The decision on Platinum End – one of my many bubble shows this season – would be easier if it were a single cour. I think I’d already be pot committed at this point – in truth I basically am for this season, since it’s the only show I have going on Saturday (which is probably a first). It’s weird to be on the fence for an adaptation of a manga I’ve read, but part of the uncertainty is how much the anime will change from the manga. So far it’s been pretty faithful, but in order to fit the whole story into 24 episodes some serious alterations will have to happen. There’s just no way around it.
What I can say so far is that the adaptation is doing as well as I could have hoped. It’s well-cast and highlighting the parts of the manga that work the best, which shows good sense. But coming into focus right now is Mirai, who fits very much in the mold of his character class. When you consider that Yukiteru from Mirai Nikki is a quite conscious riff by Esuno Sakae on the Ikari Shinji model and that Platinum End is basically a ripoff of Mirai Nikki, it puts Mirai in context. That sort of character can be a lot to take if it’s not done exceptionally well (and both Shinji and Yukiteru were done exceptionally well).
Is Mirai? Well, I guess the answer can’t be final until after Platinum End is over. But given that we’ve seen the sort of navel-gazing he does so many times before, I think the tolerance for it is lower when a show isn’t especially original. Miyu Irino does his best with the character to be certain, but I do find myself pretty frustrated with Mirai in episodes like this one. For fucks sake, just shoot the guy with a white arrow and be done with it. He’s a siscon sociopath who’s leaving a trail of bodies everywhere he goes. How much more reason do you need to be decisive?
This is the source of the frustration – Mirai is basically fighting with both hands tied behind his back against a guy who has no moral guardrails at all. What chance does he have? Mukaidou does his best here – he works the situation to the best of his ability and tries to call Uryuu’s bluff without knowing whether it is one (in fact I don’t think his actions would have been any different either way). It’s a rare slip-up for Metropoliman to get himself into a disadvantageous situation, and Mirai certainly shows courage and some serious moves when he deflects Uryuu’s white arrow with his red (not even the angels knew that was a thing), and spars with him in the skies over Tokyo. But when Mukaidou and his pistols buy him the chance, Mirai hesitates and lets it go a-begging.
Mukaidou is much more interesting of course, as a fundamentally decent guy who has nothing left to lose. But that’s really not a fair comparison. I always bought into Shinji and Yukiteru’s reluctance to be drawn into their respective wars, but I struggle to do so with Mirai. Mukaidou, Saki, and the angels can only do so much to level the playing field – ultimately Mirai is the one who has to decide what sacrifices he’s willing to make, given the stakes involved.
