Review: YOLO: Crystal Fantasy “Planet Horoscope”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Sarah and Rachel’s powerful friendship gets tested in powerful new ways as Sarah attempts to remove herself from the equation and do some self-reflecting. Sarah’s journey for clarity sends both her and Rachel down a surprising path that takes them outside of the Earth’s atmosphere and presents them with very different, yet complimentary, challenges. Sarah attempts to help her bashful horoscope gain some much-needed confidence, while Rachel bides her time with an unbearable nuisance who puts her on the radar of some nasty space beasts.

Oh, and the powerful glory of marbles is highlighted.

Our Take:

YOLO: Crystal Fantasy operates with such reckless abandon towards logic and normalcy that up until this point it’s been hard to determine what exactly is “canon” and more importantly, if such things are even important in a series that’s as ridiculous as this one. Every episode has introduced new varieties of creatures and extremely eccentric personalities, but once the credits roll they appear to be relatively forgotten. However, “Planet Horoscope” marks a significant turning point for the series since it does indicate that there’s a larger story that’s been brewing underneath everything as it ties itself back to the series’ very first episode, “Maddison’s Birthday Party,” specifically in reference to the ominous threat that’s posed towards Sarah by a washed up bogan named Lucas the Magnificent. What initially came across as a silly non sequitur actually manages to evolve into a new and dangerous obstacle for Sarah and Rachel, which makes for a major conflict within “Planet Horoscope.”

As it stands, Lucas is utilized as an unnerving travel partner, which is nothing unusual for YOLO: Crystal Fantasy at this point. The material between Rachel and Lucas is still some of the most entertaining content in “Planet Horoscope,” but there’s no reason why more couldn’t be done with all of this. Then again, it’s entirely possible that Lucas the Magnificent returns in either of the final two episodes (which are a two-parter, by the way) and that the heaviest stuff involving him has yet to come and is being saved for something bigger.

“Planet Horoscope” is a rather focused episode that spends the bulk of its time in outer space, but it still finds time for some more disconnected silliness. The recurring gag of Sarah’s father always being dismissive, even when Sarah does exactly what he wants, continues to work and the series has yet to run this affectation into the ground. “Planet Horoscope” is also fairly restrained in terms of its animation, even though this is an installment that sends Sarah through a psychedelic wormhole. However, there are still some more eccentric moments that stand out, like a few frames where the gross Lucas the Magnificent looks like a suave anime character protagonist.

“Planet Horoscope” is a rare exception for YOLO: Crystal Fantasy in the sense that it’s an episode that prioritizes storytelling over laughs and visual chaos. There are still many ridiculous and brilliant gags that keep “Planet Horoscope” moving along, but this slight shift comes at exactly the right time before the season heads into its ending. A random and explosive ending can generate huge laughs, but it works in the episode’s favor that Sarah’s storyline connects with Rachel’s in a way that gives both of their adventures closure. In an episode that’s all about how Sarah and Rachel are stronger together than apart, it’s the right move.