You rated episode 6 of
How is Shy? Community score: 4.5
© 実樹ぶきみ(秋田書店)/SHY製作委員会
I know the Unilord is a mysterious alien with a limited frame of reference for earthly concerns, but she should have given Teru a pair of pants before taking her to the North Pole. The power of fire cannot replace a good pair of foot warmers. More seriously, much of this episode’s plot feels silly, as we take a detour to a remote location when the main thrust of this development is just the introduction of Stigma’s bad army. He can do it anywhere. It’s the super-villain equivalent of “this meeting could have been an email.” Still, I can’t hate a superhero series too much for its unnecessary globe-trotting. That’s part of the fun.
Despite Teru’s best efforts, she continues to meet new people. Karennlong, the hero of China, proves to be a great addition to her worries, as he is also reserved about using his powers to fight. He would rather distribute humanitarian aid than throw hay. Although his issues may appear as a repeat of Teru’s, Shy avoids this by tying them to other anxieties about his gender expectations. His feminine appearance and pacifist tendencies do not fit with traditional masculinity and it makes him uncomfortable. Within the confines of the episode, this detail is mainly the basis for a joke about Teru mistaking him for a girl, but I’d like to see this angle explored more seriously in the future. Gender norms are made to be broken. His power of sleep also fits well with the theme for his supposed arc; they don’t have a particularly manly way of fighting, but we find them effective all the same.
Teru’s other new friend is Tzveta, a soft-spoken girl with icy powers who tries to stab her several times. Fire and ice are a rivalry written in the stars, and Shy emphasizes Tzveta’s mastery of the element with the variety of icebergs, icicles, and spikes she can create. Teru, on the other hand, is still learning how to best burn it, so her fight only goes smoothly thanks to support from Spirit and Karennlong. Like her match with Stardust, the problem is that she’s still out of her depth. This is where we would expect a traditional protagonist to train more and get stronger. However, Teru’s struggle is similar to Karennlong’s; she’s stuck between what she thinks heroes should be like and her highly empathetic personality is easier to get along with. Shy has so far found interesting ways to thread that needle, so I expect that pattern to continue. Plus, I can’t picture Teru doing bench presses.
Another notable point about Tzveta is her supposed connection to Spirit. She calls her by her real name, Pepesha, which allows her to sneak a stone through her chest. The episode doesn’t give us much more than that, however, so I have little to comment on other than a desire to find out what (besides vodka) fuels Spirit. This episode overall doesn’t give us much to ponder. I like the characters it introduces and it opens the door for interesting future developments, but its action-heavy focus doesn’t do much good. Tzveta’s ice queen schtick only goes so far as to feel repetitive, and the series’ visual direction and modest production values can’t match the kinetic energy of bomb superhero anime another ton. The more modest developments in last week’s episode were more in line with Shy’s strengths.
Shy is still figuring out exactly what kind of story he wants to be. Stigma’s introduction to Amarariruku (say that five times fast), at the very least, signals an intention to continue following the basic stereotypes of the genre—an alliance of heroes must be balanced with an alliance of villains. This introduction is also the most important part of the episode. Visually, it harks back to the surreal and nightmarish imagery that accompanied Stigma’s earlier scenes, and narratively it further complicates the central conflict. It’s no longer just a matter of discrimination removing the darkness in people’s hearts. Now we know there are others who are given superpowers but don’t answer to the Unilord. Are they failed heroes or is there something else going on?
Even though getting there seems clumsy, I’m willing to follow Shy on this path. As long as the series doesn’t abandon its psychological angle, I’m perfectly fine with its indulgence in classic superhero content. I also think we have to start following Teru’s harem of female suitors. Iko is clearly her main rival, but Teru easily overcame Piltz’s tsundere defense last week, and now we have Tzveta’s insinuating obsession with Teru “warming up” to her. that. For a girl with crippling social anxiety, she has some pretty strong feelings.
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Shy is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
Steve is on Twitter while it lasted. He’s a shy kid in recovery. You can also see him chatting about trash and treasure on This Week in Anime.