this one wound up surprising me with how much i loved it. i'd watched a handful of the episodes of the anime when it first aired, and decently enjoyed it. the premise of "two young women exploring alien and indifferently hostile urban legend otherworlds together" was a real cool one, but the show felt a little monster of the weeky and didn't strongly hook me.
the light novel on the other hand, really blew me away. it puts a much heavier focus on the emotional landscapes of its two protagonists, the complexities of their relationship, and what draws these two characters together to repeatedly risk life and sanity together, which they often even struggle to explain to themselves.
it's definitely tense and thrilling at parts and the way it plays off of modern urban legends, online creepypasta and netlore is real cool, but above all else, it's just a really gorgeous picture of two lost people finding connection and meaning together. i'm really excited to check out the next installment.
