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Episode 1 Review

Summary

One day, a city disappeared…

A carrier and lone wolf Takuya and a girl named Yuki, who is said to be the only survivor of the extinction, are on their way to the vanished city of Lost, based on a message of Yuki’s father who is believed to have disappeared.

However, unexpected obstacles hinder the pair from moving forward. The reality is truly shocking, especially for Yuki. Emotions of people left behind, a mysterious organization operating secret maneuvers and hidden intrigues. Yakuya and Yuki, who were total strangers, deepen their ties during the trip.

Impressions

To make sense of Shoumetsu Toshi, you need to either know a few things or have played the mobile game it is based on. My first run of the episode ended in confusion and puzzlement because I have never heard of the game before. I had so many questions. Why is there an indestructible yellow scooter? Why does most of the episode take place on the road amidst Japanese popular beat music? Why is the plot stale and convoluted? All my answers were answered with a single YouTube gameplay video. In the game (a regular jump platformer with battle elements), the male MC, a former spy or superman or James Bond who has a lot of connections, is taking the female MC, the sole survivor of a mysterious incident who can summon her loved ones to fight as spirits, to a mysterious hole where a city disappeared into nothingness 3 years ago. There are two organizations in play, one that is for the MCs and one against. The enemies chase the yellow scooter as it tries to reach its destination.

The anime is basically the game in detail. We are thrown in this world knowing little about the characters and we are expected to stay so we can learn more about the mysteries behind the Lost City, Takuya (the MC) and Yuki (the mysterious girl). Did it work? Not really. After thousands of hours of media storytelling, I want the stakes to be somewhat higher to keep my interest. I also have a natural antipathy for stock characters and we already have too many of them in the first episode (I am looking at you, Geek Idol Fan). Am I going to follow the 3-episode rule? Probably. Just because the yellow scooter looks cool.