After what I considered to be a sub-par intro, this show has started to catch my interest. Some parts are still weak, but I’m now looking forward to see what comes next.
What made this ep much more interesting is that rather than pile up on exposition, it focused more on building chemistry and overall personality. New characters such as Magnus and Student council show up, and they do a good job when it comes to progressing the plot and establishing some drama. But it’s Charlotte and Raishin that get the most screentime.
Unlike his serious attitude in ep 1, Raishin displays a more sarcastic and easygoing side to himself when he casually asks Charlotte on a date. Charlotte was shown as nothing but a generic oujo-sama/tsundere initially, but she does have some dignity compared to others in that archetype. And once it gets to that date, there is a sense of comradery between the two that kept me interested.
Also, the exposition this time seems to carry some weight upon what’s happening currently. Mentioning the soul of the doll called “Eve’s Heart” leads directly to the recent attacks by Cannibal Doll. Magnus’s overwhelming power of multiple dolls is followed by further flashbacks of fleshing out Raishin’s backstory as a group-doll specialist. Sigmunds constant diet of meat actually reveals his identity as a banned doll, consisting of flesh-and-bone parts that usually makes them go berserk if mishandled. This also puts suspicion that Charlotte was the Cannibal Doll user until her date with Raishin reveals otherwise.
But the biggest surprise was how fun it was to watch. There wasn’t any action in this episode, but the overall chemistry between the characters was genuinely entertaining. Sure some may get cliche, such as Raishin’s constant teasing of Charlotte, but others are quite hilarious. We know Yaya easily gets jealous, but the fact she nearly drowns Sigmund in her tears is just bizarre (seriously, are those marbles?).
I also notice that the soundtrack in this ep was really well done. And despite the bad animation, the visual direction is all-right. I just need some more investment in the characters for me to care, especially when the overall story seems predictable. But saying that though, this was definitely an improvement over the first ep, and I’m looking forward to next week.
