Akiba'S Trip The Animation

Episode 4

Another week in Akihabara, another expensive new hobby for Tamotsu. Our hero's recent foray into the world of high-end audio equipment has rekindled an old passion for amateur radio, and Tamotsu goes as far as building an antenna tower to boost his signal strength. Of course, that's nothing compared to the villain of the week, an old friend of the Professor who's fallen under the influence of the Bugged Ones. With a truly enormous tower under her control, Denko Busujima can use powerful microwaves to destroy electronic equipment and shred clothing. It's up to the members of Electric Mayo (and a huge supply of aluminum foil) to save the day.

Placing a ham radio storyline right after last week's foray into home audio doesn't seem like the world's greatest idea to me, since highlighting two sound-related hobbies back to back feels a little repetitive. On the positive side, Akiba's Trip The Animation does a better job of tying Tamotsu's latest obsession into the rest of the episode this time around. Where the stereo gear felt more like a side story, the radio equipment relates directly to the new villain and ends up helping the team find her weakness. I also like the way this particular hobby is presented; compared to previous episodes, there's a better balance between showing a subculture's appeal and poking fun at it. It feels like the audience is being encouraged to laugh at Tamotsu for going overboard rather than at amateur radio for being a weird hobby.

This episode also features an increase in screen time for the Professor, who is amusing enough to justify her extended stint in the spotlight. She fits pretty comfortably into the usual “tiny genius” mold, with a good mix of exuberance and eccentricity working in her favor. If nothing else, the delightfully goofy aluminum suits suggest that she could be a reliable source of bizarre gadgets for Electric Mayo in future episodes. The one character who feels shortchanged on screen time is this episode's radio-themed antagonist, but that may be for the best, since she isn't the most compelling baddie out there. Frankly, Tamotsu seems like a better personification of broadcasting gone berserk than any villain the series could have cooked up.

With a greater emphasis on gadgets and radio waves than actual fighting, the series leans more towards Akiba's Trip than Akiba Strip this time around. There's still the required destruction of clothing, but it's quick enough to approach “blink and you'll miss it” territory. At this point, the damage done to a character's clothing seems to be less about fanservice and more about providing a visible health meter to show how much danger the protagonists are in at any given moment. While it's not quite what I expected after the first episode, I think it may be the right direction for Akiba's Trip to go in if it's aiming for a broader audience. Keep the gimmick around for the sake of standing out, but use it sparingly to preserve the novelty.

If you're here for a constant barrage of willful absurdity, then this episode may be less spectacular than you'd prefer. However, it is a sign that Akiba's Trip is starting to refine its basic narrative formula into something more approachable. The geeky humor and battle-damaged outfits are still there, but they're being used in a more coherent and deliberate way. The key going forward will be finding enough niches and subcultures to last the entire season, while making some meaningful progress on the overall narrative. Even with some new hints at a larger plot, it's still not clear just where this story is headed.

Rating: B

Akiba'S Trip The Animation is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.