The season comes to a close with a surprising twist.
What They Say:
In a fit of jealous rage, Dee decides to reset the entire world. The reset is slowly claiming the world as Dee manipulates the students of Class 3-4. Can Ai and Alis stop the reset now that it has already begun?
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the Class 3-4 arc coming to a close here, as does the season, Sunday Without God continues to explore the groundhog day/year world that currently exists. Ai has spent her time trying to get through to Dee about things, but has been largely unsuccessful about it. So much so that as Ai talks with Alis, we see how further resigned he is to things existing like this after he had made his escape previously, which naturally landed him in the other school that Ai helped him get out of. His attempts at fixing things have not gone well and it’s made him realize on some level that he’s not going to be able to do so. Which is all well timed as we see how Dee has brought events to where they need to be in the school, as she pulls out her gun and starts to shoot everyone, slowly but surely, because of the pact they made wanting to live for eternity. Which is what she’s doing for them now as she insists they remember that day before starting over.
The attempt to set things right, to smash the world as Dee is trying to do, leads to some striking and stark scenes, especially when at the halfway mark, we see her look out the window of the school and see the splattered remains of Alis from the time past that she envisions, only to have him show up behind her and attempt to rescue her. Which happens along with everyone else in the school, partially thanks to Ai, who want to end the cycle and save Dee. It’s a brief moment overall, but it’s so strikingly animated and visually well done that you just have to love it. Especially since it also reveals the twist and truth of this whole situation with who is really behind this whole situation, not that they knew about it. Turning it all around on Alis and making him the one responsible is a nice twist.
Sunday Without God does play predictably after we get to this twist as we see the situation slowly but surely resolve itself on its own. While it does go in this predictable manner, it’s one that’s quite well done in terms of visuals and emotions as they play it up well, selling it strongly and making it a hugely appealing piece as we see how Ai is trying to save Alis in her own way, once knowing that everyone else is fine, but realizing that some things just may not be meant to be. The closure of the arc definitely works nicely and helps to move the characters each forward just a little bit in their own ways, while also giving Ai another moment where she has to grow up and change more as the real world makes its designs clear.
In Summary:
Sunday Without God has been a conflicting series for me as it did do a lot of things I liked, especially in telling arcs within it that are clearly defined and really making for some emotionally driven sequences along the way, but it also had problems pacing those arcs to make them interesting. The two middle arcs didn’t do much for me overall, though I liked some of the reveals. The opening and closing arcs worked better, but even those had their own issues. The show managed to tie its emotional weight to the visuals and that definitely helped along the way, but it couldn’t truly sustain it. Which is why, at the end of the season, I feel myself feeling complete with it. I thoroughly enjoyed it overall on different levels, but I have no strong desire to return to this world.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.