Reviving The Past – ‘Seven Senses of the Re’Union’ Episode 5 Review

What’s the show? Seven Senses of the Re’Union, Episode 5.

So what happens in this episode? I feel like the biggest problem this series has is that it doesn’t nearly need to be as long as it is, it’s a serious detriment to the overall enjoyment of this show.

…Okay, I didn’t really ask that but sure, what’s got you thinking that? Well that I was kind of bored through a lot of this episode and not because they show is inherently boring or that there’s a lack of interesting ideas but rather that they’re spread thin across far too long of a run-time to the point where I feel like I’m just watching the same conversations cycle in between the actual plot progression!

That’s nice and all except you’re totally a creepy stalker…

Uh-huh, so not a good episode then? Quite the contrary, dare I say that a lot of the complaints I had about Satsuki in the previous episode were actively addressed and all but explained in adequate detail, not only that but the story progresses in a way that feels substantial not only to our protagonists but also our ‘temporary’ antagonist Takanori—as he comes so close to attaining Asahi for himself, only to be betrayed by the other Guild’s which he’d only recently become tenuously aligned.

I’m still waiting to see what’s so wrong with this show? I said already, didn’t I? Despite everything that’s good about this show it feels like we have to wade through a lot of double-talk and I… uh… okay, you want me to be honest about what bothers be about this show?

Of course, that’s the point isn’t it? True. But see here’s the thing… it feels like if Asahi was in any way unlikeable or even in any way ~human~ that she’d be easy to leave behind, to forget, but she’s akin to that ‘manic pixie dream girl’ cliché that draws in every male character regardless of their better judgment…

Don’t imprison your crushes in 20 sided roofie dice.

That seems kinda harsh… Nostalgia’s a funny thing, it clouds our better judgement, it makes things seem better than they actually were—at worst it makes us pine for things that weren’t actually there but were figments of our younger minds. Asahi fits that descriptor, yes her mind may very well be in tact within this game—but she exists as an after image, encapsulating everything that was ‘good’ and ‘light’ and ‘wholesome’ about a specific time period without all the ~reality~ that comes afterward. That so many people are fighting after her is a testament to the staying power and encouraging potential of nostalgia as an ideal.

So… is this a good episode or not? I’m kinda lost, despite all your grand prognosticating… I mean it’s ~fine~, it’s more or less the same as what’s come before—I don’t expect anything revelatory from this series and likewise I don’t receive it. Worst case scenario is I get something dull and repetitive, best case scenario some substantial character development and forward plot momentum. This episode is both… and neither, I don’t really know what it is but either way onward to next week (where a big battle is promised—who knows if it’ll actually be worth the wait)!