Well, I had some expectations for episode 2 of Pastel Memories.
The previous episode ended with quite the cliffhanger.
So how did episode 2 actually turn out?
Not awful, but not amazing either I think.
Synopsis
Episode 1 ended with the main? three girls preparing to enter into the world of a manga / anime that was being infected with a virus. We learn that this virus causes people to lose their memories of the manga / anime.
Luckily without much delay, the girls enter the world of “Welcome to the Rabbit Cafe”, arriving clad in some cool steampunk style outfits. They discover that the Rabbit Cafe, as well as the people in the world have been turned into eel people. I’m not really sure why the virus did this exactly, but I’m thinking that by turning all of the people into eels this would somehow cause the series to lose memorability in the real world. So the virus retcons details from the series, which then affects it’s perception in the real world, or something like this.
To my knowledge this isn’t really explained.
Anyways, after a brief while in the cafe where we get a little bit of information and a few gags, a giant golem and little floating virus creatures appear and begin attacking the city. Standing on the golem’s shoulder is the villain, Maya, a “top member of the secret organization Black Elites”. A fight breaks out with the girls defeating some virus creatures followed by the golem – the whole battle takes place over 3 minutes.
Afterwards, the world is saved. The girls revisit the cafe and learn how to make better coffee, and then return to the real world where we find out that people’s memories of the series are returning. The cafe gets a little more business as well.
There’s another group of three girls that I think the anime hints at being our heroines for the next episode, but I could be wrong here.
Some of my thoughts on this episode:
Not Very Much Action
While episode 1 hinted that we were going to see some action, the actual fighting portion of episode 2 was only 3 minutes. I admit I’m a bit disappointed. I thought this anime was going to get going here, because I figured the overarching premise was girls traveling to different worlds and fighting the virus – all with different weapons and outfits. Technically this is what happened, it’s just that the actual “fighting the virus” part fell short.
Even the fight itself was lacking. Izumi (pink hair) and Aya (black hair + glasses) wield melee weapons, but all they really did was swing them into the air and a giant wave would come off their weapons and wipe out the virus creatures. Felt a little half-assed as opposed to having them dash in and slice enemies up. The blonde girl was cool though, with her two pistols. Out of the three she was the most enjoyable to watch in action.
“Black Elite” Maya
I was a bit disappointed with Maya’s appearance as well. The OP makes her look dark and edgy, like a real villain. She even has this streak of blood running down her face. Overall she looks very cool in the OP.
Unfortunately in the actual anime, Maya looks sort of like a circus ringleader or something like this. While her outfit is still cool (her earrings look way bigger though), the whole dark / edgy look she had going for her is completely gone. She basically acts like a two-bit villain, a total amateur on the same level as Team Rocket from Pokemon – which is what they are going for I guess? Considering that when the golem is defeated she blasts into the sky. I’m hoping this doesn’t become a normal thing to be honest.
So a bit of a disappointment there, I was hoping for a villain with some real edge!
There were some funny fan service moments with her though, with some *obvious* shots of her thighs and chest as the camera panned up her body. Not the best fan service moments I think, but they are trying at least!
Choppy
Hands down the best character from the episode was Choppy in his eel form (normally he is a rabbit, but he was momentarily improved by the virus). Not only does he look adorable, but he has a funny voice too.
Pastel Memories’ mascot, that magic flying rabbit, definitely loses out here. Choppy is a better mascot by far I think, both in his eel form and his rabbit form. It’s a shame really.
The ED
Wow, the ED surprised me.
Arthifis pointed out how blatant episode 1 was when it came to fan service, and I definitely noticed it this episode. In fact, it’s impossible to miss in the ED, which has all of the 12 girls in swimsuits. Their “features” also look much larger and more exaggerated in the ED. Made me laugh, I probably won’t watch it again moving forward though.
The song itself wasn’t anything special.
All in all, while episode 2 was a step up from episode 1, it was only small step.
Which is unfortunate.
I’d say I still enjoyed some moments from this episode, but not as many as I’d like to have enjoyed. So far the anime feels slightly below average..
My real concern now is if the anime will keep up this trend of minimal action.
Episode 1 had no real action, and episode 2 only gave us 3 minutes of fighting.
While I’d love for episode 3 to provide more in this area, I’m beginning to lose hope for this. I was watching episode 2 looking for action, but I think I may need to start focusing on other areas of the anime going forward. Going to stick with it though. At the very least I can expect more cute girls in steampunk outfits!
We’ll see where the anime chooses to go in episode 3.
Until next time!
Thanks for reading.
Umai Yomu Anime Blog 
Pfft the ED was the best part! I’ll have it on repeat projected into my eyes for all eternity!
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I did get a good screencap out of it at least!
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