Well, the title summarizes the episode pretty neatly.
(Spoilers in this review)
Thoughts on this Episode:
- Gabriel starts working a part-time job at a coffee shop called Coffee Angel. She’s as bad at an employee as you would expect. Surely the man can find better help than her.
- Raphiel and Vignette finally interact and go on a friend date. About time, I think, since they were in this awkward “friend-of-a-friend” stage. This little outing only confirms the show will continue to milk how demons like Vigne and Satanichia are less twisted than angels like Gabriel and Raphiel.
- That being said, it was nice hearing Hanazawa Kana (Raphiel’s seiyuu) make such a scream in the cafe.The artshift during the cream puff roulette was amusing, as well.
- Satanichia entering Coffee Angel as a customer is as hilarious as you’d expect it to be. The poor manager suffers greatly until Vigne shows up. The gag of angelic demons also continues as a result.
- As for the last bit where Gabriel leaves her apartment and heads over to Vignette’s because Gabriel’s AC stops working and she’s being bitten all over by mosquitoes… it was frustrating. Too much fanservice sprung up as Gabriel waltzed around with bare legs and all. Did they actually they were being clever when Gabriel claimed the censor bar was of divine origin and kept things family clever? Definitely a step back compared to last week.
- This was, theoretically, an episode centered around Gabriel, but she remains a dull main character in my eyes. Sure, her interactions with Vignette and Satanichia are great, but she doesn’t stand by herself.
- I find myself comparing Gabriel to Chitose (Girlish Number) since they’re both cute yet annoying people. However, Chitose actually had a goal of sorts underneath all the boasting and the inflated ego. Gabriel is just a flat MMO addict who acts like a jerk to everyone else. I can’t bring myself to care about her.
- If this show continues down the same vein of excessive fanservice and repeated usage of the same ol’ thematic gags (the “oh, angels are worse people than demons” premisis), I’ll be disappointed. Maybe I’m expecting too much from a SoL and I should just be enjoying the laughs as they come.
The Lily Garden 
I honestly think the fan service is tame. This episode was a welcome departure from the stale comedy that came before it, and I agree in that the new paring of Raphiel with Vigne was a welcome change. The smart call-back to Satania’s flavor-deaf tongue was a nice contrast that actually had her (unknowingly) outwit Raphiel.
But going back to the fan service, I think Gabriel’s easygoing character helps diffuse any self-gratification that is the common pitfall of the typical fan service nonsense. The divine light gag was tasteless, but smartly played out by trading out the usual scandalous/embarrassed overreactions with an utterly confused Vigne and “couldn’t care less” Gabriel.
Overall, I say this episode was a huge step up from the previous episodes. So long as it remains comfortable with its style of comedy without reverting back to the uninspired “bad angels” shtick, I think it should do pretty well.
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I believe you did a much better job explaining what made this episode work. Perhaps I was too harsh here.
Your comment was very insightful as usual and made me realize I missed the small things when it comes to gags. I have much to learn!
Thank you for dropping by.
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Nah, I think it’s all a matter of how you look at things. The show is still a long ways from being memorable, but I think it’s doing a better job.
But I agree with your comments on the show relying too much on its assumed (implicit) jokes surrounding their nature as angels and devils. It’ll have to do much, much more if it wants to avoid obscurity.
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Mmmm fair enough. It was a step in the right direction for sure.
That’s what worries me. Some series seem content to rely on the same jokes throughout the entire season. I guess we will have to see if DropOut follows the same path.
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I can’t wait to watch this show! I need my Doga Kobo fix.
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Mmm I hope you like it! You’re not into watching simulcast, correct?
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It’s how I’ve decided to watch anime going forward. I kept falling weeks behind on shows and it only added stress to my life, plus I’ve come to find I enjoy series more when I watch them as a whole.
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I can definitely relate. Shaking free from that is great. Good for you!
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