Shangri-La Frontier - Episode 13

HERE'S how to craft an introductory episode. Shangri-La Frontier is still building towards the central, climactic high point of this arc, where Sunraku faces the undead boss.

But this episode was witty; it contained plenty of foreshadowing, character development, and subtle world-building. I especially enjoyed the glimpses into Sunraku's personal life and his relationship with his friends.

Insights into Sunraku's Life and Relationships

It turns out that Sunraku's obsession with broken video games is genetic, as his entire family has a series of strange, obsessive quirks – even down to a family rule dictating that they all have breakfast together every Sunday, or else they'll simply cut off contact.

I didn't need a tangible explanation for Sunraku's obsessive nature, but these little moments helped to flesh out the overall picture. Plus, this served as a segue into what Sunraku understands about Arthur. The audience had already been revealed that Arthur is a famous model who receives a lot of media attention in real life, but I didn't know if Sunraku knew that.

Not only does he know, but he even deduces that their real-life circumstances are the reason why she places so much importance on the secret event. She likely plays online as a form of escape and experiences it as a state of dual identity – which is why it carries so much symbolic parallel to helping an NPC who feels trapped between two worlds.

Mysterious NPCs

Speaking of that NPC, I'd bet all my money that she isn't just a program, but an actual person who died and somehow got trapped inside the game's code. She recounts that she suffered an untimely death and that her former lover did something to her that put her in this state. Sunraku makes many observations about the terms she uses and how her clothing doesn't quite fit the overall aesthetic of the game.

The game relies on a fantastical, medieval setting, so it feels out of place when an NPC is wearing official lab wear. Along with the earlier allusions to the NPCs relationship to this world, this battle could break the previous status quo. The series gives me whiplash – while some episodes feel outright boring, others really captivate me and remind me why I'm sticking around.