[DreamSword]

Episode 3: Lisa

No I-Guy in this one; It's all about X-On, Eleanor(Freelance Girl), and most importantly, a girl they run into on their adventure, Lisa(pictured above).

Things kick off pretty quick, as we learn that while Eleanor is certainly a talented hacker and investigator, she's not very good at covering her tracks, as her efforts into investigating the mysterious Reflected known as Wraith results in her house getting burned down by Flaming Fury.

Still, she atleast got herself and X-On a lead; Two girls disappearing on the same day at the exact same time, with a mysterious, shadowed over figure in the background both times. And so, the pair set off in Eleanor's' junker of a car to investigate these strange disappearances and hopefully not get burned alive.

Despite the episode being almost entirely about Lisa, we do get some nice background on Eleanor here. Needless to say, she's had it rough her entire life. Her twin brother died during birth, and her parents have blamed her for it ever since. Then, once The Reflection happened and she got the power to teleport, she was cast out of the family entirely.

X-On also drops some backstory on why some Reflected are full on mutants while others look like average people on the outside; Allegedly, those who inhaled the smoke and survived became creatures like Fearsome Frog, whereas those bathed in the light remained "normal" looking, like Eleanor. Or so people claim. The event itself knocked alot of people unconscious, so no one really knows for sure.

It's here that it's clear what the show is gunning for in terms of its superpowers: Personality Powers. Not the first show to ever do it by any stretch, but it's a story element that I tend to rather like, as it helps to highlight key character traits, and can sometimes make for neat action scenes too. It also gives another meaning to the title of the anime, which is nice.

But the important person here is Lisa, isn't it? Lisa is a girl who was born unable to use her legs, and thus uses a wheelchair to get around. Despite what many would consider a setback, she lives a pretty full life. She loves comic books, is a track star, and even keeps an assortment of collectibles; Most notably a toy robot her dad gave her when she was young. Her dad tends to smother her regardless though.

Things get dicey though when two Reflected known as Steel Ruler and Putrid bust onto the scene to kidnap Lisa, claiming that Lisa is also a Reflected and that her powers just haven't awakened yet. And they're right, because when Putrid uses his power of transforming into a literal meat grinder to threaten Lisa and her father, Lisa responds in kind by TRANSFORMING HER WHEELCHAIR INTO A GIANT ROBOT HOLY CRAP!

And it's actually the toy robot her dad gave her, which is a sweet touch.

Even Putrid's' secondary power of being able to regenerate doesn't do him much good against a giant bombardment of lazer fire, and the heroes escape to live another day as the villains watch on, claiming their mission was a success regardless. Interesting...

Overall, this was a decent oneshot about not just introducing a new character, but showing off more backstory and personality to X-On and Eleanor. We learn X-On has other allies hiding in the shadows, and that he's also a snarky douche. Eleanor, meanwhile, has alot of baggage and is looking for purpose in her life. And Lisa, well, I already went into detail about her. The only real critique I have of this episode is that the voice direction for Lisa's' dad was uh, not ideal!

As for which song I plan to show off today, I decided to go with "Battle Begins."

Sure, the episode isn't really action heavy outside of the climax, but it's a theme that definitely stands out given the show's' minimalist style. Plus, the fights the episode does have are cool, especially on the side of Steel Ruler, who really gets to show off her powers alongside Lisa here.