Beyond the Boundary - Episode 3

Having made her position as not only a loner but also (in her mind) a murderer, Mirai continues to go it alone while shunning the help of those around her...

...unless it comes to the prospect of receiving a 10,000 Yen bill, that is.  It seems that money is still a weak spot for Mirai even as she refuses to except any assistance when it comes to either her life or her youmu hunting.  This looks set to be particularly problematic when confirmation comes that the Hollow Shadow will be passing through the town that night - as Spirit World Warriors congregate to see how this fearsome creature manifests itself, the consensus is to stay well away and let it pass, using barriers or cages to aid its passage safely through town wherever possible.

For whatever reason however, Mirai is determined to take on the Hollow Shadow and defeat it alone - while others begin to concern themselves with some increasingly aggressive youmu activity, Mirai goes it alone while shrugging off Akihito's attempts to stop her from doing something foolish.  Not that Akihito is one to ultimately leave Mirai to her own devices when her life is endangered by what appears to be a familiar face to her...

As gorgeous as this series increasingly looks, with this episode in particular really proving to be eye-catching, I'm still struggling massively to be drawn into Beyond the Boundary's story or resonate with any of its characters.  As a result, it continues to feel like plenty of things are happening in each episode, but that none of them really connect with either one another or the viewer in a satisfying fashion.  Perhaps the conclusion of current events will help to bring all of these loose ends together, but it certainly hasn't made for a compelling start to a series that feels too much like a lot of decent ideas thrown together into a bowl and mixed together with ill-considered abandon.