Shy Season 2

Episode 20

Stardust stares down Stigma and Ai crosses katanas with Mai during the dual duels in this week's chapter of Shy. This is a far more focused episode than the previous one and I like it a lot better, too.

Stardust's scrap with Stigma is a solid piece of superhero action/storytelling. The opening is actually hilarious; we see the whole world watching with reverent glee as a grown man punches a child in the face. I thought that was going to be Stigma's angle at first—bad PR—and I'm a little disappointed that his stated goal, fear, is so rote and nebulous. I know archvillains relish the chance to be mysterious and aloof but I'd like to see Stigma become less of a cipher already. On the other hand, though, I love that his battle-damaged form reveals him to be literally hollow inside. This is a reflection of his own heartlessness (in contrast with the heart-fueled powers of Teru and her allies) but I wonder if this is also an acknowledgment of his shallow brand of supervillainy. Maybe Shy has more devilish plans for this dapper lad.

For now, the kinematics of this battle are fun. Stigma, unsurprisingly, isn't much of a brawler, so he makes the easily spooked specter Quabala get her ectoplasm hands dirty instead. Allegiances aside, she's a horror movie fan, so she's okay in my book. I also like how her gimmick plays off Stardust's. His power, you might recall, repels everyone away from him. Quabala, however, can reflect the damage done to her onto him, bypassing Stardust's defenses. These are complementary metaphors for psychological harm; Stardust walls himself off from people to avoid getting hurt, yet his capacity to be callous to others can backfire and harm him regardless. These are some of the “weaknesses” that Teru awakened his senses to. Stardust isn't impervious. Nobody is. But the conviction to persist in spite of that weakness is where true strength lies.

Yeah, that's a little hokey, but it works! This is where Shy's adaptational strengths come into play because the music, boarding, animation, and voice acting all come together to make Stardust's big powerup feel appropriately bombastic. I especially love that his special move traces a big star around his enemy. That's a well-done slice of superhero schmaltz, and it's nice to confirm I'm not completely immune to those charms when they're executed adeptly and confidently.

Inside the sphere, Ai and Teru struggle against Mai's malice. Here, I really like the added context Mai provides about the literally cutthroat environment she and her sister grew up in. Since she's a villain, it's tempting to dismiss her words as pointed exaggerations meant to upset Ai—but I think it's far more likely that Ai's naivete blinded her to the realities of the shinobi way. I thought her flashback felt rather toothless and Mai all but confirms that this week. That's a smart development. Now, we can infer that Mai, as the elder twin, most likely shielded her sister from that violence out of the compassion we heard Ai ascribe to her. She was a good person but the kindness and killings took their toll on her—and Stigma managed to coax that exhaustion into resentment towards her village and family. Mai's heart was harmed psychologically and emotionally, so she wounded her sister's heart physically to reflect that.

Ai, too, demonstrates that she's a product of her upbringing, as she falls back on her conditioning and runs Mai through with her blade. A villain manipulating a hero into sullying themselves is hardly novel but the familial context gives weight to the stakes here. I want to see both sisters come out okay. And however I expected this episode to end, it certainly wasn't with the twins merging into a single kitsune-like creature. That's an intriguingly weird development and I can't wait to see how Teru handles it.

As a final note, I'm tickled to hear Shinichirō Miki singing that Bowie-style rock song for the Stardust-themed ED. I think the last time I heard him sing was on the Koimonogatari opening. He has a nice voice! I need a full album of him crooning old man songs.

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.