Protocol: Rain – Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review

Foreordained Chance Encounter -Multiplexer-

Protocol: Rain Episode 2 begins with Shun and Akito practising gaming at the cybercafé. Nozomi questions her father about the losses the café has been making, but he assures them they will be paid off once the team wins the competition.

Later that day, Shun returns home, hands over his pay to his mother, and gifts Mio some money. He asks her about a movie she is anticipating and encourages her to watch it. She asks him if he has started gaming again, as she has seen him online. He denies it, but she assures him that it’s alright if he does.

The next day, they begin taking auditions for teammates and get flooded with applicants. They take an interview and begin tryouts, but do not find any suitable candidates. Nozomi’s father panics and blames his lineage for his failures.

At the end of the day, they sit down to discuss their mistakes. Shun suggests they have stricter requirements for joining. They put up a sign saying masters rank only but have no one visiting for auditions.

The same night, Shun gets a message from Explosion, and they have a discussion. He tells her about the new tournament he is joining and asks if she would like to join. She, however, declines the offer. Just then, Sakagami checks in on her, and she goes offline. The girl is revealed to be Yu. 

The next day, Shun’s mother asks if they found anyone for the vacancy at the café, but Shun refuses.

Shun and the others go over their list after rejecting several other applicants. Just then they see a player named “Fallen Angel Winged Cat Princess”, and find the username itself to indicate a big red flag. Just then a boy walks in and begins with the tryout without filling in personal details.

He asks for the specifications of the computer and pulls out his own peripheral accessories. He then proceeds to demonstrate his skill in a death match. He absolutely obliterates the opponents and shows a versatility of skill. Nozomi’s dad quickly gets the contract and he signs it.

They then await their final contender who walks in completely dressed up in a cloak and a mask calling herself “Infinity Bang”. She displays an excellent skillset and gets selected as well. She uses her gamer name as her real name to sign the contract. The other group members follow her on her way back to find out her identity.

The group follows her to a building and pushes Shun to go to her apartment. Shun calls out the gaming name but gets no response. He then knocks at the door and sees blood come out from under it. Shun is spooked and looks inside the room. Seeing the room in a mess, he believes it has been ransacked. He enters to see if he can find someone alive.

Just then, Yu exits the bathroom after a shower, and Shun recognizes her at the end of Protocol: Rain episode 2.

The Episode Review

Protocol: Rain episode 2 continues the formation of the e-sports team, with Shun and the others looking for two more players to complete the team. The episode brings up many cool gaming trends, like crazy nicknames, obsession with using female characters, and high detail in gaming gear.

The antics of the new players are hilarious. Turns out the last candidate is actually Explosion and also Yu, Shun’s sister’s idol. The last few moments of the chapter have a nasty twist and can trick you into thinking the anime isn’t about gaming at all. Rather about crime and murder mystery.