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Argevollen continues to be resolutely idiosyncratic if nothing else.
- While other interesting things happened, the episode is certainly overshadowed by the ridiculous moaning in the massage scene. Talk about awkward.
- A man named Quasimodo who calls Samonji “Marshall”? That’s certainly significant.
- I liked the dreary realism of the Argevollen firmware update. It ties in perfectly with this series’ almost perverse obsession with the mundane side of military life, even if that tends to piss mecha fans off.
- Ditto Samonji’s challenge dealing with bureaucrats unwilling to help him out because his side is perceived as losing the war. Again, very realistic.
- Samonji and Nee-chan were an item? Not surprising and already foreshadowed, but it would add some interesting spice to the theory that he feels responsible for her death. If indeed she’s dead.
- The war must be taking quite a toll on the Bellhall economy if most of the tourist attractions are closed.
- What are Richtofen and the Ingelmians planning as regards the supplies? An outright takeover of a neutral island or something more surgical?
- While the individual soldiers are certainly sympathetic, it’s hard to muster much sympathy for the Arandas cause as a whole when their leadership seems both thoroughly incompetent and corrupt. And I suspect that’s actually the point.
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Athos
August 16, 2014 at 4:33 pmI can't quite put my finger on it, but there was something very pleasant about this whole episode. It was just a lot of sitting around and… clouds and… sea… certainly a lot of scenery porn, specially towards the end. It's a very unusual way around it, but aside from that spectacular moaning sequence, I thought it was a brilliant breather episode, if I ever saw one.
maverickmann84
August 17, 2014 at 1:27 amI agree with you that this was a great breather ep. I like the show precisely for all the ways in which it isn't a typical mech. It has this WW2 like feel because of all of the on ground battles and the way that effects the battle tactics. Even though you think mechs are a superior technology, it gives off this feel of taking place in a far less advanced world. I also like how realistic the show's characters are. The bad guys aren't just one side of the war. They're the bureaucrats who seem to be not only inept but also willing to sacrifice their own people for their personal gain. It's not about a big evil "Nazi" side it's about the one units struggle during the time of war. Like an anime version of Band of Brothers (though it'll never be that good). There's something about old school war that is so much more personal. Maybe bc they aren't killing people who can't be seen bc they are in giant space crafts and flying mechs, but holing up in a bunker and pushing forward on foot/with tanks seems more visceral than normal mech battles.
Btw that moaning was off the charts awkward. I was watching on my TV and started scrambling around for the remote to mute it before my neighbors heard it (very thin walls). I will never understand why something like that is in there, or how anyone finds that appealing.
Roger
August 17, 2014 at 2:47 amOkay, this was an episode of mostly nothing. But, hey, it was amusing.
I also liked the whole firmware update thing. Seriously, how many mecha anime shows can you think of that actually delved into the finer details of running such machinery rather than just showing off the robot battles? And a 3% increase in feedback response is still useful, you know.
As for Tokimune and Jamie's little "date", they did warn that they would throw in a shoehorned romantic subplot, so there you go (and from the looks of the opening, they might be throwing in a love triangle as well). Still amusing though But that awkward massage scene is definitely the star of this ep (good thing I had headphones on).
What are Richtofen and the Ingelmians planning as regards the supplies? An outright takeover of a neutral island or something more surgical?
Considering Bellhals was said to be a vital supply point, i would go for the former. But Richtofen did mention about constructing/assembling something. What is it, we will probably know next episode. So, is Kibernas working for both sides to get more profits? You know, just like your average, real life defense contractor.