Sanrio Boys Ep 7 – The Nefarious Sparkles (Winter Games 2018 )

• Genre : Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life
• Studio: Pierrot

Of the three shows we review for the Winter Games, Sanrio Boys is the one I have the most trouble with. It airs mid Saturday morning for me which means that I have to make time between the groceries, the laundry, the house cleaning and Buddy hugging, to watch, review and put together a post complete with screen caps, for the next day. I’m not use to such tight turnaround times. I’m use to laying on the couch playing video games until I forget basic motor skills, like how to get the spoon full of soup in my mouth. So if my Sanrio posts are smaller and much less polished, that’s why. If you haven’t noticed a difference…maybe I should work harder on the other ones…

 

This week was pretty much just a commercial for Puroland. This said if I didn’t know Puroland was a real place (and I only found out because of the show, up until now I did not know what Sanrio was…) I would have thought this was a normal amusement park or festival episode, just like in so many other anime.

The episode was generally fine, honestly a very run of the mill festival type episode that ended on a somewhat odd cliffhanger. My general feeling about it – it was fine. I am forcefully neutral about it. Look at those mad reviewin’ skills.

But nothing’s really disproved the theory I threw out last week. I think it’s a bit of a bummer to think everything is happening in the mind of a comatose Prez but it’s a bit early to be discounting his creep factor just yet. This guy is up to something and if we let him lull us all into a false sense of security, we will all pay for it!

First, in a not too subtle ploy to impose unquestioning obedience from the remaining boys, the Prez has been isolating them from all other relationships in their lives. Forcing them to push away any friends to could have otherwise exerted some influence over them. Hase has felt the brunt of that as he can nos barely see his childhood friends in a social setting at all.

He then brought them all in a place where he already has a degree of authority, a place he is highly familiar with while they will be disoriented with all the sensory overload of ever present music, flashing lights and bright colours everywhere. He even got everyone to get matching identifying accessories. This is cult leader 101 stuff, guys. And it’s clearly working.

The tsundere shota was pretty much a lost cause to begin with and he’s just getting in deeper every day. The fall is subtler for Yuu but you can see him gravitating towards the Prez whenever both of them are free and Shun’s not putting up much of a fight. But of all of them, it’s poor Kouta that’s had the worst time. The poor boy has been clearly pushed beyond his limits and as the episode was closing out, the end tag showed us a harrowing depiction of Hase’s mind breaking.

No matter how many cute characters, big smiles and colorful sparkles you try to hide behind, there’s just no denying that this vile tale of deceit and manipulation just can’t end well for the poor boys.

How far will the Prez be able to push them before they break?

I’m rather impressed that Sanrio is letting their products be associated with such a twisted mastermind. Most big companies can’t laugh at themselves that way so koodos Sanrio!

Predictions:

I have to confess, I got really wrapped up in my grim retelling of the episode and I am finding it difficult to snap back in to probably reality mode to make sound predictions. Well it’s probably too early for the bloodbath in any case.

Plot: The boys will make a Sanrio themed booth for their school festival.

Character: Shun will lend his stoic strength at a crucial moment

I think my poor compatriots: Astral Gemini, Leap and TPAB, have failed to realize the dark twist that lays ahead. They are in for a shock! I almost envy them, these things are so much more satisfying when they’re a complete blindside, you know? Sometimes my genius is a burden…