Cream Lemon Episode 28: Magic City Astalot
Canon/LOW
OSHIMETER
6.2
45 Fans
5
4
3
2
1
PacingVisualWritingEmo ImpactSoundtrack
OSHIMETER
6.2
45 Fans
5
4
3
2
1
PacingVisualWritingEmo ImpactSoundtrack
QUICK TAKES
ves_ves
Building an entire fantasy world in thirty minutes is actually impressive and Mel stands out as a solid lead for such a short story even with the missing sequel
muso
This one felt too short and knowing the sequel was canned makes it hard to get invested in the demon lord plot since nothing really feels like it gets resolved by the time the credits roll
panda_power_138
I find it a total shame about the Miyazaki case because you can tell they had big plans for Mel's journey, but instead we just get this weirdly short fragment that ends right when it starts getting good
lance_328
You can really feel where the story was supposed to continue before it got cut off and it makes the ending feel a bit sudden but the demon designs are still pretty cool
rubeus
Seeing Mel the elf made me feel like I was watching a totally different show and the high fantasy vibe worked surprisingly well for her quest
sophocles_343
The media frenzy from 1989 really left a mark on this episode and you can see why everything changed for otaku culture after this
kaolinite_382
Even though the plot about sealing the evil city is pretty standard, it is fascinating to see how they were experimenting with fantasy elements in the late eighties
nopperabo_ninja
I felt a bit bummed out during the final scene when I realized this is where the franchise basically hit a wall
filo_feather_150
Seeing those early fantasy designs for the elf characters makes it clear why the industry crackdown was such a blow to the artists
n
My head is spinning trying to imagine where the story with the demon king would have gone if the sequel stayed on track
elrena
You can see they had big plans for this fantasy world and the elf characters but the 1989 backlash stopped it all. It makes the ending feel so much more abrupt and weird because there was clearly meant to be a sequel. Realizing how much the Miyazaki case changed things makes this a very heavy watch for a fantasy story
dark_beast_ganon
The way they handled the demon sealing quest felt like a totally different vibe for this show and it actually worked
wallace
Watching this now feels like looking at a time capsule because of how the industry changed after the Miyazaki case hit the news
nobara_nail_135
Hard to separate the story about these elves and demons from the real life moral panic that shut down the production
mikasa_ackerman
I still find it weird watching this and knowing there should have been a sequel that just never happened because of the Miyazaki stuff
aqua_archpriest
You can tell they had a bigger budget for the animation here because the spells and the character designs look way sharper than the usual episodes
iono_363
Magic City Astalot really reminded me why these old OVAs are so interesting to dig up, because the world building is actually decent for what it is. I loved the weird sci-fi fantasy hybrid look they went for, and seeing the magic elements clash with the technology was cool. It felt more like a dark fantasy tale than just a standard parody.
zerotwolover
That 80s art style carries the whole experience and the blend of magic with technology makes for a really unique background for the adult scenes
navi
The plot in this one feels a bit messy compared to the earlier fantasy shorts and the sci-fi stuff doesnt really land well for me
nameless_neet
I think the city design in Astalot was so cool for an old school fantasy OVA and that monster scene really caught me off guard
EPISODE CONTEXT
At episode 28 of 38, Cream Lemon is deep into its anthology run, and Magic City Astalot functions as a fully standalone fantasy chapter — no connective tissue required from prior episodes. It represents the series' ongoing commitment to radical genre shifts between installments, arriving after a stretch of varied narratives and offering a tonal reset before the final stretch of ten episodes begins.
QUICK TAKES
ves_ves
Building an entire fantasy world in thirty minutes is actually impressive and Mel stands out as a solid lead for such a short story even with the missing sequel
muso
This one felt too short and knowing the sequel was canned makes it hard to get invested in the demon lord plot since nothing really feels like it gets resolved by the time the credits roll
panda_power_138
I find it a total shame about the Miyazaki case because you can tell they had big plans for Mel's journey, but instead we just get this weirdly short fragment that ends right when it starts getting good
lance_328
You can really feel where the story was supposed to continue before it got cut off and it makes the ending feel a bit sudden but the demon designs are still pretty cool
rubeus
Seeing Mel the elf made me feel like I was watching a totally different show and the high fantasy vibe worked surprisingly well for her quest
sophocles_343
The media frenzy from 1989 really left a mark on this episode and you can see why everything changed for otaku culture after this
kaolinite_382
Even though the plot about sealing the evil city is pretty standard, it is fascinating to see how they were experimenting with fantasy elements in the late eighties
nopperabo_ninja
I felt a bit bummed out during the final scene when I realized this is where the franchise basically hit a wall
filo_feather_150
Seeing those early fantasy designs for the elf characters makes it clear why the industry crackdown was such a blow to the artists
n
My head is spinning trying to imagine where the story with the demon king would have gone if the sequel stayed on track
elrena
You can see they had big plans for this fantasy world and the elf characters but the 1989 backlash stopped it all. It makes the ending feel so much more abrupt and weird because there was clearly meant to be a sequel. Realizing how much the Miyazaki case changed things makes this a very heavy watch for a fantasy story
dark_beast_ganon
The way they handled the demon sealing quest felt like a totally different vibe for this show and it actually worked
wallace
Watching this now feels like looking at a time capsule because of how the industry changed after the Miyazaki case hit the news
nobara_nail_135
Hard to separate the story about these elves and demons from the real life moral panic that shut down the production
mikasa_ackerman
I still find it weird watching this and knowing there should have been a sequel that just never happened because of the Miyazaki stuff
aqua_archpriest
You can tell they had a bigger budget for the animation here because the spells and the character designs look way sharper than the usual episodes
iono_363
Magic City Astalot really reminded me why these old OVAs are so interesting to dig up, because the world building is actually decent for what it is. I loved the weird sci-fi fantasy hybrid look they went for, and seeing the magic elements clash with the technology was cool. It felt more like a dark fantasy tale than just a standard parody.
zerotwolover
That 80s art style carries the whole experience and the blend of magic with technology makes for a really unique background for the adult scenes
navi
The plot in this one feels a bit messy compared to the earlier fantasy shorts and the sci-fi stuff doesnt really land well for me
nameless_neet
I think the city design in Astalot was so cool for an old school fantasy OVA and that monster scene really caught me off guard
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