The peculiarities of this Summer season just continue to add up, with the latest addition being No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 3. I mean, the prop designer (Gouichi Iwahata) for No Longer Allowed In Another World stepped up and delivered some genuinely good storyboards for today’s episode. Yes, okay, they may also be “primarily” a storyboarder (though really something closer to half-and-half), but it’s more fun to think that they stepped out of their comfort zone to produce this episode. Either way, it’s good work that really exposes how good this adaptation has been through three episodes. Seriously, I was prepared for something that was halfway okay, but so many of the little details and pieces from these early episodes have me wishing that Atelier P’ontdarc could squeeze out just a bit more from this team.
After all, this episode has animated environments, somehow? Not that it’s near the levels of The Elusive Samurai or anything of the sort- but it’s existence cannot be denied, no matter how small (even if it’s only a handful of frames). It’s especially perplexing because of the scope of the cut, but I’ll always be grateful for the degree of thoughtfulness that allowed for its inclusion. The far more interesting discussion is the delightful composition and visual effects on display this episode. Being the first time they can really explore “intense” magic, they quite effectively showed off the potential and ability that Gaku Hirooka can bring to the production. Really can’t stress the intelligence of the decision to bring them in from Nexus for the series. The results just really speak for themselves with how well Hirooka thrives in a desaturated and dark environment, really selling the melodrama that the work is stained by.
Though the award for most curious work in No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 3 certainly goes to Iwahata. As expected of a prop designer, the way their eyes gravitate to content in the episode is impressively different from how others might tackle it. Before that, though, they do a lot of work to “normalize” the visual flow of the episode. The way conversations bounce around or characters are focused on, there’s a lot of subtle changes that allow for better consistency and cohesiveness between scenes. It’s hardly something as noticeable as their penchant for honing in on props with the foreground, but it’s commendable work that helps make the series more digestible.
Alongside that, they enter something of a rut. There’s a lot of great stylistic exposure that speaks to a real love of perspective and perhaps “aggressive” framing. They place plenty of moments atop a pedestal like they’re meant to rule atop the world, and it’s a wonderful idea that meshes with the self-affected nature of parody in No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 3. It allows them to keep a surprising amount of parity with the manga, but add just that bit more. An easy example of that is this frame of Waldelia. In the manga, we get something closer to a proper profile of her, and her eyes and other details are more obstructed. Iwahata’s interpretation adds a shot that tracks along her static body, allowing a crescendo to stir the emotions within the viewer. It’s really outstanding work and when coupled with a healthy degree of additional subtlety elsewhere, leaves a healthy amount of mystery seeping through the drama.
Anyways, I did mention a rut, didn’t I? Iwahata may be damn good, but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t left a little clueless by some other areas. Though they excel more than Kawai with the prior episodes, I also feel that Iwahata can’t manage as much a balance as they can. There’s a lot of panning and zooming that eats up more casual conversation, and it almost feels like Iwahata was (much like Sensei at one point) missing the guts to really let completely loose. When the gears are turning, the moments can really be outstanding (see: Sensei and Waldelia, or Suzuki at the end of the episode), but if they slow down they can very easily end up grinding to a halt and leaving you with something that’s passable, still, but unable to stick close to the stronger sequences.
I shouldn’t be as surprised as I am with No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 3, but Atelier P’ontdarc really did find themselves at somewhere near rock bottom with their struggle over Isekai Ojisan. They’ve fought and clawed out of that hole to better their identity, and it’s resulted in work that I genuinely have a considerable amount of praise for. I came into this season thinking that this would be an adaptation that I absentmindedly plug along with in the background, but these last two weeks have seen me genuinely excited to see what comes from each episode.
Delicately balancing outsourcing, freelancing, and in-house staff, No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 3 achieves the pinnacle of what the series can feel like, but can’t quite keep the effort up for the entirety of the episode. In truly surprising fashion, it leaves me disappointed. Not in its overall quality, but in the fact that it couldn’t give more of that delightfully dark and dramatic nature. Previously facing down expectations of mediocrity, it shows that the staff under Kawai have come a far way and put in considerable effort to deliver something worth being upset over. It’s a proper milestone to have reached, and so I’m endlessly curious to see if the following episode can manage anything similar.
Also, I may or may not like Waldelia’s design in the anime alongside the fact that the ever talented Yuuki Aoi voices them. Okay, maybe I like them just a little bit.
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