‘Ajin’ Season 2 Episode 4 To Deviate From Manga: Anime On Dangerous Waters?

Ajin Season 2 Episode 4 will be airing later this week, and fans of the critically-acclaimed manga are both excited and apprehensive about the upcoming installment of the anime adaptation. With the series slowly but significantly deviating from the source material, and with the anime still utilizing its controversial CG animation, avid Ajin: Demi-Human fans are holding their breaths for the next episode.

The preview of the Ajin Season 2 Episode 4 provides some clues as to what would happen in the anime’s upcoming episode. The brief teaser further showed the tension in the story escalating as the main characters prepare for a high-stakes battle, as well as a fight between two IBMs. If any, the fourth episode of Ajin Season 2 appears to herald the beginning of a more action-packed second season.

The first season of Ajin: Demi-Human debuted to much excitement. Based on Gamon Sakurai’s critically-acclaimed and popular manga, the anime adaptation of Ajin was highly anticipated by many. When the first season started airing, however, numerous fans of the manga were thrown off by the anime’s style, which used a combination of traditional animation spliced together with CGI.

While many considered the CGI use pretty well done, numerous fans of the manga were quick to point out that the computer-generated animation took away a significant amount of grittiness and horror that was prevalent in the manga. Thus, while fairly well-received, the first season of Ajin: Demi-Human ended with its fans being split on its quality and worth.

Ajin Season 2 started airing this year, and it has so far been pretty much like the first season. The animation style is the same and the same issues pointed out before were still present. Despite this, however, it appears that fewer fans of the manga are now criticizing the anime. Instead, the second season is so far gaining unanimous praise.

The first three episodes of the second season have so far been predictable, as the anime’s current antihero, Satou, continues targeting the men and women who are responsible for the oppression of the Ajins in Japan. Just like the first season, Satou has so far remained as ruthless, calculating, and dangerous as ever.

In order to curb his threat, series protagonist Kei has teamed up with Tosaki, the very same man who hunted him down during the anime’s first season. As the young Kei attempts to get stronger, the tension between Satou’s vendetta and Kei’s counter-plan has begun to approach its breaking point.

One thing that numerous fans have noticed with the anime’s second season, however, is the fact that the Ajin Season 2 Episode 3 deviated significantly from the manga. While the first season largely followed the source material for its plot’s progression, the second season has slowly but steadily deviated from the events of Sakurai’s work. In the last episode, numerous events, such as Tosaki’s place in Satou’s hit list, have been notably changed.

The deviation from the Ajin: Demi-Human manga is quite understandable, especially since the source material itself is still being written. Thus, the Ajin anime has found itself in a rather unique circumstance, having its anime adaptation catch up to the events of the manga. While the deviations have so far been welcome among the franchise’s fans, Ajin Season 2 might eventually find itself in dire straits.

There have been numerous anime that have opted to follow their own storylines after catching up to the progression of their source material. One of these is Tokyo Ghoul, whose second season opted to follow a completely original story that is separated from the manga. Just like Ajin Season 2, the initial episodes of Tokyo Ghoul Season 2 were received warmly, but from its midway point to its conclusion, it was largely loathed by its own fans.

This is because pursuing an original story is something that requires a delicate balance between original content and faithfulness to the spirit of the source material. Unfortunately for Tokyo Ghoul Season 2, this was something that the anime was not able to accomplish. With Ajin: Demi-Human Season 2 seemingly attempting to do the same thing, it is undertaking a massive responsibility.

Then again, one thing that Ajin appears to have is a director that seems to care much about the anime’s content. Thus, while Ajin Season 2 Episode 4 would most likely deviate even further from the source material, it would at least start traversing onto uncharted territory with a steady pair of hands leading it. With this, Ajin: Demi-Human might very well be one of the most surprising anime of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVVwWoUqzFk

[Featured Image by Polygon Pictures]