© 2023 Aoi Akashiro, Hangetubansonsyo Project / HERO’S / KAMIKATSU
Last week, it seemed like we were in for a boring anime parody. However, it turns out that this episode of anime“>Kamikatsu She has bigger and worse plans. The show opens with a close up of a concert, where our female cast makes up a full band. Now, let me tell you, if anything anime“>Kamikatsu Could Do To Spit In My Eyes application would be its signature blend of misplaced sarcasm and half-baked animation for a parody of one of my favorite anime genres. However, I shouldn’t be concerned because, at this point, everything about this show is so lethargic that it can’t even manage a half-done parody.
Hell, she can’t even include instruments in it one sceneWhich tells you everything you need to know about animation in this episode. With glaring mistakes like that, there are more moments than ever before of people speaking without moving their lips, and the sound effects are almost constantly wrong. This easily ranks as the worst production the show has put together to date. I’ve gotten to a point where I feel bad for complaining about little things, like the short song the band plays with backing vocals even though the Orals only have a mic. This is a nitpick compared to a half loop that collapses at the seams.
Perhaps because they realize they can’t liven up prom, the episode doesn’t spend time on this particular trick. Which isn’t surprising since this show fails to fully live up to any of its parts (besides the recurring rape jokes! Those are still here!), so there wouldn’t be much to say about how religions use music to sell their faith. anime“>Kamikatsu I spent a month with a sex cult and couldn’t come up with anything more than “what if we make girls horny?” So it’s not like I was expecting some deep dive into Tooth & Nail Records. However, it’s almost disappointing how we immediately abandoned this gimmick, and instead move on to a different topic that still can’t be adequately explored.
To the show’s credit though, it gives this subplot with Gaia more focus and thought than I could have expected. Child abuse and exploitation by religious sects is a serious topic with many angles for discussion. While I don’t think for a moment that the series will have anything insightful to say, it at least serves as material for character development. Yukito’s reasons for saving the children Gaia “adopted” into her own family’s cult are the closest he’s come to becoming a real person in months. While I still don’t find Dakini remotely sympathetic, her agreement to help provides a good way to bring her back into the story. Unfortunately, her return also revives all these “funny” “jokes” about mind-controlled women trying to rape Yukito because someone needs to keep the flame burning until Peter Grill and the Time of the Philosopher yields. This joke was so played that it’s silly to complain about it, and I’m mostly glad the show didn’t do anything inappropriate with real kids when Dakini went on to win them over. It’s a low bar to remove, but still – always showing thanks for the little blessings.
The Gaia subplot is at least a little more involved than Dakini’s, even if none of that drama is enough to rehabilitate the characters or cancel out the tired, repetitive comedy. There’s even a turn at the end that, while not quite enough to make this huge action out of an episode well, held my attention at least for a second. Otherwise, the only thing that would have stuck with me throughout this entire episode is that horrible guitar graphic. Just look at that. Looks like it should be put out.
evaluation:
anime“>Kamikatsu: Working for God in a Godless World Currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
