What They Say:
“Unity”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With a decent if less than enjoyable installment the last time around with the “was it a dream sequence or not?” element to it, Miss Monochrome gets back on track. With just a few episodes left before the season ends, and the potential of renewal notices coming out, the show has to get a few more things accomplished to make it feel like she’s really and truly on the path of achieving her goal. This episode takes us to Fukouka where she’s having a good bit of excitement with another successful concert, which is a plus considering that it’s not just a solo act and she’s able to get some decent help. You almost wonder if there’s a little jealousy though with the way the other girls are and their friendly and “human” nature that makes them charming compared to her.
Amusingly, she ends up holding a meeting with everyone while out in the swan boats in the park the next day and she pretty much brutalizes everyone in Caramel with how off their performances were. And by off, we mean by a millimeter or two. That’s something they can’t tolerate but it’s the kind of thing that really gets to Monochrome as she envisions them truly striving for perfection and achieving it ahead of their grand goal. Since she’s truly doing it to try and get them to be a bit more realistic about where they are, to not get overconfident, it has its positive side to it in that regard. Of course, ensuring that Caramel members understand it since Monochrome was so indirect is necessary and that leads to a comical “old man Maneo” sequence to try and sell it to them. It’s light and silly as it should be and it certainly works well enough.
In Summary:
Miss Monochrome gets an episode where our lead has to actually lead and encourage others and that’s not something she excels at. She has the right reasons and right ideas yet it’s the execution that makes it problematic. There’s some fun to it overall and I liked getting a little more time with the Caramel girls and seeing how they react to it all. Even better is that we finally get a new ending sequence here with a new song, which reinforces the idea that we’ll definitely get another season out of this show.
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.