Take A Shot When The Show Is Self-Aware – Anime Gataris Mid-Season Review

Leaving off from the three episode test, we find ourselves at the mid-season shenanigans. Continuing with what had originally gotten me hooked, we have the show being just the most meta of meta anime. If I didn’t watch this first thing in the morning or at work, I’d play the game I came up with where you:

• Take a shot when they indicate they are in an anime/are self aware they are in an anime
• Take a sip when they parody a real world organization/company/event
• Take a sip when they make a reference to another anime/manga/light novel’s name
• Finish your drink when they parody/imitate a scene from another anime

I wasn’t really planning on making a full list, because that’s more the kind of thing that they do at I Drink and Watch Anime but I felt it was just such an interesting concept that lent itself well to this show because of these interesting tropes they pull. At season end I’ll probably recommend to BAYOG we play this game and maybe even record it just for highlights. (Because let’s be honest, you all just like watching us be drunken fools)

Onto the plot from where we left, we have the Student Council inexplicably pissed and aiming at shutting down the Anime Club even going to the lengths of stalking the ever loving crap out of the club members. They come up with the excuse of how Arisu bought metric feth-tons of anime Blu-Rays and as such needed to compensate for the ~$3,049.29 in costs from “Numezon.” (Take a sip) We also get some plot insight into the fact that Erika and the Student Council President were both Otakus and cosplayed when younger, along with an implication of something much greater coming to oppose our intrepid Anime Club members.

Episode 5 had about 17 references to “the thing” (dear god the drinks there in the first 2 minutes) which honestly was pretty obvious to most to be the Summer Comiket festival, AKA the largest dōjinshi fair in the world and an event I personally greatly want to attend one day. The noobies of the Club then get good and lost going to and from the restroom and are assisted by Chinese Otaku Yang Beibei to get back to their group. This leads to interesting conversation about the international scene of anime then suffering in the summer time sun, something I can sympathize with as a regular con-goer in Florida. The episode however ends on a sweet and friendly but still unanswered note. The next episode props us up on watching the Anime Club as they roam around to the Meccas of anime in Japan, of which there are apparently 3,000 and discussing all the things pertaining to the Meccas, ranging from special events, deals, and promotions. On the note of promotions the show makes a fun jab at “God Rays” which are the pet peeve of mine pertaining to people including ecchi scenes that are censored blatantly in all mediums besides Blu-Rays to facilitate purchase. We are also thrown into an awkward moment with Kaikai being thrown for Kouenji’s charms(?) while Minoa gets lost in a forest, because of course she does. We do end the episode with a hilarious note where we find misunderstanding were just damn funny.

In the most recent of episodes, we have the Production Committee Student Council trying to shut down the Anime Club again. To prevent the shut down this time, the club is required to demonstrate some sort of work or accomplishment they have been doing, at the cultural festival. Once again the easy Deus Ex Machina of Arisa’s money is shut down by Erika and an anime made by them is proposed and worked on by the club. Miko hits up the writing aspect of her character and after 45 more revisions and a hilarious meta commercial break for the anime short idea, she effectively breaks. Mid breakdown, we find the secret door opened and some arbitrary components are found that all members like and seems to tie to a member of the club who then aims to voice their own character. It’s also revealed that this seems to be akin to Minoa’s long forgotten anime and I’m left laughing that this is very much so in line with BAYOG’s plans for a dating sim game in that its just random. Also during the VA recording scene (which I anticipate will be the death of most of BAYOG when we play my little game) I found out that Minoa’s friend Yui is the voice of a number of roles I enjoy, not the least of which being Megumin from Konosuba. Draconian measures take hold and the Student Council goes hard and demands the cessation of assistance from other clubs to the anime club as well as demanding they fill a large crowd for the debut. How will this play out for the Anime Club? Leave a like, comment, and subscribe to find out next time on BAYOG Reviews: Anime-Gataris!