How do you rate episode 24 of
Shy (TV 2) ? Community score: 4.1
© 実樹ぶきみ（秋田書店）／SHY製作委員会
Shy ends its second season with a tearful goodbye and a somewhat awkward press conference. It's a subdued conclusion that reflects the continuity of the original manga. There's still a lot to be adapted and a lot of narrative threads left unfinished, but the story of the twin shinobis has come to a satisfying conclusion.
I’m glad Mai’s resolution wasn’t so neat. There were plenty of reasons to be happy after Teru’s masterful stunt last week, but this ending brings us back to reality, where happy endings don’t usually come with one-sided happy endings. Mai couldn’t stay here after all. You can have two thoughts about this. On the one hand, it’s a little frustrating that Mai had to die after all the fighting to stop her from committing martyrdom. On the other hand, this development worked for me because it wasn’t about Mai committing martyrdom. She wasn’t aiming for some kind of noble sacrifice. She was accepting herself and her fate. For the first time in the entire arc, we saw her truly at peace.
The ring she gives Teru represents her acceptance of her own mortality. The lotus is an important symbol in many Asian religions, but Mai's depiction of it is very close to its Buddhist meaning. As a beautiful flower that grows out of mud, it represents the possibility of spiritual enlightenment despite the evils and constraints of the material world. For Mai in particular, it represents the peace that Ai and Teru brought her after years of pain and emptiness in the assassin-infested underworld. Now, it's a little silly that, in addition to this personal/religious significance, the ring also grants Teru access to Mai's special shinobi abilities. It's very video game-y, but this is a superhero comic written for kids, after all. It's allowed to be a little silly.
My main problem with this episode, however, is its pacing. It drags out Mai's goodbye so much that it diminishes its dramatic potential. I timed it, and Mai's body disappears over a terrifying nine minutes, which is nearly half the entire runtime. That's not terrible in itself—you can make some effective horror movies out of an unrealistically long death scene—but Shy spends a lot of that time repeating itself. I know I just said this book was written for kids, but I don't think kids need this much hand-holding to get the gist of Mai's arc. Trust your audience more. That said, I like the reveal that Tokimaru is the heron the sisters rescued. I think the magical realism of the folk tale fits well with this series' take on superheroes.
And overall, I still liked the finale. The press conference showed Teru's budding confidence as well as his lingering anxiety, and the presence of reporter Asuka was a nice touch to the season. Kufufu's capture was a surprising but logical development. She's gotten the most development out of the current Amarariruku members (and that includes the Relics), so she has the most potential as an ally and/or informant. And the biggest open question is Shine, Japan's former hero. I believe this is the first time she's been named, and maybe even the first time the series acknowledges that Teru is the heir to the mantle. That's a big deal, especially since it explains so much of Teru's feelings of inadequacy. With similar hero names, as well as the previous presence of another older female character who has since passed away, I'm also inclined to think that Shine is Teru's younger sister—which, again, would explain a lot! That in itself is enough to tease a next season, if it comes.
It's fair to say that Shy doesn't enjoy the popularity and cultural penetration of a peer like My Hero AcadeKaren. Though they're cut from the same cloth, Shy's approach is more oblique and its execution is messier. However, I have a lot of affection for Shy's heart and its emphasis on the inner workings of its heroes and villains. While it can be slow-burning and sometimes redundant, it still burns.
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 see him chatting about trash and treasure on This Week in Anime.
