Monday 1 April 2013

Sasami-san@Ganbaranai - Episode 12 (Completed)

After all of her mutterings about plans and her organisation, the finale of Sasami-san@Ganbaranai finally lifts the lid on exactly what Jou Edogawa's plan is (nope, she isn't a chuunibyou) - oh, and the reason for that whole part-time penis thing as well.

Given her demeanor and constant assertions that she's going to kill Sasami, it isn't a huge surprise to find out that her plan is an entirely nefarious one, which involved summoning Kuzuryuu, a rather nasty deity who should, in theory, have the power to destroy and/or subjugate the entire world.  With Sasami outside of the barrier created around the island where her plan is being set into motion, it seems as if everything is in place to achieve her goal.


Certainly, Jou and her henchmen have little trouble doing away with Kagami and Tsurugi, while Tama is chosen as the centrepiece of the ritual to bring Kuzuryuu back into being - from here, it's simply a case of making a link to Sasami and offering her a position as the priestess which rules over this new world.  Defeated and with no other option at hand, Sasami is all set to accept this proposal... or is she?  Instead, it seems that the whole thing was a bluff, as Sasami reveals her true location as the plan to defeat Edogawa and Kuzuryuu swings into action.

I think it's fair to say that the stellar first episode of Sasami-san@Ganbaranai somewhat blinded me to the reality of what the series as a whole would be like - an occasionally entertaining, often convoluted show that often seemed better served at using its premise for comedy than it did any kind of supernatural drama.  It's certainly the kind of quirky offering that suits SHAFT's production values and sensibilities down to the ground, but that still wasn't really enough to lift it from the depths of mediocrity more than occasionally.  Once the cat was out of the bag regarding the show's main hooks, Sasami-san@Ganbaranai was (ironically, given its title) workmanlike but unspectacular save for the odd moment here and there.

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