English Dub Review: Dead Account “Encounter in the Back Woods”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Soji gets training from Haijima and learns more about his team in preparation for a major school contest.

Our Take: 

Soji, Kasubata, and Urusugawa have proven they can be an unstoppable trio despite their salty attitudes.  However, the only thing stopping them was their cyberkinesis draining too quickly, so they would have to rely on their physical strength as well.  In this case, Soji would have to learn martial arts to get stronger against Sad Boy K. This is where the show emphasizes its supporting characters, particularly Haijima, who’s incredibly skilled in martial arts despite communicating through her outgoing VTuber-like doll.  Not only that, but she’s also a shut-in with social anxiety issues, which is the complete opposite of her doll’s hyperactive personality.

Haijima’s personality resembles that of social media influencers who disguise their true selves behind a cyber mascot.  While the mascots on streams may seem joyful and energetic with their communication with followers, that doesn’t always mean the content creators behind them share the same personalities.  This is one of the elements I thought Dead Account has been getting right so far: its representation of specific online influencers.  Soji highlights creators who upload controversial content for likes and views, while Haijima has a VTuber-like online mascot personality.  Of course, it’s also not afraid to have some fun displaying influencers’ online personas amid its usual “ghost-hunting” concept.  Overall, it’s a serviceable episode that further explores the academy’s students, as well as the upcoming A-B Battle that’ll put Soji against an even worse flamebaiter.