. There aren't too many surprises here, although I expect we'll soon see Mai's side of the story, which should add some heft. As Ai tells it, Mai's dissatisfaction with the shinobi way of life, which she sees as outmoded and regressive in modern society, becomes a disaffection that Stigma preys on with his usual bag of tricks. Mai's feelings are justified, and we don't bear witness to anything wrong with her more peaceful way of life. However, Stigma's whole thing is twisting legitimate grievances into destructive ones. He believes he's helping the people he reaches out to, but the problem, which this episode reiterates, is that his (and Amarariruki's) manner of thinking is too childish. Tantrums aren't solutions.

The wounded bird is the strongest metaphor here. Ai's gut reaction is to ignore it, which is consistent with the shinobi village's philosophy of isolationism. Nevertheless, her conscience gets the better of her, and she nurses it back to health with Mai's help. It's an act that has nothing to do with their hometown, twin swords, or ninjutsu. It's a basic act of kindness that brings two sisters a little closer together. Towards the end of the tale, Ai, like the bird, receives a grave chest wound, only this time Mai is the culprit. However, Ai doesn't have to deal with that alone, either. Tokimaru, Teru, and the others are there to give her another chance to heal with her sister.

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.