REVIEW: ‘Ayaka’ Episode 2 — “I Definitely Drank Too Much”

Ayaka Episode 2 barrels ahead with the plot as we find our protagonist, Yukito, already in the throes of his training. Despite having only just been introduced to the islands, his powers, and Jingi who will be training him, he’s still begun the process of learning the ropes of how to be a Ley Master. With that training comes the necessary exposition dump as viewers are once again reminded of what it even means to be a Ley Master, all the while as we’re introduced to another student of Yukito’s late father. Amidst all of that, the show begins to develop the hierarchy of those who maintain balance on the island. It’s a lot but also somewhat bare bones in the final product.

Written by GoRA, animated by Studio Blanc, and produced by King Records, with only two episodes under its belt the series is suffering from a lack of focus. Directed by Nobuyoshi Nagayama, there’s a clear objective to the plot. Train Yukito, and learn more about his past and powers. That said, there’s very little decipherable tone that would help engage viewers to be greater pulled into the story. It’s forgivable, especially since it’s only episode two, but it will become clear soon if the series is going to manage to deliver a story with a cohesive atmosphere and direction.

Despite how quickly the viewers and Yukito are thrown into the latter training, very little actually happens. Yukito is still dismayed by Jingi’s drunken personality, though he admits the latter is powerful. Even if Yukito is able to accept Jingi as a trainer, he’s a character who requires greater depth than what they’ve given him so far, especially as Jingi’s training style again puts him and Yukito in harm’s way. He’s able to clean up his mess, a mess that had the potential to be one of the more interesting elements of the episode had they played with potential themes of environmentalism.

Their jobs on the islands are to pacify the Ara-Mitama — typically docile spirits that have been corrupted due to some greater forces. When affected they become rageful and must be subdued to end their suffering. When they achieve pacifying the spirit in question through the aid of Kurama, another one of Yukito’s father’s students, it’s realized that what created the Ara-Mitama was Jingi’s own inattention. His drunkenness let a creation of his infect the mitama, and its body built itself with pieces of litter left behind by Jingi and his friends. Considering the pull of nature that envelops the series with their main job being to keep the natural order intact and balanced, it would’ve been a good opportunity to invite a deeper meaning into the mitama’s corruptions.

The greatest, distinguishing note of the series thus far is the character designs produced by Redjuice along with Kana Shibue’s score. Kurama especially is noteworthy in his design, possessing an ethereal look that differs from Yukito and Jingi. Shibue’s score, meanwhile, was already noteworthy in Episode 1 but continues to develop in scale, with threads of operatic tones that threaten to overpower the scenes that don’t require that level of bombast.

Ayaka Episode 2, “I Definitely Drank Too Much” is fine as set up but lacks the greater intrigue that’s necessary to build an audience. With an interesting setup and strong character designs, the series still needs to find its own identity while it races straight to the main story in order to further develop the world and the personalities living in it.

Ayaka Season 1 is available now on Crunchyroll.