Man, I really need to replay The World Ends With You. That was the main thought running around my mind as I sat through the anime’s sixth episode, Turf. If the last couple of episodes were about trust and disruption, Turf is the result of all that instability. We’re definitely building up to some kind of climax, and yet this is only the halfway point.
We start here where last week left off, and at this point it shouldn’t be a spoiler that Neku believes Joshua killed him, therefore he’s responsible for everything. But it’s clear he isn’t totally sure what he saw was the whole story, and obviously he doesn’t want to jeopardize the Reaper’s Game.
At this point the moving parts start rolling out as if Square Enix dumped a burlap sack full of plot threads out on the streets of Shibuya. Joshua clearly has ambitions far beyond winning the Reaper’s Game. Meanwhile Sho, who hasn’t issued a challenge for several days, seems to be behind the Taboo Noise.
And that’s not all. Beat shows back up again to remind us he’s a player here as well. So that mystery begins to unfold a little, but not in a major way just yet. But while Beat isn’t around long, he still manages to insult one of the Reapers with the greatest delivery of the word “senpai” I’ve ever heard in an anime. You can taste the venom in each syllable.
Related: The World Ends With You Anime Reactions | Episodes 4 & 5
Next up is the Neku emotions power hour, in which we’re reminded of his personal struggle. The headphones metaphor is finally spelled out, and we see how Neku has gone from an intentional loner to someone who can care about other people and express empathy, even for persons who may be threats. We also see him mark out over a new CAT graffiti piece, which was a solid comedy bit.
What comes next is the obligatory action sequence, in which Neku and Josh face off with a couple Taboo Noise… rhinos? I think this scene is meant to drive home that trust theme, showing us that trust is complicated. Neku obviously is distrustful of Josh and his motivations, but knows they can count on each other to survive in a fight. Then the big twist of the episode kicks in and it’s a doozy.
In Turf’s final moments, the Reaper’s Game is torn down even more. The relationships between the Reapers are all kinds of muddled, Sho is clearly on his own team and Neku’s situation with Josh has only grown more complicated and ominous. With two days left in this game, we’re gonna start seeing some payoffs real soon.
We’re on time this week with our The World Ends With You anime reactions! So uh, yeah, there’s a lot of it on the site this week. But hey, we’re back on track and ready to watch the show’s whole premise get torn to shreds by its own participants. Fun stuff. Are you digging the show so far, or are you just patiently waiting for the sequel game in July? Let us know at Prima Games’ Twitter and Facebook feeds.
