Reviews

A completed story set on the real-world Tomogashima Island that crafted a memorable setting and a strong opening hook. That being said, as the story progressed it felt as if it were overstaying its welcome; that is, it continued to "muddy the waters" and add more confusing plot points on an already convoluted time travel premise. It's strange because it did not feel as though they needed to do this: the initial (unique) stakes that are introduced paired with excellent horror vibes from the animation studio would have been enough to keep audiences more than interested. Alas, they instead decided to roll with this snowball of unrestrained plot development (and sometimes straight B.S.) to construct some grand finale that, again, wasn't needed. My score probably would have been much lower had it not been for the strong final episode that wrapped up the story adequately and salvaged it's message.

That criticism aside, there is plenty to praise about the anime, which is why I ultimately recommend it, even to those who are not huge on suspense/horror type shows. My favorite element in this anime is the island setting: the characters, animation, music, etc. really made it feel as if I were placed in that "country bumpkin" seaside place. Having it mimic a real-life island makes it all the better for me. If this show wasn't stuck in Disney+ jail, I believe it would have become much more popular and talked about because the studio really did an excellent job and deserves to be praised.

Shinpei as a protagonist does his job well. He's both relatable (in that he is understandably shocked/horrified by the unfolding events) yet intelligent and able to adapt quickly. At first glance he does give off that generic protag feel, however his decision-making and level-headed nature makes it easier to follow along with the plot yourself, and at the very least his actions make sense from his point of view. The other characters, without spoiling, also neatly find their purpose in the story for the most part. Except Mio, Mio is useless.

The last thing I will point out about this show is what they did early on (in episode 3 or 4 I believe). Again, without spoiling, they rip away the curtain early on and reveal ALOT about the "endgame" and more or less who the real antagonists are. While this did severely hurt the mystery/suspense elements of the hook because they could've milked it a little more, in the long run it helped (me personally) put up with the B.S. that happens later on. In other words, the show was honest with their audience and informed them that they would be complicating the sh*t out of this anime down the line.

All in all, the cliffhanger game of this show is really strong. Worth a watch even if many viewers like myself have beef with the latter part of the 2-cour story.