Zetman – 03

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[Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_02.06_[2012.04.17_14.05.12] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_09.42_[2012.04.17_14.12.48] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_18.56_[2012.04.17_14.22.33]

I know the manga fans are in apoplexy, but I’m still liking it…

I know enough about Zetman to know that the anime is veering off the manga storyline, or at least compressing it to an extreme degree.  The thing is, though, that this adaptation doesn’t have the feel of filler to it.  The pacing is certainly fast – though it felt less so this week to me – but it still has the aura of canon material.  Writer Tomioka Atsuhiro’s vast reserves of experience are surely proving crucial here, as adapting a titanic manga like this one into a one-cour anime is an incredibly difficult task.  Once again, I’m happy in this instance not to have any baggage with Zetman, and to be able to appreciate the anime on its own terms.

I couldn’t help but think of Renly Baratheon a little when watching Kouga.  There’s a lot of commonality between the characters, which isn’t surprising as they’re both representatives of a classic archetype.  Good-looking children of privilege, smart (but not too smart), charming and idealistic – to a point – Kouga (like Renly) has played at war, but never waged it.  His sister clearly sees that there’s more than a little element of pure egotism in what Kouga does, though he’s at least smart enough to realize that himself in his more honest moments.  Kouga isn’t stupid – he knows Jin has done far more for society’s victims than he has, and he knows that even if his goals and Jin’s overlap, their methods never will.  I’m still torn on where Kouga will go – I could see a full dark-side turn here, or a continued role as a morally ambiguous white knight.  Either one would be consistent with the Alan Moore school of comics that Katsura-sensei is paying homage to here.

Complicating that even further is the fact that Kouga’s own Grandfather has recruited (and created) Jin as the last hope to undo the damage he did by turning the players loose on the world.  Kouga certainly wouldn’t be happy that his own flesh and blood has more faith in Jin than in himself, should he find out.  And we still don’t know what Mitsugai needed “staggering amounts of cash” for so badly that he created the monstrosities and gave them their own fight club to obtain it.  I’m still not sure exactly what’s happening here – is Kanazaki’s consciousness somehow still alive, hooked up to one of Amagi’s computers and trying to outsmart him and get Jin to follow a human path?  I do know that I don’t trust Mitsugai one little bit.  That story about creating ZET as a hunter to try and track down what he’d set loose may or may not be true, bur I don’t for a second believe he’s capable of selfless motives.  Maybe his selfish motives overlap with doing something good from time to time, but that’s as far as I think his philanthropy goes.

Things did crystalize some here with Amagi’s explanations, which I assume are at least partially true.  It casts the story as fundamentally an inner war with Jin, as to whether he’ll follow the path of humanity or that of the ZET – with Mitsugai pulling in one direction and perhaps Kanazki the other.  Mitsugai has lured him into becoming his dog for now, so the challenge will be for Jin to maintain his humanity in the face of his new role.  I was certainly pleased to see that Akemi was all right, and it’s amazing considering how rapid the pacing has been (and how much was cut out) that the relationship between she and Jin is as poignant and believable as it is.  Mitusgai frightened Jin into staying away from Akemi, but his conditions for accepting the old man’s proposal all involved helping her.  I wonder if now that Jin has officially joined Amagi if we’re looking at more of a monster-of-the-week format, with Jin doing battle – as ZET – with the escaped players.  I kind of hope not, and given that there are only 9 eps left to construct whatever sort of arc Tomioka has in mind, I don’t think the anime could pursue that angle for very long in any case.

[Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_04.49_[2012.04.17_14.07.55] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_05.28_[2012.04.17_14.08.34] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_07.00_[2012.04.17_14.10.06]
[Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_08.14_[2012.04.17_14.11.20] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_08.52_[2012.04.17_14.11.58] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_10.13_[2012.04.17_14.13.19]
[Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_10.38_[2012.04.17_14.13.44] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_11.50_[2012.04.17_14.14.56] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_13.14_[2012.04.17_14.16.20]
[Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_13.55_[2012.04.17_14.17.01] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_14.50_[2012.04.17_14.17.56] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_18.00_[2012.04.17_14.21.38]
[Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_19.01_[2012.04.17_14.22.39] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_20.04_[2012.04.17_14.23.42] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_20.31_[2012.04.17_14.24.08]
[Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_21.17_[2012.04.17_14.24.55] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_21.31_[2012.04.17_14.25.09] [Hadena] Zetman - 03v2 [720p][E3A8C98E].mkv_snapshot_22.06_[2012.04.17_14.25.44]
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10 comments

  1. N
    Nyangoro
    April 17, 2012 at 11:37 pm
    Reply

    I thought that this episode was easily the best so far. It was still fast paced, but they slowed it down a bit from the previous episodes, and we got to see more really solid character moments.

    Plus, aside from the general altering/shifting of scenes that already occurred, this episode stayed more faithful; which I think shows in the improved characterization.

    The one thing I'm concerned with now is how they plan to handle the Jirou incident, given that the preview for episode four showed Jin after the next time skip. I won't go into the details so the sake of keeping this spoiler-free; but three of the characters who featured prominent roles in the arc (aside from Kouga) are in the opening, and the arc plays is very important for Kouga as a character.

    I'm hoping they don't just brush it off as a flashback sequence, as that would really be a shame, in my opinion.

    I'm still very much enjoying this adaptation though, even if I think the manga is far superior at the moment (and likely through the conclusion), lol

  2. S
    SQA
    April 18, 2012 at 3:50 am
    Reply

    From what I know of that arc (very little), I believe we can foresee much murder in the future. Right?

  3. N
    Nyangoro
    April 18, 2012 at 4:15 am
    Reply

    Well, that's a given in this type of manga; but that's only part of it.

    In my opinion, the Jirou Incident is the most powerful arc in the manga (and this series has a lot of fantastic arcs), so I hope they at least give it more time than a flashback.

    It's really intrinsic to Kouga's character.

  4. M
    Murkel
    April 18, 2012 at 9:39 pm
    Reply

    I'm also worried about this. Kouga's arc is one of the most shocking and important parts of the manga.

    It's very confusing. The anime seems to have jumped to the events that happen around chaper 70ish, completely eliminating Kouga's arc. However, there is Jirou in the opening and even the girl who has a crush on Kouga was just introduced.

    Maybe they plan on moving the Jirou incident to after the time skip (not as a flashback, but the actual event)?

  5. d
    dv
    April 18, 2012 at 1:41 am
    Reply

    Is akemi really alright? She did get shot in the head…
    In all possibility this Akemi is the fake one. And Zet would have smelled her out if he got to near. That is why he could not get out of the car….

    This show seems too dark for things to go so well..

  6. admin
    April 18, 2012 at 2:04 am
    Reply

    Maybe. But if she was the fake, why did the one at the lab smell like a player?

  7. S
    SQA
    April 18, 2012 at 3:50 am
    Reply

    Maybe they tranq'd her to get a tissue sample, so they could make that Player? Could make some sense.

  8. d
    dv
    April 18, 2012 at 3:52 am
    Reply

    Good question. with plenty of answers. That is what this type of show is. Too many turns in a maze. ANYTHING can happen. Except Zet dying next ep. Or the white guy. It could be a nuclear war next ep and i won't be surprised. About the only thing that would surprise me is if Zetman is the son of SupermanXCatwoman

  9. M
    Murkel
    April 18, 2012 at 9:31 pm
    Reply

    I feel this needs to get addressed as Akemi getting shot didn't make much sense in the anime. Akemi didn't get shot (the first time, in her apartment), or rather, that only happened in Jin's mind.

    IIRC, when Jin got abducted from the hospital he was first connected to a machine by the Amagi group, which they used to inject some memories/images into his mind, such as Akemi getting shot and a conversation with Kanzaki (with the purpose of manipulating him and his emotional state). This was once again one of the many scenes the anime decided not to include.

  10. A
    Anonymous
    April 18, 2012 at 4:26 am
    Reply

    Three episodes in, and this has become a must-watch for me. It may be very fast-paced and different from the manga, but the creator does spend time in fleshing out the characters – they now have thoughts and feelings, and that's why I am hooked… I have even started reading the manga…

    – Ronbb

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