[DreadBringer]

Likely redemption for Vram, and it happens actually much faster than I expect.

Shoma finally meets Suga, who is needed to treat Hanto in ways that hospitals cannot. During their interaction, Suga reveals that he is a Granute researcher and the one who modified Hanto. So, the Stomach organization are unaware of Vram's true identity as Lage9. This revelation highlights that Nyelv has his own agenda. They believe Vram is similar to Gavv and Valen, which is technically true, as Vram aims to destroy Stomach Inc. but is doing so undercover.

Turns out Shoma still attempts to reason with Vram, trying to dissuade him from trying to impress the Stomach family. Shoma appears to be more tolerant of Vram compared to Rojoe. Although he calls Vram out for sacrificing humans for Stomach Inc., Shoma seems eager to help Vram find closure regarding Comel's death, and hopes Vram will turn a new leaf by choosing to use his powers to fight against Stomach Inc., compared to him hesitatingly helping Rojoe.

In Vram's flashback, we get a glimpse of Granute society, which shows that not everything revolves around Stomach Inc. (who seeks to dominate their world). Vram only learned about Stomach Inc. 6 months ago, and it’s evident that Granute isn't inherently evil, shown in Comel being a sweet kid who got corrupted by the Dark Treats, resorting to stealing from Lage9 to buy them. And turns out that Comel was still a little boy, Gavv didn't fight and kill him like the part-timers before.

Additionally, it's confirmed that Vram pretended to be a desperate addict in stealing the Dark Treats. He claims he is forced to abduct humans for Dark Treats, yet he shows no hesitation or remorse doing that throughout his appearence. Despite his sympathetic backstory, he remains a villain at this point—not only for abducting humans but also for outright declaring that he doesn't care about anyone's deaths and attempting to murder Shoma afterwards.

While the prolonged out of suit battle scene is quite impressive, and that it makes sense that Shoma is much stronger than humans to face a monster directly, it’s puzzling that Shoma takes so long to henshin. Additionally, with Lage9 likely becoming Shoma's ally, the conflict between Shoma and Hanto is expected to intensify, with Hanto questioning why Shoma is assisting an evil species. Furthermore, Vram also notes Shoma seems to have extensive knowledge about the Stomach family like Hanto.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Then again, they do seem to work together and infiltrate Stomach Inc. next week, so maybe they rescue a large amount of victims who are not processed yet, including the young man Shoma is searching for, so maybe that’s how he “makes up” for his wrongdoings? Don’t misunderstand me; I don’t “need” this to happen. If anything, I would prefer him to stay a character with a sinful past. I just wonder how much they will redeem him for kids and parents to root for him; it’s a kid’s show after all. But maybe not everything needs to be perfect, Vram is a great example for someone with right intentions gone wrong, that’s a lesson children need to learn as well. It’s healthy to think about this character and judge him yourself.

About rooting for characters, don't really think that being righteous would guarantee someone rooting for them better. Like one reply in Gavv's previous episode of rooting for him over the good side. There are people who'd rather root for bad guys because they find them more interesting and less predictable for instance, how others react to one, like being rooted or not shouldn't determine their morality. Like for redemption, it's about themselves, not about others. Them still being hated and not accepted by others doesn't mean they aren't redeemed, if they turn a new leaf and go straight.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

But the main event of the episode is, of course, Lage’s past. Well, it's tragic, as you'd expect from a tertiary rider. At a minimum, Shoma and Hanto were completely helpless and could not save their mothers, unlike the adult, albeit very busy, Lage9. Also, in their desperation, they didn’t harm anyone, while Vram at least sent several dozen people to the factory (it would be very fabulous if none of them were turned into Dark Treats yet). So he has a long road to redemption ahead of him, which, apparently, will begin in the next episode with the invasion of the factory. And this means a stitch with Glotta against a chromakey background, which should be cool. And this means a stitch with Glotta against a chromakey background, which should be cool. Although, given the rumors that Komura will not accept redemption, perhaps Lage9 will still face a heroic death. But before that, he will receive a new form in any case.

It'd still be a redemption if one actually changes their evil ways to turn good, regardless if they end up dying or not, rather than them staying evil until their end of the screentime. Rejecting redemption is about making the villains impossible to change for the better. Though Hanto didn't harm anyone, he hates an entire species, there's still a potential of him doing that, if he goes after innocents just because they're Granutes, and this episode shows Comel being sweet outside of Dark Treats addiction.