The fourth episode of 16Bit Sensation: Another Layer premiered on October 26th, picking up right where we left off with Konoha desperately urging Mamoru to come back to Alcohol Soft’s studio and resume game development. This episode features the return of the beautiful Touya Yamada, as well as our Alcohol Soft team attending Comiket to participate in cosplay and sell doujinshi.
Konoha, our spirited protagonist, is making every effort to convince Mamoru to come back to the game studio. He abruptly left, insisting that he had no interest in transitioning to making games for Windows computers like the rest of the company. We see how driven and persistent Konoha is, maybe even annoyingly so, as she sets up camp right outside Mamoru’s residence. Although Konoha’s plea is the main focus of the episode, we also witness some moments with Touya as Konoha joins her for lunch in Akihabara.
While I’m partial towards Konoha as she’s the main character, Touya catches my interest the more we see her. She’s a seemingly rare breed for 1996’s Japan – a beautiful young woman who is obsessed with bishoujo games, a hobby that mostly attracts men. I have some wild theories about the character, given her similar appearance to Konoha. However, I’ll keep those speculations at bay until more of the series is released.
One highlight of episode four is the obvious Neon Genesis Evangelion reference as the members of Alcohol Soft are cosplaying loose versions of Gendo, Misato, Asuka, and Rei. An anime in the otaku culture subgenre is incomplete without its characters attending Comiket, Japan’s largest otaku event, and paying tribute to beloved anime through various homages. 16Bit Sensation: Another Layer continues to have Easter eggs spread throughout it.
Konoha manages to persuade Mamoru to come back to the studio, motivating him to channel his love for the PC-98 and to not give up on it. Mamoru, initially uncertain about referring to Konoha as a time traveler, becomes increasingly convinced in the episode that she truly comes from the future. We start to see Mamoru care a bit more about Konoha as he finds a way to fix her once-dead tablet. This leads to Konoha excitingly showing off her incredible illustrations to him, which he receives in utter shock.
But as fate would have it, after a quarrel over the tablet, Konoha falls onto Mamoru, and he witnesses her disappear in gold light before his very eyes. The episode abruptly ends, leaving us itching to find out when Konoha can return to the past. Until episode five of 16Bit Sensation: Another Layer releases on November 2nd, check out my write-up on the three-episode release of The Apothecary Diaries which is also airing during the Fall 2023 season.
Images via Crunchyroll
© Tamiki Wakagi / Misato Mitsumi / Kanroki (Aqua Plus) / 16bit Sensation AL PROJECT