© 硬梨菜 不 涼介 ・ / シャングリラ ・ 」製作 委員会
I’ve praised the program’s visuals without going into too much detail, but one can only repeat a command so many times before it becomes annoying. You don’t need me to tell you that Shangri-La Frontier looks good. So the only time I will show images is if there has been a significant drop in quality or if they have somehow exceeded pre-set expectations. Thankfully, today I’m talking about the latter because it’s quite possibly one of the best anime episodes I’ve ever seen. There’s great choreography, the camera work and subtle character movements are all great. Arthur and Katzo fly everywhere and the action never feels confusing or too indulgent. You see little details like them bouncing around or shifting their weight in specific directions before performing a punch or a jump, and the particle effects on the lasers are just a sight to behold. . Usually, in media like this, you feel discouraged if something is set up but doesn’t happen. I fully expect the boss companion to merge with him in the final fight, but the trade-off for that would be to lessen the importance of the cast’s actions and plans our members. I’m okay with not knowing what the actual final version of this boss looks like because I’m very impressed with how everything comes together in the end.
Speaking of the finale, I don’t think it will be the end of the fight here as the episode only has three minutes left until the team takes care of the boss’s steed. The warning that they must realize that the final attack is tied to the battle’s victory condition is clearly formulated. Sunraku used every skill and special ability he had to execute a perfect counter attack, it was amazing. The final clash resolved the last bit of tension with self-inflicted wounds to satisfy all conditions.
It seems a bit cheap that one of those final reveals is tied to plot twists that could have been foreshadowed better before this episode. Shangri-La Frontier may have shown or discussed the state of its endurance before this battle and then considered it the final straw. However, I think this is a great and satisfying conclusion. The arbitrary ending of the boss and his love passing through a horizon full of flowers is also a lovely touch, symbolizing that they can finally move on.
Postscript. My favorite part of this episode is when Arthur and Katzo are speculating how Sunraku would react if he were accidentally hit by a stray laser. They described him as extremely upset about it for six months but admitted they would do the same if their positions were reversed. That’s real friendship right there.
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Shangri-La Frontier is now streaming on Crunchyroll.