I made it no secret in my review of Episode 1 that I wouldn’t say I liked how the series began. Did Battle Game in 5 Seconds Episode 2 do anything to make me think otherwise? Let’s find out in this review of Episode 2.
Battle Game in 5 Seconds Episode 2- Overview
Battle Game in 5 Seconds is a Death Game style anime produced by Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions in collaboration with Studio A-CAT. Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions is known for producing several well-known anime series of the past, such as Monster and Pokemon, to name a few. On the other hand, Studio A-CAT is mostly an unproven commodity whose prior outputs have all been on the receiving end of criticism. The series is based upon a web manga written by Saizou Harawata.
The series is known by multiple names, some of them being- Battle in 5 Seconds After Meeting, Dea5, and Deatte 5-byou de Battle in original Japanese.
Battle Game in 5 Seconds Episode 2- Plot and Characters
Well, colour me surprised! Battle Game in 5 Seconds Episode 2 was a marked improvement over Episode 1. I believe there is a specific reason for that, though. That reason is Yuuri Amagaki, the show’s main female character and the character this episode was focused on.
Yuuri as a character is miles ahead of bland, predictable and played out Akira Shiroyonagi. She has motivations and goals that she wants to achieve. She has reasons for her beliefs and motivations, and she has something she needs explicitly from this game- she wants to go back home. All of that combines to make her a pretty interesting character to base the show around. If only she were the main character. One can’t get everything in life, I suppose.
Also Read: Battle Game in 5 Seconds Episode 1 Review: New Death Battle Anime
Her battle is also more interesting than Akira’s, even though Akira has the gimmick of the mind games surrounding his abilities. Her opponent is genuinely portrayed as a terrible human being, which brings some much-needed stakes to this episode. Even though we all knew who was going to win, it was satisfying when it happened. That is commendable and very much an improvement over last week’s start.
Alas, all good things must come to an end, as the episode ends with Akira again. No improvements on his part, but at least he is consistently awful. Good for him, I guess?
Battle Game in 5 Seconds Episode 2- Art and Music
The animation and music of Battle Game in 5 seconds is mediocre at best. I barely even remember any tracks from the OST, even though I only heard it 15 minutes ago. The opening and ending themes also feel very generic and uninteresting, the ending less so than the opening. The animation also lags behind the rest of the anime this season, especially The Aquatope on White Sand. The difference is night and day when these two anime are compared.
The colours play a major part in the animation looking bland- they are all muted and dull when they should be bright and vibrant. That should be the case for at least the parts of the story set in the real world, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Overall, still the same as the first episode, which wasn’t good in the first place.
Also Read: How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Episode 3 Review: Keeping the Pace
Verdict
While Battle Game in 5 Seconds Episode 2 took me by surprise at how swift an improvement it was, I still doubt that this streak would continue. After all, the worst protagonist of this season is back to being a focus, and that can only be a bad thing.
If you liked my review of Battle Game in 5 Seconds Episode 2, check out the Battle Game in 5 Seconds episodic reviews here! Also, come back here next week. My review of this series will continue with Battle Game in 5 Seconds Episode 3 Review.