Failure Frame episode 7 review: Revenge-driven romance's well execution and plot advancement make up for an actionless installment

Returning from a break week, fans were excited to see what Failure Frame episode 7 would bring them following what was a very eventful and enthralling installment. Officially released on Thursday, August 22, 2024, the latest installment on Touka Mimori’s otherworldly adventures went in a much different direction than fans were expecting in a few key ways.

One area that was predictable is Failure Frame episode 7’s dealing with the fallout of Touka and Seras Ashrain’s killing of Civit Gartland and the Black Dragon Knights in the previous episode. Yet one area where it wasn’t quite as predictable was the introduction of a budding romance between Touka and Seras, which was executed exceptionally well.

Failure Frame episode 7 review: An organic romance subplot, worldbuilding and plot advancement, and more are the positives

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Without a doubt, this naturally introduced romance subplot between Touka and Seras is the single best aspect of Failure Frame episode 7. While it may be sudden, it’s far from forced and serves as the culmination of the build-in tension and mutual respect between the pair since their introduction. Moments in the episode that see the pair bashfully try and be respectful of each other and the context of their relationship help to make this development feel more organic.

There’s also a sense of relatability in how each of them begins to realize their emotions. For Seras, it’s something as simple as admiring a gift she receives from Touka and being unable to help but smell his clothes before washing them. For Touka, it’s catching a glimpse of her beauty and being entranced, following this up with a comment on how something is often alluring because it’s strange or not from one’s own world.

Failure Frame episode 7 does a tremendous job of keeping this as the central theme of their budding romance, flawlessly interweaving the obvious signs of affection with these story beats. The care they show for each other further emphasizes this excellent execution, such as Touka thinking about how much she’s sacrificing to be here with him. Meanwhile, Seras concerns herself with Touka’s health and well-being, such as when he’s unable to sleep.

Failure Frame episode 7 review (Image via Seven Arcs)

This leads to a rather heavy-handed but effective declaration of the fact that this will be the series’ main romance line. Each takes what is essentially a lust potion, but Touka declares that he can’t focus on anything else but his revenge until he has it, prompting Seras to devote herself to him and that goal. While a bit on the nose, it’s effective in confirming where their shared story will eventually go and emphasizing that they truly do care for each other.

On either side of and even within this string of interactions is some subtle yet fantastic worldbuilding, which also serves to advance the plot. The “Meeting of Kings” in the episode’s opening scenes specifically does well with this, building Goddess Vicius up as someone who pulls any string she has to achieve her goals. Failure Frame episode 7 likewise uses this to emphasize the other Kingdoms’ distrust of Alion for their often serendipitous advantages.

The focus on Touka and Seras also does a great job of blending worldbuilding and plot advancement, whereas the series could’ve just as easily had a regular human townsfolk be the pair’s next ally, the series goes out of its way to introduce the Leopardkin species. This also naturally leads to a look at the world’s gladiatorial sports and how they function. It’s a subtle but effective means of blending two necessary narrative aspects into one clean motion.

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Failure Frame episode 7 also masterfully weaves the introduction of a new antagonist group called the curse users of Ashint into both the Meeting of Kings and Seras and Touka’s focus. While yet another subtle detail of the episode, it helps to provide a cohesive narrative thread that connects the episode’s events together. While it would be a stretch to call the installment disjointed without all of the above, it helps to tie it all up into a prettier and neater bow.

The final major strength of the installment is a welcome step back from unnecessary CGI. In episode 7, there were several scenes analogous to those in earlier episodes where CGI animation was used when, in all reality, it didn’t need to be. While seemingly small, it helps to not take readers out of the viewing experience or feel jarred. Although it could simply be a coincidence, this is hopefully Seven Arcs realizing and correcting their mistakes.

Failure Frame episode 7: Flat voice acting and a justifiable lack of action are the negatives

Easily the biggest negative of Failure Frame episode 7 is the flat voice acting, especially on the part of Touka Mimori’s voice actor Ryota Suzuki. Whether it was deliberate direction or an off-performance, even Mimori’s emotional moments and dialogue with respect to Seras in the episode feel like they’re lacking emotion. Although Touka is a tough-guy character, the romance subplot simply won’t work if he doesn’t view Seras as someone to let his walls down around.

Likewise, the best way to communicate the start of this would be through voice acting, which would’ve paired perfectly with Touka’s actions in the episode. While Suzuki’s delivery typically opposes that of Saki Miyashita as Seras well, his co-star steals the show here with an approach that perfectly matches what Seras is feeling. While excusable if this change in delivery comes later on in the series, it’s somewhat confusing to not take advantage of it now at the start.

A second, final, and much more excusable negative of Failure Frame episode 7 is the lack of action. While completely justifiable for what the episode chose to do, it felt like there were certain scenes that could’ve been changed to give fans some sakuga-flavored eye candy. A focus on the city of Monroy’s gladiator colosseum, where the aforementioned Leopardkin fights, would’ve likely been a better cliffhanger than the exposition done at the episode’s end.

Failure Frame episode 7: In summation

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Even with the missed opportunities that could’ve heightened Failure Frame episode 7’s quality further, it’s without a doubt one of the best installments in the series, if not the single best. The narrative focus greatly supports this assessment, especially with the concerted effort to both worldbuilding and subplot development. Combined with the acceptable progression of the mainline story, it’s clear that the second half of the anime’s first season is off to a strong start.