REVIEW: ‘SHY’ Season 1 Part 2 Delivers A Strong Story

With their first battle against Amarariruku won, it looked like Shy (Shino Shimoji, The Case Study of Vanitas) and her friends might be able to take a break. But SHY Season 1 Part 2 from 8-Bit has other plans in store for its titular hero. When a runaway girl comes looking for help, it will lead Shy into her biggest battle yet, forcing the hero to take on a role she may not be prepared for.

With the groundwork out of the way, this chapter of Shy’s journey can take a more focused approach to its narrative. Rather than splitting the season up between a couple of smaller arcs, this 12-episode run focuses solely on one story. This focus allows the story to take plenty of time as it explores the central conflict that comes to be the concern of the season: the mission of the mysterious girl Ai Tennoji (Kotori Koiwai, Bocchi the Rock).

A runaway from her home village, Shy discovers that Ai is a modern-day shinobi princess in search of someone. As Ai’s secrets come to light, SHY Season 1 Part 2 does a great job of tying the newcomer’s story into the show’s larger themes. Elements of the character, like how she can feel others’ hearts through her magical sword, tie her abilities nicely into the series’ core theme of empathy.

When she first appears, Ai feels like nothing special from a narrative standpoint—a runaway princess who seeks to escape a stifling life. However, as the season reveals more about her character, the viewer quickly learns that there is more to her than a tired cliche. The complexities of the character’s world are explored as the arc progresses, and she, Shy, and the rest of the heroes are drawn into battle with Amarariruk.

Upping the ante from the first arc, this time, the villainous organization seals a major metropolitan area under a pitch-black dome. With no communication able to get in or out, the heroes are forced to form a team to head in blind to resolve the situation. Given her previous experiences with Amarariruk, Unilord (Kikuko Inoue, Do It Yourself!!) decides that Shy is the best person to lead the team. At the same time, the hero questions the decision; with the support of Ai, along with her returning allies like Pepesha Andreanova (Mamiko Noto, Insomniacs After School), Shy resolves to accept the new role she has been thrust into.

While making Shy the team leader requires a little suspension of disbelief, SHY Season 1 Part 2 uses the decision well as it forces her to continue to grow in confidence as a hero. The narrative also uses Shy’s shortcomings to highlight the importance of leaders being able to find people to fill in where they lack, creating a well-rounded group. This view of leadership felt refreshing and gave the group dynamic that sets out to win the day an interesting setup.

Once inside the dome, Shy’s group is confronted by several of Stigma’s henchmen. Each character brings unique combat elements and an emotional element that fits the series’ themes. As each enemy is confronted, one group stays behind to fight so the rest can resolve the situation before the villains’ plans come to fruition. This eventually leaves just Shy and Ai to confront the final opponent.

This winnowing of the team works well as a way to keep the narrative moving. The series stays with each opponent long enough to get their story and showcase some of their skills before moving on. Letting much of the fighting take place off-camera prevents the series from getting bogged down or making the foes feel too easily defeated.

While the series tries to make every character visually engaging in combat, no one shines like Ai. While the decision to incorporate classic visual elements like swirls of lotus petals into Ai’s attacks is nothing original, implementing the elements infuses her combat moments with the peace and kind-heartedness that permeates the character. Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, you just have to know how to use what’s already there.

The final confrontation brings to light SHY Season 1 Part 2’s best and worst moments. While the series’ climax has some cool action moments that deliver aesthetically pleasing designs, the heart the series tries to infuse into every portion of its story can become overwrought at times. Impassioned pleas, tearful goodbyes, and declarations of affection can all become drawn out as moments go from engrossing to rambling. This sours much of the emotional payoff the story builds up as it leads into its final episodes.

SHY Season 1 Part 2 delivers a strong story that utilizes new and old elements to tell a fun and emotional story that forces its protagonist to grow as a hero. While the ending can get a bit rocky, the journey is one well worth going on.

SHY Season 1 Part 2 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.