Konoha Akisato and her time-traveling adventures continue in episode 5 of 16Bit Sensation: Another Layer. The previous episode wrapped up similarly to episode 2, where Konoha found herself back in 2023 after a brief adventure to the 1990s. We finally find out a bit more about how Konoha is able to travel back in time, but we continue to have questions as the series nearly reaches its halfway point.
Ever since the first episode of 16BitSensation, we’ve been eager to unravel the mystery of how Konoha is able to traverse through time. We finally get our answer in this episode. Konoha figures out that each time she opens a game box, specifically those given to her by the strange shop owner in episode 1, she is transported back in time to the exact release date of that game. Another crucial aspect of the episode is when Konoha discovers that some of her bishoujo games have disappeared from her personal game collection. This discovery triggers a worrisome thought: could her actions in the past be altering the future?
The episode doesn’t keep Konoha in 2023 for long, as she decides to open up the game box for Kanon, an actual bishoujo game that was released in Japan in 1999, and travels back to that exact time. Déjà vu strikes again as she finds herself heading back to Alcohol Soft, meeting her old friends, and having to explain her sudden absence once more. Shortly after Konoha’s appearance in the studio, the team gets news that their games will be ported to console, which sets up a future plot point.
We know that the last time Konoha disappeared, Mamoru took it uncharacteristically hard. Mamoru now looks like a full-fledged adult in 1999. Despite the turbulence in Konoha and Mamoru’s relationship, Mamoru attentively listens to Konoha’s concerns regarding the disappearance of games from her shelf in the future.
Most of 16Bit Sensation episode 5 sets up for the next one as Mamoru’s father brings in a new opportunistic businessman, Ichigaya, who offers to help the studio port their games onto console. Yet, it is increasingly clear that Mamoru’s father is becoming solely focused on the financial gains the company can generate, rather than prioritizing the studio’s reputation within the gaming industry. It seems that we are going to follow Mamoru and Konoha as they try to learn more about this Ichigaya character in episode 6.
Until the next episode, check out what’s been going on in Girlfriend, Girlfriend S2, another comedy series airing this Fall season.
Images via Crunchyroll
© Tamiki Wakagi / Misato Mitsumi / Kanroki (Aqua Plus) / 16bit Sensation AL PROJECT