Written by: Gabriel Castillo | Published on: February 17, 2021
Sand, sea, drinks, and bikinis; beach time! The leading ladies decide to have some well-deserved R&R in Okinawa but their trip makes an unexpected and bizarre detour.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Summary
After a night of revelry, Sorao and Toriko plan to hit the famous beaches of Okinawa for a much-needed break. Unfortunately, their plans take a strange turn as they unknowingly cross to the Otherside. The two ladies end up by the sea after crossing over and make the most of their surprise excursion.
Surprise surprise!
The lines between the Otherside and the regular world are incredibly thin and vague. Initially, crossing over requires a precise set of actions at a certain location. Now, the ladies cross while riding a regular taxi cab on the way to the beach. What are the conditions for crossing now? Does it have something to do with the hat they kept from Hasshaku-sama? Or is it something more sinister (i.e., the inhabitants from the Otherside want them)? In any case, the vague conditions for crossing over can add excitement to the story! However, if everything happens without rhyme or reason then the story will suffer.
Beach Boys
A beach is a beach… Or so the two leading ladies thought. Trying to enjoy a little bit of R&R by the sea is next to impossible when there are malicious entities about. In fact, the residents of the Otherside make contact with Sorao and Toriko by appearing as a gaggle of human gangsters. They look like real deal humans and they even speak! To make things even creepier, these beach thugs know the ladies’ names. Furthermore, the duo encounters creepy child-like creatures as well. The fact that these strange inhabitants use humanoid monstrosities as part of their arsenal is disturbing.
VERDICT
Author's Rating: 6.6/10
The episode felt rushed and the encounters, although potentially exciting and horrifying, were merely skimmed through and bland. Everything happened too quickly and almost without reason. The opening sequence about getting drunk and planning a beach trip was fun and lighthearted followed by a surprise trip to the Otherside. The first half of the episode was actually fun! However, the subsequent sequence was shallow and short-lived. The ‘scares’ (i.e., the humanoid creatures) were initially interesting, but the resolution was quite rushed and the ladies’ escape felt out-of-the-blue. The little surprise after the timely escape was puzzling but also exciting! Was it just another creature posing? Or perhaps what Sorao saw was the real deal?
Most of the episodes so far seemed omega condensed and fans of the light novel were unhappy with how things turned out. The hurried pace was not helpful for the story and the budding romance between the two main characters. Sure, they slept beside each other (with one in the nude) and enjoyed some bikini-clad beach bumming but their time to develop chemistry during these moments was close to nil. How sad! The two work incredibly well together but viewers barely have a chance to enjoy their relationship. On a more positive note, the design of the seaside portion of the Otherside was creative and fantastic! From the flower-filled cab to the strange building and creatures in the sea, the weird world seemed close to the regular but also immensely different.
Sorao and Toriko managed to escape the Otherside once more but how will they get home to Tokyo? What do these mysterious beings want with them? How will they find Satsuki? Will they finally have a picnic? Only five episodes left! See you next week!
How do you find the series so far? Let us know in the comments!
Official Anime Website: Otherside Picnic
Official Anime Twitter: @OthersidePicnic
Otherside Picnic is available for streaming on Ani-One Asia every Monday 23:30 PST
