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Now that’s presenting taking the piss in a wholly different light.
In the time I’ve been blogging, no show has ever survived “On the Respirator” status in the season check-in post. But Sidonia no Kishi might just be the first one, if the last two episodes are any indication. I can’t say whether the series has found its stride or simply benefited from a shift in focus to its obvious strengths, only to return to mediocrity once it shifts back. But for now, things are definitely on the uptick.
Without a question, this is a serious science-fiction storyline with some serious thought behind it. Stuff like the deployment of the Hyggs-collection sail system and the filtration of the Gardes’ lubricant for drinking water (not to mention urine – that’s one hell of an indirect kiss) is pure nerdgasm material, and I’m enough of a lifelong sci-fi geek that it floats my boat. There’s nothing like a classic “marooned in space” story (except for the endless castaway tales that inspired them) and this one was executed very nicely. This is the kind of material CGI can handle just fine, and Sidonia’s does here.
I confess I’m not entirely clear on just why the Sidonia couldn’t stop and wait for the castaways Tanikaze and Hoshijiro – with the Gauna defeated, what was the rush? Fortunately for the two of them the colony’s defense forces refuse to follow orders, apparently, and go off on their own in search – eventually finding the lost cadets just as the food and water have run out, though Tanikaze has managed to jury-rig the lubrication system and filter water from it. The roughly eleven days they spent together were awkward both in the narrative and execution sense, but somehow it worked better for me this time – it was so hackneyed and full of a kind of Andy Griffith Show innocence that it managed a certain charm.
What I wasn’t so crazy about it the rather forced exposition – the teacher lecturing the students is really a lazy way to bring the audience up to speed. In any event we now know that about 500 seed ships escaped Earth, and that the last one the Sidonia had contact with was called the Aposimz, and that the Kabizashi uses technology sourced from a mysterious alien construction that looks like a wedge of Swiss cheese. It’s a classic premise, and one which seems way too big for 12 episodes. But on the bright side, the early evidence is that Knights of Sidonia might do decently on Blu-ray, and if that happens maybe we’ll get a second season somewhere down the line.
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chiakimagoto
May 10, 2014 at 2:07 pmHi Enzo, i'm glad you keeled over for this show………….it gets weirder and weirder (i'm afraid i just couldn't wait anymore after this episode and started reading the manga, i'm trying to stop myself so i can fully enjoy the episodes) ….. i won't say more.
The strange atmosphere in the anime really appeals to me, the real scifi feel it has makes you really feel like you are in space with them……….and i think the plot is getting more and more interesting……..i really want to know what is behind all this!
thedarktower
May 10, 2014 at 2:07 pmfantastic episode.
Sidonia is one of the best refreshing science fiction-space-mecha in the recent years. and I think the last episode proves that statement.
unlike the fellow Mecha, Captain Earth, Sidonia is much more nice. it's all makes sense and flowing very good. terminology is quite clear, not too hard to remember and in fact is very nice and executed well. despite not having fabulous animation, it's still quite good and this episode is a proof for that. the CGI isn't kingdom's terrible nor it is OK like Arpegio. it's a good CGI that creates the right atmosphere for Mecha and space. just like that. the 3DCGI is detailed and the whole animation is just good to me.
I like it how they handle the characters. little by little we see different situation and different angles for their persona and behavior. but there is a nice complex here especially with the trio Shinatose-Nagate-Hoshijiro. it's not a regular romance trio, but they handle it very nicely. reminded me a bit of Yamato 2199. and that's why it's really a good "space anime", because of its characters and the way they are being handled.
there is also a story in Sidonia. although we haven't seen much of it this episode, it's there. first is the Gauna and we are reminded in this episode a bit that Gauna made a "humanoid" appearance on earth but we still can't communicate with them. and there is all the mysteries behind the scenes of that particular spaceship, Sidonia, whether it's the captain or "why Nagate" and all.
so…there is a great combination here and it's like a fabric being taking care of very subtly. I like it and enjoy this series very much.
nc622x
May 10, 2014 at 3:57 pm>I'm not entirely clear on just why the Sidonia couldn't stop and wait for the castaways Tanikaze and Hoshijiro
I'm not entirely sure either, but I think it has to do with the energy that is required to stop the momentum of that size. Sidenia is huge and needless to say, there is no loss of momentum due to friction in the space, so it's moving at the same initial speed. So it would require the same amount of energy to decelerate to halt as the amount needed to accelerate at first, which is probably a loss of energy they cannot afford in the space. I think there's also a similar example in the RL with a huge vehicle such as a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. To make a shift of direction of huge amount of mass is not so easy (Newton's… I forgot which one… first or second law), which is why there is often a collision between a small ship and a big one. I believe in most cases of such accidents, the small one is usually at fault, since it's a lot easier to make a turn, accelerates or decelerates due to its relative smallness of momentum (mass times acceleration, if I remember correctly).
Rita
May 10, 2014 at 11:30 pmThat didn't occur to me, but it does make sense. (it's newton's first law fyi, the law of inertia states that objects in motion will continue to be in motion until they're acted on by an outside force) Seeing as there's no friction or any outside force in space, Sidonia itself would have to provide the energy needed to halt itself. And we're talking a huge piece of mass. It'd be like putting the moon in motion then trying to stop it. That's an extraordinary amount of energy.
Zeta Zero
May 11, 2014 at 5:18 amThat being said I am impressed with the GUARDES ability to chain themselves to increase their collective output.
kong ben
May 11, 2014 at 1:44 amCG is not my thing but still its hard to distinguish between girls seriously… i can only recognize them by their hair. but still the story is catchy enough to hold me
kong ben
May 11, 2014 at 1:46 amforgot to add a point::: photosynthesis in deep space u gotta be kidding me. on top of it the place where our hero was stranded was way to bright for deep space
Zeta Zero
May 11, 2014 at 4:38 amSome really nice science-fiction atmosphere in this episode, but also some awkward romance bits.
The exposition scene certainly wasn't any worse than Captain Earth's numerous info dumps.