© Katarina, Ryosuke Fuji, Kodansha/”Shangri-La Frontier” Production Committee, MBS
Director Toshiyuki Kubooka
Series composition/screenplay: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu
Japanese dubbing cast: Yuma Uchida, Azumi Waki, Yoko Hisaka, Makoto Koichi, Rina Hidaka
Studio: C2C
This is a preview of the first episode of Shangri-La Frontier Season 2! This series was written by Katarina and made into a manga by Ryosuke Fuji. The first part of the animated hit is in Crunchyroll’s library for the Fall 2023 season. Luckily for us fans, we didn’t have to wait long for the sequel.
Let’s take a look at the contents of the first episode without spoilers.
What is Shangri-La Frontier?
You won’t be able to witness Rakuro, aka Sunrak, playing that fancy, cutting-edge VR game. He is a famous “fucking game hunter”. The game is so buggy that players use these bugs as in-game techniques. He wanted to try out Shangri-La Frontier for the first time, the new open-world VR game that everyone is excited about. He went in confident that he wouldn’t be upset, but ended up getting hooked by the smooth gameplay and interesting lore. Shangri-La Frontier 1, La Cro San Lac 0.
It picks up right where the first season ended. Sunraku is on a quest to obtain a magic manipulation unit. However, only ancient craftsmen can repair divine units. Sunraku’s logic is simple. If there are no Ancient Craftsmen around, Bilac must become the Ancient Craftsman. Virak has already helped Sanrak a lot in forging weapons. So they set out on a journey to explore Virakku and obtain the items they needed.
© Katarina, Ryosuke Fuji, Kodansha/”Shangri-La Frontier” Production Committee, MBS
I’ll be honest: I’m not a gamer. Even though I gave Shangri-La Frontier a chance, I wasn’t optimistic. Although some of the game’s jargon was beyond my head, I myself was surprised at how hooked I was, to the point where I excitedly looked forward to new episodes each week. I’ll admit it’s fun to watch half-naked birdmen run around and mess up with talking bunnies, but it wasn’t on my bingo card for 2023, but I’m glad I tried it.
The aspects that fascinated me in the first season continue into the new season. I personally like to look for a variety of body types and characters in fantasy. That’s one of the biggest appeals of this genre to me, whether it’s the game setting or the newly created alternate worlds. I like series that can be as weird and inhuman as they want while still making sense within their worldview. When I watch certain shows where all the characters are super beautiful, jacked, charismatic, and cool unless they’re evil or monsters to be killed, I feel like I’m missing out on potential.
Charming, diverse and goofy
Shangri-La Frontier has a great deal of diversity, especially when it comes to character design and NPCs. Sunraku himself usually runs around wearing a bird mask and jean shorts, but when he wants to hide his in-game identity, he wears a very cute outfit that looks like he’s trick-or-treating during Halloween. Choose tacky white clothes. Rakuro’s classmate, Rei Saiga, uses a huge armor that overwhelms other characters. Sanrak’s best friend Emuru and the other Vorpal bunnies are all completely different. This series is visually satisfying and I’m looking forward to all the new characters we meet in this new season.
The friendship between Sunrak and Oikatso and Arthur Pencilgon, former “scum game” enthusiasts who reunite at Shangri-La Frontier, is also well depicted. They don’t do “My Ride or Die” style boy anime bromance. Instead, they cooperate when they have a common purpose, and are constantly bickering and attacking each other. At the end of the previous season, Sunraku left these two as read in order to take on more interesting and profitable missions. I can only imagine the havoc that will ensue when these two get their hands on Sanrak.
© Katarina, Ryosuke Fuji, Kodansha/”Shangri-La Frontier” Production Committee, MBS
Like the first season, this episode is fast-paced, with drool-worthy action scenes mixed in with chock-full of explosions and plenty of comedic moments. In particular, the final seconds of the explosion and aftermath of the monster our party defeated was beautifully animated. The previous season maintained the animation quality from start to finish. So I hope C2C can maintain the same level the second time around.
Shangri-La Frontier Season 2 continues like it never stopped as Aramis the cat, dressed up for the occasion, joins your party and explores all-new areas. Therefore, this new episode largely follows the last episode of the previous season in terms of timeline, rather than introducing completely new events or characters.
© Katarina, Ryosuke Fuji, Kodansha/”Shangri-La Frontier” Production Committee, MBS
If you enjoyed the first season, I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to the sequel. However, if this is your first time hearing about Shangri-La Frontier, or you missed the chance, we hope this review is the sign you’ve been looking for to give Jordan’s birdman flashing the Cursed Mark a try .
Shangri-La Frontier will begin streaming on Crunchyroll on October 13, 2024. New episodes drop every Sunday.
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