Summary
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Why Does No One Remember Me in This World?, Episode 2, “Rinne,” now streaming onCrunchyroll.
2
Air Date
July 20th, 2024
Why Does No One Remember Me in This World?was back for Episode 2 this week with a little less info dumping, a little more character development, and some good action sequences. While last week’s first episode really suffered from having to share too much lore, too quickly, this week the anime was able to move forward with the actual plot after establishing the setting thoroughly. That made the second episode much easier to digest, and especially easier to actually enjoy.
However, after not having the strongest opening episode, it may be hard forWhy Does No One Remember Me in This World?to complete with theplethora of other fantasy anime also airing this season. For many viewers who try just the first episodes of everything and then choose what they want to continue, they may have already given up on this sci-fi fantasy blend. However, anyone who came back for another taste this week was rewarded for their perseverance, and “Rinne” set up a much stronger future going into the rest of the season.
Enter, the Cute Girl Trope
Rinne Is Here for the Fanservice
A new secondary character was introduced properly this week; Rinne. While her race remains shrouded in mystery, she is a beautiful girl with wings, a sexy outfit, and magical powers. She also needs to be rescued by Kai, even though she is shown later as being quite adept at using magic and fighting. Rinne quickly falls into the trope of being the beautiful, strong girl that still needs help from the leading man, a character that continues to be prevalent in fantasy anime.
Rinne had her moment of fanservice as well with a shower sequence, her hair strategically placed to keep the anime in PG-13 territory. Again,she is fulfilling a tropein the fantasy-anime genre. She also gives some competition for Kai’s affections. Will he fall for his childhood friend, Jeanne, or the mysterious angel-demon girl, Rinne? Only time will tell, but it is likely he will have a romance with at least one of them by the end of the series. Hopefully, Rinne has a chance to stand out as something other than a trope in the upcoming episodes.
A Real Goal Emerges
We Can See Where the Anime is Going Now
Last week, it was hard to understand exactly what the point ofWhy Does No One Remember Me in This World?was. All the audience knew was that Kai had been sucked into another world somehow where humans had been defeated, but he suddenly was dragged into another place at the end without any explanation. It was hard to understand what the point of the anime was going to be, whether it was Kai wanting to return to his reality or if he was going to try to help the one he was in.
In “Rinne,“Why Does No One Remember Me in This World?found more direction towards the end of the episode. The main characters formulated a plan todefeat the Hero of the Demons, Vanessa, to allow the humans in this reality to conquer their enemies with Kai’s help. Now, it is clear that Kai has to step into the role of Sid, the hero who had allowed humans to be victorious in his world. The plan to attack Vanessa with Rinne’s help is likely to be the plot of the next few episodes, providing a real antagonist and a problem to solve for the characters. That makesWhy Does No One Remember Me in This World?more interesting, and helps the audience feel more invested in what is going to happen next.
Jeanne-Sama, the… Man?
Why Does No One Else See She is a Woman?
One plot point that remains confusing this week is that Jeanne, the leader of the rebels, ispretending to be a man- and everyone is falling for it. Last week, Kai questioned her in front of everyone, demanding to know why she was pretending to be a man instead of a woman. After all, the two were flirting together in the world he comes from, and she was embracing her femininity. That strange point continued this week, when Jeanne revealed that almost no one in this new world knew that she was actually a woman.
What is hard to understand as a viewer ishow everyone is fooled. The only thing Jeanne is going to pretend to be a man is pulling up her hair and slightly dropping her voice. The rest of her looks exactly the same as when she is being herself, as a woman. It seems odd that her lie is part of the plot when it does not seem to be affecting anything, either. There has been no explanation for why she is doing this. It seems like an odd point that is just being shoved into the story for no real reason, and only half-heartedly, which makes it hard for the viewer to really believe that the characters are all fooled. If this point is going to continue to be pushed, a lot more explanation or purpose for it needs to be given.
It seems that next week,Why Does No One Remember Me in This World?is going to push forward with the actual plot of the anime. Hopefully, that means more epic battles,cool weapons, and interesting enemy designs are on the horizon. If the anime can keep the plot and the action moving forward, dropping lore a little bit at a time instead of all at once, the anime has significantly more potential to succeed this season, but that is going to depend on how the next couple of episodes pan out.
