© Johan Project
It feels like this spin-off buried Valve a bit. This is probably a strange thing to say when we immediately start out with a different, dynamic world than the original anime“>love life! sunrise!!but with a full month’s worth of episodes under their belt, Sunlight in the mirror It revealed itself to be a much larger leap than what a reasonably well-founded premiere might lead you to expect. I know I Certainly did not expect a anime“>Symphogear-Skuya team battle against the forces of evil after that premiere at least.
Let’s start a little out of order and talk about how much of a deviation this whole episode is. Sure, the OP told us Chika will have a gun and Dia has a motorcycle, but she left out that the motorcycle flies and Chika’s entire family is part of a secret vigilante team fighting the dark magic that threatens Numazu. This is a wilder place to take these familiar characters, and it’s exactly the kind of comic I was hoping to see from this show. anime“>love life! It’s always had madcap comedy in its DNA, and since the characters aren’t even tied to real-world manifestations of physics or technology anymore, they can come up with wild ideas and slapstick performances that wouldn’t have worked with even the fantasy fancy of your typical school idol story. There’s just no way the original Akours could have gotten away with shooting Yohane out of a cannon in the original continuity without anyone going to jail.
Although that’s not the only interesting change, a genre shift makes room for it here. One of those unavoidable parts of the entire premise of School Idol was that all of the characters effectively have the same goal and ambition. Sure, they have distinct personalities and custom motivations, but in the end, everyone’s big goal was to win the titular idol competition. Now that script has flipped, as every Accor girl fills her niche on the laid-back streets and beaches of Numazu. Giving these familiar characters new and varied roles allows them to express themselves in a new light that’s rewarding for existing fans, but also engaging on their own. Yes, it is endearing to acknowledge Mary’s role as the sole “Demon Lord” as a cry for the loneliness and guilt that tormented her in sunriseThe first season. Still, even without that context, it’s nice to see Johan, an outcast herself, inadvertently break through Marie’s defenses and make a real connection with her – and utterly heartbreaking when she fumbles that connection by hiding behind her own defenses.
That wrinkle is key to making this entire show work: Yohane, and her insecure, unproductive ego. Its original iteration was always a lovable loser, but the dynamic has always changed slightly. in sunriseMany jokes about Yohane are built around everyone just ignoring her chuuni antics, always being buoyed by the knowledge that they care about her, even if they refuse to be contacted by her fallen angel. Code name. Here, Johan is still insecure and alone, but instead of setting herself apart with a fanciful secret life, she desperately strives to be a star, to be a fortune teller, or to have something special that will make her feel confident enough to take on the small town she didn’t feel comfortable in when She was a child.
This has always been at the heart of OG Yohane, but without the comedy undercutting the sentiment, it lands it to much greater effect. Maybe because I grew up anime“>Naruto. The image of a lonely child trying not to cry on an isolated swing set has a Pavlovian effect on me, but Johan remembering her loneliness while working on building a new, more welcoming swing for the next generation made me cringe a little. This is impressive, because Johan was previously well-liked by the 30th Candidate anime“>love life! a personality. It’s an indication of how this spin-off isn’t just resting on its laurels and existing fanbase.
While it is difficult to call anything a franchise This big, successful gamble is still the furthest IP he’s ever caught, even if he’s been hedging that bet with familiar characters. So it’s gratifying to see that they stick to a few without losing the sense of humor and honesty that makes this whole mess work. This could easily be a wacky side series full of jokes and fan serviceand I probably would have enjoyed it, but what we have here is much more powerful and attractive.
Also, I swear to God, if all the bleak looks surrounding Lailaps make her die at the end of this, I swear-
evaluation:
anime“>Yohane the Parhelion-SUNSHINE IN THE MIRROR Currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
