Review: Recorded by Arizal Prelude “log iv”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

After so much time spent being worried and anxious, Arizal commits to her path of becoming a Record Keeper. However, just as she finishes her last part of the assignments, she gets an ominous phone call about Rizella.

OUR TAKE

And so, we finish this chronicle of Arizal’s odd daily life, or at least the prelude to the beginning of her career as a Record Keeper. We don’t currently have any new of the series going past this four part prelude, and one of the vlogs released along side it seems to confirm that things are up in the air currently on that, so whether or not we’ll see the continuation of this journey is unclear. What we do have is these four parts, which were made specifically to both give us a taste for the show itself, as well as get feedback on what we would WANT to see in said show. And on that, I’m a bit conflicted. On one hand, this is not really a finished product, so to judge it based on what is missing seems a bit cruel. But on the other, it also might be ALL we get of the show at all, in which case this is the only thing we CAN judge the show on.

So, here are my thoughts regarding what I think this last part here shows me that I’d like to see in the show itself: I enjoyed the trip outside of Arizal’s room for once, where she informed her viewers on a cultural landmark within her district and its significance to both the registration process and her own personal journey. I imagine she’ll be presenting numerous locations in that manner in future log entries, so this gives us a taste of a more composed and mature Arizal who has become more accustomed to her work. The personal struggles regarding whatever has happened with Rizella, which we don’t get a clear answer on, can also be worth some exploration.

But in regards to this prelude as a single piece that may end up being the only look at the show we ever know: I feel like a bit too much time was spent on Arizal in her room and the ending felt a bit cheap. We could have used the few minutes we had to see more of the area or learning more about what being a Record Keeper means, or even meeting her other friends properly other than a few off-screen cameos. We barely saw any interaction with Rizella at all, and it was only ever through text, so to have this prelude focus on Arizal finding resolve for herself and then to take this swerve for a character we barely know, especially if this may end up being the end of the story entirely, is bit cheap. I can’t feel anything for this character if we’ve never really met her, and now may NEVER meet her in any form.

Though hope is not lost just yet. While we don’t know exactly what the future holds for Arizal either in or out of universe, we have some ways of tracking the progress of it towards a proper first season. One way is the Youtube view count as they release the episodes of the prelude on there, so we’ll have a clear trajectory to work with by next week when the last one is posted. The other is to simply check in with the show’s creator, Yssa Badiola, through her social media, or just wait for some news in the upcoming RTX From Home. The tunnel is currently dark for Arizal and her friends, but there could still be light waiting at the end of it for this show’s potential success.