© 若木民喜/みつみ美里・甘露樹(アクアプラス)/16bitセンセーションAL PROJECT
16bit Sensation: Another Layer has spent its last few episodes breaking free from creative stagnation in the face of advancements. The show had some strong, striking things to say about AI-powered automation and widespread corporatization as they affect the arts, especially the bishoujo game genre. These are important statements but it’s important to remember where all this passion comes from. Another Layer has always been a story about creative joy. So after many episodes of despairing about the visual novel industry’s potentially dire future, the anime decides to follow through on the serious, encouraging style it started with.
Eliminating the corporate thugs attacking Konoha and Mamoru was easy enough. Predictably, the UFO that appeared at the end of the last episode was taken over by Echoes, who helped our heroes escape their jam. Their reasons for coming here may not be as easy to guess as they should be. After all, Another Layer has been in the fandom for a long time, so Echo just wanted to get an autograph from Konoha Akisato, the famous game developer, which in the roundabout way of the story makes sense. Konoha and Mamoru were ultimately saved through the impact of their creation, which greatly benefited so many others in this media production multiverse.
Even before seeing Konoha reunite with his Alcohol Soft compatriots and triumphantly complete development on the game, here’s where the ultimate truth about Another’s art and creativity lies. Layer is exposed. As Echo elaborates, imagination is a trait passed through all humans, inherent in their being and their existential community. Artistic ability can be trained and developed in a person according to the extent to which it develops and adapts through technological and generational leaps. However, the ability to imagine is not unique to any particular person. It is the purest, ultimate rejection of the promises of AI “art” for which the series has been so heavily criticized in this final installment: Art and creativity do not need to be “democratized” ”by synthetic technology, without imagination. Everyone has an imagination and should feel free to bring their personal creative expressions into the world.
For that reason, Comic Party becomes the final game opened by Konoha, bringing her back to the place she always tried to get to. Comic Party wasn’t a seismic shock to the media or a cultural meteor like Doukyuusei or Kanon. It’s “just” a fun adventure, full of cute girls made by Misato Mitsumi and Tatsuki Amazuyu, inspired by previous fun times for which they created other works of art . It’s evident in a scene from Konoha’s new game, affectionately titled”Things I Love.” Here, a beautiful, friendly anime girl conveys that a story like this doesn’t have to be an epic; it simply needs to be a story that people want to tell. Just hoping that someone will like it is enough.
I knew I liked what Sensation 16bit was doing and I was used to the seriousness of the series. But this ending still resonates a little harder than I thought it would. It’s admirable to have a series reach the otaku media, especially a corner of the series that is always considered “inferior” by strangers like bishoujo visual novels that are mocked without favor. that feeling of being mistreated. It is said that in the end, love always wins, and Konoha’s story represents a belief in the inevitability of that energy. This final Another Layer episode is presented relatively simply. However, through effective shot composition and some well-timed musical and vocal cues, it becomes an ode to fandom as a source of inspiration. Isn’t that the spirit of visual novels, which tell generational stories through static character drawings and text boxes? For all its classes, the Other Class may not be that strong. But as real as its beliefs are and as represented by Konoha, I feel it’s real enough.
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Di Gi Charat’s Dejiko makes her final appearance, sporting her “Nyo” brand from a giant holographic version of the Akihabara welcome billboard. I actually find it a bit funny that other than this, the only concrete sign of otaku culture returning to Akihabara is Konoha catching a glimpse of the”MILF Cafe” her old boss opened. Full circle! It seemed Mamoru had made his dream come true at the same time as helping Konoha. A refurbished billboard in modern Akihabara advertises”PC98ZX”—presumably the latest version of the PC98 line that has yet to be discontinued. As the tagline proclaims, “It’s the standard.” To commemorate the end of the series, Aniplex released “TRUE END PV,” an official anime music video recounting the journey of Konoha. It’s a fitting foundation for this epic love letter to fans and all the creations that come from it.
16bit Sensation: Another Layer is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Chris mostly knows many of the characters in this VN game from the fighting games they appear in. You can find him musing about any number of gaming, anime and manga topics on the blog, as well as posting way too many screenshots of them for as long as it takes. Twitter allow.
