The bonkers otome-game and isekai mashup is back to entertain with Trapped In A Dating Sim Episode 2, and it remains as unique and crazy as ever. Let’s look into this week’s happenings in this review!
Trapped In A Dating Sim Episode 2 Overview
Trapped In A Dating Sim, or Otome Game Sekai wa Mob ni Kibishii Sekai desu is a fantasy, romance and isekai anime based on a light novel written by Yomu Mishima and Monda. The anime is being directed by Kazuya Miura, known for previously directing anime such as Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai, and Shinichi Fukumoto, who served as the assistant director of Tantei Wa Mou Shindeiru.
The series is being animated by Studio ENGI, which was also behind director Miura’s previous directorial work, Uzaki-chan. The series is being published by Kadokawa, which is the entity behind several other anime giants like Your Name, Mushoku Tensei, and the Fate series. This episode is also known as Mobuseka Episode 2, or The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs Episode 2. You can find our review of the previous episode of the show here.
– Otome Game Sekai wa Mob ni Kibishii Sekai Desu Episode 2 Review does not contain spoilers –
Trapped In A Dating Sim Episode 2 Review- Floating Island Tea Party
Something that we couldn’t talk about in the last episode due to our no spoiler rule was an important factor in this week’s episode, so it is prudent to talk about that aspect of the show right now. The base plotline of this show involves our protagonist invading an otome game without his wishes or consent. That much is fairly common and not worth mulling over. However, there is a twist here. As he is not supposed to be in this position, he is in a position to alter the game’s story in an unpredictable manner.
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However, this will only lead to him messing up his own understanding and knowledge of this world, which is an interesting direction for the show to go in. The more he messes with the narrative and structure of the school, the less he knows about it and the more he has to contend with. This throws a wild caveat into the plot and makes it much more engaging, as deciding how much to change is also a factor in his trying to live a happy life in this show, which this episode started exploring a little.
Since it is based on an otome game, the supposed protagonist is a girl who we meet for the first time in this episode. It is fascinating to see a story that was built around a certain character gently shift into a different one because of the butterfly effect of our isekai invading main character. The original main character is called Olivia, and her journey in this show is sure to be a fascinating one. Her interactions with Leon have already showcased the potential of a character like her, and it would be hard to mess her up.
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The isekai world is fairly generic and boring, of which the show is aware and makes japes about. The thing with that is being self-aware without actively trying to fix your issues does nothing for your medium except harm it, as you’re just telling your audience that you know about the issues but don’t care enough to solve them. The world is sure to get interesting with time, as more wars and mechas(!) come into play, but as of now, the playdates and tea parties are barely holding it together. If it weren’t for the main character’s shenanigans, this would be more boring than watching paint dry, which I guess is the point.
The story up to this point has been very good, and the new characters introduced this week were all fun to watch and had entertaining personalities. There may be more to some of them than appears right now, which makes a dynamic character roster. The animation was solid and smooth, with the few action sequences in Trapped In A Dating Sim Episode 2 being good enough for a show of this calibre. The opening theme also goes unexpectedly hard and sounds great. This series has been an unexpected highlight so far, and let’s hope it continues to be good.
Verdict
Trapped In A Dating Sim Episode 2 was a great follow-up to the interesting world the pilot set up, and there is some unexpected depth to this show. Let’s hope that the world gets expanded upon and is made more dynamic soon.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!