Anime-Gataris

Episode 11

Now we know what Anime-Gataris was talking about in episode three when it advised viewers not to judge an anime by its third episode twist. In the case of this show, you need to wait until the even bigger twist in episode eleven to see what an anime is really made of! In “Our Friend Kouki's Second Betrayal,” the fabric of Minoa's reality gives way as it slowly dawns on her that she's living in an anime—and none of her friends seem to mind at all. It's such a shocking turn of events that I'd call it a genre switch if we hadn't received so many hints already. One thing's for sure: Anime-Gataris is more than a parody. It's a meta-analysis. It's ambitious to be sure, but also overly eager to amplify gags until they become repetitive.

Ever since everything resolved too smoothly with Nakano's betrayal, Minoa has been suspicious. Everybody's talking to Neko-senpai like it's no big deal. Her family and friends have Tsukasa Kotobuki-style faces, Sebastian is now a moe maid, and Kaikai's barriers actually work. The most subversive shifts were the ones I didn't even notice until Minoa pointed them out with alarm—like the way her parents' lovey-dovey talk summoned hearts out of mid-air and how the day's classes went by in a flash. We're just so accustomed to seeing these things in anime that they don't even seem odd when I'm watching them on a screen. A truly "is this really happening" moment occurred when Minoa brought up her concerns to the club and Erika pointed a remote at the viewer, rewinding the episode back to the opening theme, checking for the (real-life) writer's name: Mitsutaka Hirota. It's so bizarre that I had to laugh at this point. What is happening and why?

Here's my theory: the door in the clubroom goes to another dimension—the fourth wall. That's why Nakano, who claims to be from the “Anime Side,” bricks it over and says the world will be engulfed in wacky anime happenings while “the Observer” isn't watching. At this point, we also finally get a semi-resolution to the red beret Minoa found. An unnamed character is wearing it! (Maybe he's the Kouki of the title? There are no people named Kouki on the real-life staff.) Could he be the director of the anime Minoa finds herself in? Of course, this is all speculation on my part. It doesn't answer why Minoa found Neko-senpai in the mysterious room, or why only Minoa is able to open that clubroom door. I feel like we might have been able to get a few more clues if there weren't so much repetition—I think the audience is intelligent enough to know everyone is in on this joke except Minoa after the fourth or fifth reference to being inside an anime.

Even when everything has gone off the rails, the show doesn't slack on parody. My favorite fake anime title of the episode was Molly the Witch, a take on the '70s anime Sally the Witch, which is then echoed by Minoa's family transforming into flat black-and-white designs. The “Yuicching!” gag, in addition to being our regular weekly dose of Yui fanservice, is probably a riff on Maicching Machiko-sensei, in which the titular character squeals “Maicching!” whenever three little boys try to flip up her skirt. But there was less talk about anime than usual, and as Neko-senpai pointed out, all three times we saw the opening sequence it was spelled Anime-Gataras (Anime Not Talks). They sure got a lot of use out of that intro this week, or were they just jabbing their elbow into the audience until we got the hint? Overall, it was the type of entertainment that's so wild that I couldn't believe they were doing it. Every week I think Anime-Gataris has reached its wacky limit, they surpass it once again.

Rating: B+

Anime-Gataris is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist.