Animehouse

I had thought about starting this review off with that nickel joke from Phineas and Ferb, but taking a closer look at how this season’s gone, I came to the conclusion that there would be far too many nickels to bother counting. Much like plenty of other series this season, No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 2 is also storyboard by its series director (Shigeki Kawai). It gives the series a far stronger platform to stand on now the we’re getting into the actual story beats for the work, and surprisingly, it lets Atelier P’ontdarc show off some of their stronger pieces. Though they deeply struggled with Uncle In Another World, it seems their limits on their latest isekai are well in place, but still allow the work to shine.

It’s really quite interesting. If I were to explain it, I would say that a lot of the layouts and scenes of this second episode would feel right at home in a cell aesthetic. The wide, static backgrounds, and the long and still shots really feel well suited to that sort of era. In addition, Izumi Sakamoto’s color design, and Gaku Hirooka’s photographic direction really get to shine. When animation isn’t able to sell the scene, this pair as well as the animation directors really step up to deliver some quite pleasing scenes. Sakamoto brings heavy and dramatic lighting that’s accentuated by Hirooka’s intense composition, and the AD team makes great use of it with very well defined and accurate character models.

It’s all very strong work, and can be owed to Kawai’s willingness to take a step back and not attempt to go wild with their work. Of course, it’s not like the work is plain or anything. More so that it just really builds upon all the great notes from the manga. For example, Takahiro Wakamatsu did an excellent job with the lakeside vistas in the manga, and Kawai really nails the translation of that into an anime. They keep a lot of the same angles and framing, but add in quite a few nice details and additions here and there with the help of the other staff. Simple things, like a proper reflection of the moon in the lake, or an extra pillar or two to better frame the scene. There’s even other examples of extending from the style of the manga where they opt for faceless characters at a distance. It’s very thoughtful work that some might criticize as too on the nose in comparison to the manga, but I think that Kawai does an excellent job of retaining that melodramatic streak while leaning into an older sense of style.

Speaking of additions and building upon the source, No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 2 begins to extend on a decent bit of the humor from the manga. It doesn’t go quite as far as adding its own jokes, but it routinely turns a few panels into reasonably memorable gags, and a lot of that can be owed to the voice actors for our two female leads. Together, Rumi Ookubo (Annette) and Sayumi Suzushiro (Tama) are able to really sell the dynamic part of this dynamic duo. Ookubo does great as the not-so-sound sounding board for Suzushiro’s wild voice acting to play off of, so plenty of moments that might play a little flat as a chuckle or smile in the manga can squeeze out just that bit more from the viewer when watching the anime.

Taking the topic of humor and sort of moving the goalposts though, I really do need to drive home how good the animation direction is in this episode. It’s somewhat expected with how many (They Were 11) were involved, but it’s really work that allows the series to stand out. A great example is the little bit of comedy of Tama and Annette getting into a little cat fight (pun intended) at night. While the designs for that humor in the manga are nothing to write home about, the models in the anime are very sharp and impressively expressive. Similarly, while the series isn’t reaching for the highs of Wakamatsu’s designs in the manga, their dedication to their accuracy more than replaces those shortcomings- like in the closeup of sensei while he’s talking with Charlotte. Though I do have to say, Gomez the minotaur definitely has my favorite model in this episode. Really outstanding work that was done under monster designer Kenji Terao. Once again, it might not move to an incredible degree, but man, they made sure it looked good.

No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 2 really does present an interesting design philosophy in that sense. It very much reminds me of Kafka’s work on The Ancient Magus’ Bride season 2- work that prioritizes style and static appeal above all else. The end goal is obviously to always be a good adaptation, but the way these two productions approach it allows them to excel without too much struggle when considering their scale and experience. Additionally, it just so happens that in both cases the works can be translated quite well without a real need for movement.

But let’s get back to No Longer Allowed In Another World specifically. The two requirements to really sell this series are: humor, and melodrama. Hiroshi Kamiya woke up and decided to just be Osamu Dazai for this series, so there’s nothing to worry about there, and I’ve already talked about Ookubo and Suzushiro’s performances as well. The real selling points are a lot of the additional pieces here that come from the odds and ends of staff. For example, Kawai’s storyboards do a lot to help really sell the tension and excitement of the action with the malice at the palace towards the end. Similarly, the simplicity and classic nature of how they approach interactions with Charlotte’s father, the king, lets the humor seep through via parody- despite its rather plain nature.

No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 2 simply does a very good job of highlighting where Atelier P’ontdarc and this work can succeed. It’s not so much between the lines of major production, but it’s undoubtedly within a niche that separates them from more traditional work. Of course, coming off the heels of what would likely be referred to as an embarrassing production, I’m sure that Shigeki Kawai and the rest of the staff at Atelier P’ontdarc are ready and raring to prove themselves with their current adaptation. And as of this very (early) moment? I would say that they stand to do so successfully. No Longer Allowed In Another World was always a curiously fun manga to me, and through these 2 episodes so far, Kawai and P’ontdarc have done an excellent job of highlighting just why that is, leaving me very excited to see how they handle content that awaits viewers in deeper parts of this world.