Animehouse

I feel as though I could simply say, “No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 4 continues to deliver on the outstanding work of the prior episode” and leave it at that. No, I really mean it. The consistency and parity of the two episodes is more than enough to be contained in that sentence, but the issue becomes the story. As a reader of the manga, it’s quite the difficult thing to tip toe around- largely due to the importance of so much of the content in this episode. While earlier episodes have set the tone, this fourth episode dedicates itself to pointing itself in a specific direction for the foreseeable future. While that does still entail hijinks and humor along the way, the addition of a more concrete purpose certainly will provide future episodes with a better shape.

Before getting there though, lets talk about the visuals of the episode. While far from the monochromatic romp of episode three, No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 4 does tend to gravitate towards Izumi Sakamoto’s interest in monochromacy. And it fits with the contents of the latter half of the episode. Similarly, Gaku Hirooka’s composition is perfectly dense and intense, really providing strong parity to their work in last week’s episode. The difficulty in this episode comes from, admittedly, a very short moment outdoors. While the town is being engulfed by flames, the “typical” outdoor color design persists. It’s not exactly “incorrect” based on how lighting and color work… but I do feel like it’s a missed opportunity to provide a gradient from a more balanced color palette to the deep oranges and reds that dominate the indoor setting of the church.

Now, moving forward, we hit an interesting bit of information with No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 4. Taking only a single episode break, Shigeki Kawai returns- with White Fox sweetheart Kenichi Kawamura. It’s an interesting episode to find boarded by two people, but I think many would agree that it’s quite challenging to delineate between the work of the pair during the episode. You’d have to have a keen eye and flick back over Kawai’s prior episodes to really get anywhere…. which is exactly what I did.

While it’s entirely possible that Kawai changed up their style for the episode, it’s still more likely that the consistent panning of the latter half belongs to Kawamura. It would also track with Iwahata having taken over a more action-focused episode in last week’s entry. Either way, that panning is surprisingly good this week. While it can typically be used as a lazy way to fill time and space, Kawamura really effectively limits it to transitioning focus via translation. Very thoughtfully, Kawamura selects a foreground object to (typically) make a vertical pan towards a subject. It’s outstanding work with a simple tenet of cinematography where we follow conversation through the subjective and objective. For example, while Sensei is talking about his novel based on Suzuki, we move from a focus on his writing to the subject of the writing itself.

Similarly, Kawamura hones that focus by adding a healthy amount of tracking shots into the episode as well. It’s an undeniable fact that what Kawamura brings is “focus” for No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 4. Rather than accentuating a dramatic pose or blocking, Kawamura aims to exploit the nature of Sensei directly, and does a wonderful job.

Now, onto the hardest part to talk about: the story. Compared to the prior 3 episodes, No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 4 provides a startlingly strong look into a future and direction for the work. While Waldelia and the Demon Lord remain lofty end goals, the contents of episode 4 points us towards an immediate future- sending Otherworlders back home. I’m sure for anime onlies looking back in hindsight, it’s a move that could only ever make sense. A manifestation of Sensei’s desires to die, and the very crux of Osamu Dazai’s career, the conclusion you arrive at is an ability not to send Otherworlders away, but an ability to deny. It’s interesting, but also as Ysha posits, more than just a little complex.

Similarly, the keen-eyed will immediately place Otherworlder summons as something of form of pity from the world itself. Without a place to belong and thrive in their home worlds, they are meant to find solace and hope in another. The power to decide their own stories. the power to rise up from the bottom crust of society. Though, while no party offers a direct answer, it remains a truth that power itself corrupts- as seen with Suzuki. Because of that, No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 4 presents its core message as something surprisingly interesting.

It wants to say that escapism will never solve the problems that plague you. Running away to another world and gaining power will not make your life wonderful or how you hoped it would be. Only by facing yourself can you stand a chance at searching out a better life.

It was around now in the manga that I found myself thinking, “Oh, this will actually be a good series.”. Parody itself can carry you surprisingly far, but by adding a serious tone as a complement can really make an impact- especially when it’s well done. Similarly, I’ve seen a lot of positive response of the same type in regards to No Longer Allowed In Another World episode 4. It’s an important turning point, and Shigeki (& Kawamura) and Atelier P’ontdarc have done an excellent job of handling it. Delivering even more flashy sequences than episode 3, even more dramatic exchanges than episode 2, it props itself up as the pinnacle of the series (for the time being), as it should.