SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table

Episode 6

Last week, after Yuki succumbed to the somniferous effects of the sleeping pills that each death game participant is forced to take on their way to the next competition, we got a glimpse of just how brutal this “Golden Bath” storyline is shaping up to be when a poor girl woke in the baths with only a towel to cover herself and a single keycard as a clue to her next step. So far, the games we've seen have all been mostly cooperative in nature, with the contestants partnering up to solve puzzles and escape traps (give or take the occasional execution ballot, of course). Here, in the Golden Bath, our anonymous contestant is not done in by beast's claws or mechanical blades. This time, it's the other girls who chase her down, beat her, and hold her under the water until her body lies still. Is it any surprise that Mishiro would be the one who calmly enters the scene so she can lord above her bloodthirsty pack of maiden-monsters and take the fruits of their labors for herself?

Now, this week, Yuki has finally woken up, and though she ends up in a scrap with one of the tougher new contestants, it quickly becomes clear that there are plenty of girls in this large cast who aren't interested in smashing the glass on the “Lord of the Flies Mode” emergency switch so quickly. This dichotomy creates a lovely sense of dramatic irony for the audience. While Yuki is not the type to immediately throw her contestants to the metaphorical (and sometimes literal) wolves, we already know that she's plenty willing to get her hands dirty if needs must. Azuma and the other girls are plenty tough, and they're more than willing to work together to dig punji pits and the like for defense, but they clearly lack that killer instinct that a game like this one will undoubtedly demand.

This means that the dramatic tension for the “Golden Bath” game is less about whether most of these girls are going to make it out alive (they most definitely will not) and more about what Yuki will decide she is willing to do to overcome that dreaded “Game 30” slump. I feel obliged to point out the excellent performance that Tiana Camacho delivers as Azuma in the English dub. Her affect is naturalistic and earnest in a way that captures the character's more masculine qualities, which are so important to what motivates her to compete in these death games, while still sounding distinct from the usual “butch” voice archetypes we're used to hearing in anime. Camacho's natural chemistry with Suzie Yeung's Yuki makes it that much more compelling when Yuki and Azuma end up bonding in the baths together. That tension created by Yuki's untrustworthy nature makes for such a gripping tightrope for the narrative to walk.

We want to see Yuki make connections with such relatable and likeable friends, even though we can't fully trust that she won't end up betraying them by the time victory is within reach. Mishiro might be more vicious and cutthroat in her approach at first glance, but she is perhaps more honest about the kind of game she is actually playing. When we learn about the awful massacre at the home base, Yuki seems to be completely distraught. I have no doubt that she really does want to help her fellow players, but we've already seen what happens when one of these so-called “friends” becomes an obstacle in Yuki's path. This way, at least, our heroine won't have to cave all of those poor girls' skulls in one at a time if the rules suddenly reveal that only so many players can walk out of the front door alive. Still, the whole way back, Yuki admonishes herself for neglecting to check the weak spot in the wall around the garden that got everyone killed. “I can't believe it!” she hisses, over and over.

It's funny: I'm not sure if I can believe it, either.

Episode Rating:

SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.