How do you rate episode 20 of
Shy (TV 2) ? Community score: 3.9
© 実樹ぶきみ（秋田書店）／SHY製作委員会
Stardust stares at the Relic and Ai katana-wields Mai in a duel in this week's chapter of Shame. This is a much more focused episode than the last one and I enjoyed it a lot more as well.
Stardust's snippet with Stigma is a solid piece of superhero storytelling/action. The opening is really fun; we see the world watching in reverent glee as a grown man punches a child in the face. At first I thought it was going to be the Stigma angle—bad PR—and I was a little disappointed that his stated goal, fear, was so rote and unrealistic. I know villains love the chance to be mysterious and aloof, but I'd like to see Stigma be less cryptic. On the other hand, though, I like that his battle-damaged form shows that he's actually empty inside. This is a reflection of his own heartlessness (as opposed to the heart-powered strength of Teru and her allies) but I wonder if this is also an acknowledgement of his shallow brand of supervillain. Perhaps Shy has more devious plans for this handsome young man.
Now, the flow of this battle is interesting. Unsurprisingly, Stigma isn’t much of a brawler, so instead he gets the easily frightened specter Quabala to dirty her ectoplasmic hands. Loyalties aside, she’s a horror movie fan, so she’s fine in my book. I also like how she plays up Stardust’s gimmick. You might recall his power pushing people away from him. However, Quabala is able to reflect the damage she does to him, bypassing Stardust’s defenses. These are additional metaphors for psychological harm; Stardust distances himself from people to avoid being hurt, yet his ability to be ruthless towards others can backfire and harm him. These are some of the “weaknesses” that Teru has awakened his senses to. Stardust is impervious. No one is. But the belief that perseveres despite that weakness is where true strength lies.
Yeah, it sounds a little silly, but it works! This is where Shy's adaptive powers come into play, as the music, boarding, animation, and voice acting all come together to make Stardust's big powers feel appropriately bombastic. I especially like his special move, which creates a big star around his enemies. It's a well-executed piece of superhero schmaltz, and it's nice to confirm that I'm not completely immune to those charms when they're executed with skill and confidence.
Inside the sphere, Ai and Teru struggle against the malevolent Mai. Here, I really like the additional context Mai provides about the literally harsh environment she and her sister grew up in. Since she's an antagonist, it's easy to dismiss her words as obvious hyperbole meant to upset Ai—but I think it's more likely that Ai's naivety has blinded her to the realities of the shinobi path. I thought her flashbacks were pretty upsetting, and Mai confirmed that this week. It's a clever development. Now, we can infer that Mai, as the older twin, most likely protected her sister from that violence because of the compassion we've heard Ai show her. She's a good person, but kindness and killing have taken a toll on her—and the Stigma has tried to turn that exhaustion into resentment towards her village and family. Mai's heart was damaged psychologically and emotionally so she physically damaged her sister's heart to reflect that.
She also proves to be a product of her own upbringing, as she comes back to her conditioning and leads Mai through with her blade. A villain manipulating a hero into defiling themselves is hardly new, but the family context adds weight to the stakes here. I would like to see both sisters go for it. And however much I expected this episode to end, it certainly didn’t with the twins merging into a Kitsune-like creature. It’s a strange and intriguing development, and I can’t wait to see how Teru handles it.
On a final note, I was delighted to hear Shinichirō Miki sing the Bowie-style rock song for the Stardust ED theme. I think the last time I heard him sing was at the opening of Koimonogatari. He has a beautiful voice! I need a full album of him crooning old man songs.
Rating:
Shy Season 2 is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Steve is on Twitter while it lasts. If he misspells “Amarariruku” anywhere in the above review, you have the right to rub it in his face. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure on This Week in Anime.
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