Review: YOLO: Crystal Fantasy “The Terry Cup”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Appearances are everything in Wollongong so when Sarah and Rachel get the opportunity to attend the prestigious Terry Cup, they don’t need to be persuaded to jump on the train and take part in this celebration. However, what’s supposed to be a low-key and stress-free vacation spirals out of control for Sarah and Rachel in big ways. Rachel’s addictive personality results in her accumulating a massive debt in Terry Credits that seems impossible to rectify. While Rachel stresses over her looming punishment, Sarah is consumed with a more internal anxiety as she’s forced to confront a former flame and prove that she’s not only moved on, but is in a good place. The Terry Cup makes sure to tests these friends in new ways, but at least they’ll have some sick selfies to prove that they got out of the house this weekend.

Our Take:

YOLO: Crystal Fantasy has only been on for two weeks at this point, but “The Terry Cup” marks the halfway mark in the series’ freshman season of eight episodes. Every installment of the series so far has gone to some very different places, both figuratively and literally. However, the “YOLO” nature of the show’s name reinforces that every adventure that’s experienced here is going to reflect social gatherings and the anxiety that accompanies them as Sarah and Rachel attempt to do whatever is necessary to increase their reputations, even if it’s just by a single “like” or “follow.” Popularity is so important to these characters that it wouldn’t even be that jarring if these characters had smartphones implanted into their hands and forehead. Every previous episode has tested Rachel and Sarah’s friendship, whether they’ve been aware of this or not, but “The Terry Cup” doesn’t just place these friends at the biggest social event of the season, but it also challenges their relationship more than ever before.

Each installment of YOLO: Crystal Fantasy has featured a ridiculous new environment for these characters, but the Terry Cup world is the most fully realized to date. There’s a really appealing anime-like sci-fi aesthetic to this world that makes it feel different than the previous nonsense that’s been visited. “The Terry Cup” conjures a bit of Running Man dystopia vibe where this giant arcade is actually more of a deathtrap. Terry rules the land like a king in a gladiatorial colosseum as prisoners are forced to entertain him or suffer the fiery consequences.

YOLO: Crystal Fantasy lives in such nonsense that it’s actually surprising when the ending of an episode can pull off an effective and emotional twist. It turns out the real Terry has been prisoner for centuries while an imposter head, Gary, has stolen his spotlight. These giant floating heads manage to get across some really poignant words about acceptance and self-love, which makes their level of awareness even more hilarious. This also culminates in a happy ending, which seems like a rarity in this series or that there’s just so much craziness going on at all times that the potential for happiness can often go ignored.

YOLO: Crystal Fantasy continues to turn out brilliant non-sequiturs and glorious characters, but some of the most satisfying gags in this series still come from the series’ approach to animation. The way in which characters will shift from low quality to high quality drawings at a moment’s notice is always hilarious and it’s amazing to see techniques like rotoscoping applied to something so simple in its design. There are dozens of great examples of this throughout the episode, but one of the most evocative is the incredibly detailed and over-drawn nature of the performer at the end of the episode who’s only in the episode for half a minute. The idea of spending so much time on something that truly doesn’t require this level of attention just works with this show and its unusual style. Sarah’s drug trip is also a high mark, not just in terms of its creative animation choices, but that it actually shifts into live-action territory. It may be the best joke of the entire season.

Every episode of YOLO: Crystal Fantasy has been an improvement on what came before it, but “The Terry Cup” is the best episode of the season so far. It’s an episode that plays into the series’ traditional stereotypes and story ideas, but does so in such unique ways that nothing in this episode feels derivative of the past. Sarah and Rachel are a constant delight and every strange supporting character that gets to scream and spray spittle at the screen is a delight. “The Terry Cup” takes such risks and displays a level of fearlessness that has me genuinely excited to what the rest of the season has in store.