Even knowing this was for the TOXIC YVNJ2 didn't save me from getting caught up in the "reverse isekai where the fictional character brings "magic" into the life of a real person" plot beats and expecting Sarah to learn something that improves her life. Right before the beach scene I had the stray thought that this wasn't actually toxic at all, but then everything came crashing down immediately.
I really like that the story is a very empathetic portrayal of why someone would lose themselves in fiction over reality, but avoids the common endings those stories usually have - either asserting that you eventually have to move past the fiction and discard it like training wheels to live in the real world, or claiming that imagination is this magical force that will fix your real life issues. Instead Sarah's reality is still as bleak as it was before, and both the source material and the fandom she used as a lifeline end up letting her down too. I could really feel her frustration with bun and her unwillingness to talk to Allie about Infinity Sailor too - the feeling that someone you confided in doesn't actually get you, and that particular moment when you see someone who isn't as deep in the weeds as you, so you don't want to get into all of this, especially if you're frustrated with the topic in question. But as an outside observer, you can still see how she closes off connections that she could have had, especially with Allie, and it hurts.
Great presentation too. The different art styles obviously, but the black screen interjections were also a nice touch (the pronoun one got me). The changing title screen.


