Otherside Picnic (Episode 11) - Operation Rescue U.S. Forces

Sorawo and Toriko return to the cafe with Lady Hasshaku’s hat in order to see if they can open a gate to the Otherside and find the American soldiers. Even if they find them, they’ll need to safely navigate a way back!

What happened?

Kozakura came with them to the cafe so that they could prove that the hat was the factor that did it. That meant that she had to leave before they put it on, and since Kozakura has no interest in going back to the Otherside, she’s fine with that.

With Kozakura goen, Sorawo put on the hat. Now, they just had to wait. Mimicking the last time, they left the cafe and walked along the street. Then, out of nowhere they suddenly found themselves in the Otherside and despite their attempts to no go back at night, it was night. They found the train track and headed towards the American base.

After a brief exchange of gunfire, they managed to convince the Americans that they weren’t monsters and that they were there to rescue them. It also appeared that they had only been gone a couple of days to them. Time clearly works differently here.

Otherside Picnic Episode 11 Sorawo Kamikoshi puts on Lady Hasshaku's Hat

After getting all their gear together the Americans left their base. Sorawo led the way, avoiding glitches and guiding them to safety. Then, they saw something on the horizon. It looked like a soldier, but when Sorawo examined him, she saw its true form and warned the soldiers. They opened fire, and as long as Sorawo was watching them, they could hit their targets.

However, they were in a difficult position to defend and the Horned Man and the robot were watching over the attack. Sorawo led them into the forest and the Horned Man’s monsters gave up their attack. It would appear that there are worse things to fear in there.

After a while, they arrived at an area that had been roped off. It was fairly distinctive but when asked if they had seen it before the Americans weren’t sure. After a moment, their memories started to return. Although, based on the fear in their eyes, they were not happy memories.

Sorawo and Toriko took the lead and walked into the roped area, hoping that it would be a gateway back to the real world. There were several unusual artefacts lying around. Some that Sorawo seemed to recognise. Then, they spotted a woman beside the trees. She looked back at them and smiled, revealing a mouth full of sharp red teeth!

Otherside Picnic Episode 11 The Horned Man and Robot

What did you think?

So, I really enjoyed this episode and was surprised when we reached the end. It’s always a good sign when time seems to slip away without you realising it. I will have to bring up the Lady Hasshaku hat problem again, especially as it is now integral to this part of the story. I get that they like to rearrange things to best fit the schedule, but how did someone not flag this as a continuity issue?

That said, I loved the cliffhanger for this episode and am dying to watch the final episodes of the season. I also need to know if this season will give me any answers as to what Sorawo and Satsuki have in common other than Toriko. With just one episode left, I’m worried that I won’t find out what I want. Luckily, I have got the light novel to get on with just in case.

What have you learnt?

I like that things are coming back around and we’ve not just abandoned the soldiers on the Otherside, however, I can’t help but talk about the hat again. Last week, I wasn’t too worried, but using it as the gateway to save the soldiers after it was destroyed back in episode seven is a bit much. It’s frustrating because I do love this series. I even bought the first light novel, so something is working.

It is impossible to overlook this. I’m led to believe that it is because they rearranged the story for the anime and most likely so that they could finish with the story that they thought would have the biggest impact as a season finale. I think they probably made the right choice, but they should have absolutely come up with a way to make it work with the context of the story rather than just shuffling them around without any consideration.