[DreamSword]

Episode 2: Wander in the Labyrinth

This... this was quite the surprise.

With the first episode being so moody and downtrodden, I absolutely was not expecting a fun-filled, funny "filler" episode to follow suit.

And ya know what? It really worked out, because what came out of it was not some great establishment of the dynamic between Rouge and Naomi, but also an expansion of the world this show takes place in, and all done in an organic way.

I got some really genuine laughs out of this one! Highlights being Rouge refusing to share her chocolate, and Naomi wondering who the heck the hitchhiker that shows up halfway through the episode even is. And none of the intended humor ever came across as ill-timed or annoying, either.

As for the world building side of things, turns out that aliens also exists in this universe. They're very briefly mentioned in the first episode, but we get a bit more lore here. There are the Visitors, which are the aliens allied with humans, and the Usurpers, an invading force that humanity managed to push back with the help of both the Visitors and the invention of Neans.

The Nean part is of course what piqued my interest most, as it highlights how despite being the heroes of the war, afterward humanity would go on to treat them like garbage and slaves, unfortunately mirroring real life. And it's even showcased in real time with the old couple who appear to treat their Nean "friend" well, only to bemoan and degrade him when things begin to spiral out of control with the mercenary group known as the Sons of Ares showing up.

On that note, wait a minute. Aliens vs robots, the automation of transport, a backstory of humans allying with unknown forces, and a female lead character who's a robot. Why does this all sound so familiar?

NieR Automata. I have no doubt a big inspiration for this show was NieR Automata. And ya know, given that I like that game, I have no real complaints. Just like with this episode. Fun stuff all around.