ANIME TUESDAY: Beyond the Boundary – “Black World” Review


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Previously on Beyond the Boundary:

The Calm has ended and Akihito has awoken. No longer in his youmu state he and Mirai go visit their friends around the city. He notices something is off and Mirai tells him that it’s all a dream and that she is no longer with them and that the Beyond the Boundary is gone. Akihito awakens in the real world and finds that what Mirai said was true. Spoilers Ahead!

BTB 11.3

Akihito awakens to notice that the Calm has passed, along with his immortality. He tells Hiromi & Mitsuki that he wants to talk to Izumi, much to their chagrin, but she comes to him. Izumi explains her relationship with Mirai and how she could defeat the Beyond the Boundary to Akihito. That night everyone meets at the literary club where Akihtio’s mother reveals that Mirai is still alive!

The penultimate episode of Beyond the Boundary has arrived, and with it some startling revelations and pulse pounding action.

BTB 11.4

Akihito awakens from his coma. Mitsuki & Hiromi come to visit him in his hospital room and tell him that he has been in a coma for three months and that the Calm has passed. They confirm that Mirai has indeed passed away, and that Akihito may no longer be immortal. The three then head to Ayaka’s shop where Akihito demands to speak to Izumi. This results in an argument between Hiromi and Akihito over how the former and Mitsuki backed off when they confronted Izumi about what she said to Mirai.

The two talk at a playground and Izumi tells Akihito about the nature of Beyond the Boundary, the agreement she and Mirai made when she arrived in Nagatsuki City, and how Mirai eventually backed out. Because of this, Izumi was forced to reveal how her blood could save him, but kill her. Distraught Akihito returns to his apartment and receives (after being drop kicked by a sad Sakura) a text from Mirai about how meeting Akihito and the others helped her gain self-acceptance (ain’t friendship grand?).

Beyond the Boundary above the city

Beyond the Boundary above the city

Although not all is relatively well as Miroku (remember that guy?) finds out that the Beyond the Boundary retreated into another dimension in order to finish its fight with Mirai and uses the spear he recovered from Sakura to reveal that dimension, which looks a black sphere, which is floating over Nagatsuki City. It begins to absorb all of the youmu into itself (including Ai & Ayaka) in order to gain the power to fight Mirai and Akihito & the others head to the literary club. Here is where they meet Yayoi in person, who tells them that Mirai is still alive and fighting the youmu. Akihito has an interesting relationship with his mother as he is very physical with her when she launches into her crazy cosplay antics she even goes as far as to dress in a sexy devil costume to give exposition.

She gives Akithito a piece of Beyond the Boundary’s core which allows him to enter the sphere and reunite with Mirai.

BTB 11.8

 

“Black World” is a decent episdoe that sets things up well enough for the final episode of the series. While removing Akihito’s immortality also removes one of the few interesting things about his character, he still has some decent moments this episode along with Mirai. Izumi still remains somewhat ambiguous and things are postioned to make Miroku an all out villain. The animation continues to amaze and Mirai’s fight with Beyond the Boundary is pretty nice to look at with a good score accompanying it.

4/5

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