REVIEW: ‘SHY’ Episode 3 — “Conversation at the Dinner Table”

After the shocking incident during last week’s episode, Teru Momijiyama (Shino Shimoji) and Iko Koishikawa (Nao Tôyama) need a chance to relax. To that end, Iko has invited Teru to a day at the mall. While outdoor activities aren’t the most relaxing things for Teru, she is determined to enjoy her time with her new friend, no matter how much it stresses her out in SHY Episode 3, “Conversation at the Dinner Table.”

The opening half of this episode follows the pair of new friends as they spend a quiet afternoon together. The duo shop, grab a bite to eat, and chat about recent events and how they have impacted their lives. Iko’s leg seems to be healed, believed to be a side effect of the black ring that caused her so much trouble in the last episode. So, at least some good may have come from the nightmarish experience.

But while shopping is fun, the introvert that Teru soon needs a break from all the excitement, and the two stop by the food court for a quiet bite to eat. Much is learned about each other during this key moment in SHY Episode 3. From Iko’s growing understanding of what being an introvert does to Teru to her discovery that she is the only non-hero who knows Shy’s secret identity, the hangout comes to impact Iko a lot as she discovers more about Teru’s world and how she interacts with it.

The exploration of Teru’s introverted nature is handled well here, if not notably so. Iko responded to the information with the understanding one would hope to see. Nothing about how the episode approaches this moment makes it stand out, but it doesn’t fumble the moment, either.

Teru also learns something about Iko when the pair encounters a young boy separated from his parents. Without missing a beat, Iko volunteers to help the child find his parents. How quickly Iko responds and how confidently she acts to prop up the boy’s spirits impresses Teru immensely. The episode frames this moment wonderfully as it uses the incident to highlight how it takes all kinds of different people to be heroes in other circumstances.

The day at the mall is cut short, however, when Teru gets a call from Pepesha Andrianov (Mamiko Noto) informing her that both she and Iko are wanted at a meeting with Unilord (Kikuko Inoue, Do it Yourself!!) in her orbital space station. While Iko is surprised that she received an invitation, she takes it better than I expected. Perhaps her recent encounters have made her less awestruck by the unusual, but it feels like SHY Episode 3 lets Iko roll with being teleported to space to meet heroes a bit too smoothly.

While her initial journey and meetings go surprisingly smoothly, she is awestruck at the arrival of Stardust. The preeminent hero of their world, Stardust, is both a hero and a music star. Having donated billions to charity, he is seen as one of the greatest individuals of their day. However, once the group sits down to discuss the recent incident Teru and Iko had with Stigma (Mutsumi Tamura, Fate/Samurai Remnant), Stardust’s personality takes an unexpected turn.

Given his reputation, one expects a charismatic and supporting personality from Stardust’s character. Instead, Stardust is presented as being harsh, judgemental, and cold. This delivers a mild shock to Teru as the hero begins questioning her ability to do her job, ultimately challenging her to a fight. If she loses, she must quit being a hero.

The visual presentation of Stardust throughout his initial moments on screen is handled very well visually. The camera angles and how the character is animated and lit give the viewer a sense of unease around the character without making him feel outright villainous, though it feels like a possibility. The presentation creates another interesting question to encourage viewers to continue watching.

With the episode ending just as the fight between Shy and Stardust is about to begin, SHY Episode 3 ends on a tense note. While it is natural to presume how the battle will turn out, the series has shown that it is willing to throw curve balls at the audience, leaving the viewer with enough doubt to be eager to see what happens next.

SHY Season 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.