[OptionZero]

once again, a fun episode with a load of action and both big and small story beats. I liked it so much i wanted to tackle a review with some more detail.

First, and a bigger arc to me:
Humans vs Humagears
This week, Aru has to deal with a new customer, a manga artist that is both a loyal customer to Hiden and also the author/illustrator of a comic that Aru loved as a child. This customer, however, flips the script from prior episodes.

Previously, Aru had to hard sell clients as to the value of humagears as beneficial resources; this customer loves human gears . . . sort of. Customer no longer has to draw, or, as we learn, write because he pawns off all of the work on the humagears in his workspace.

Unfortunately, he treats the humagears not only as lifeless tools, but abuses them. When one runs out of battery life (from overwork), the customer ragdolls him to the ground:


He snaps at another to stop wasting time and go shop:


Aru is then torn on a couple of levels. He wants to encourage humans to embrace humagears and intregrate them into work roles that his uncle intended them to help filll; he also wants the manga creator to keep pumping out new comics . . . but he doesn't want humagears abused, and he doesn't want the customer to crank out comics devoid of human creativity or passion.

This is ultimately resolved (conveniently, for sure) when the customer watches the final battle and is inspired to create new character!







Thats .........(not) Aru!

Stealing Progrise Keys?
Up to this point, we saw that Metsuboujinrai.net wanted to kill all humans and control all humagears . . . or "free" all humagears.

This week, we saw Jin try (in vain) to steal a progrise key.



A new wrinkle, that was cut short when Horobi told him to stop. Oh, and Hirobi told Jin, you're my son.

Um, let's hope we get explanation for this all later. Apparently, they're gonna take over the Humangear satellite so they can flip all humagears at once.

A smaller point that bugged me
Attache Shotgun
Aru has to fight the monster of the week (MOTY), a humagear with really strong drills. Jumping Grasshopper, Biting Shark, and Flying Falcon all prove in effective.

Isamu pops up during the initial fight as Shooting Wolf, and Yua arrives shortly thereafter in the AIMS van. Yua tosses the Attache Shotgun . . . attache to Isamu. Apparently, there was no time for a morning briefing about . . . the brief:



Yua quips that Isamu is too slow, but Isamu eventually unlocks Attache shotgun which is able to damage the MOTY. At the same time, we learn the drawback of this weapon: super strong recoil that floors Isamu



(NOTE: I will be recreating this scene whenever these SHF come out)

Here's a criticism, though. We learn later that the weakness of this MOTY is FIRE - thats what leads to Izu creating Flaming tiger and Aru burning away the MOTY's drills.



How the hell does the shotgun work then? Are we supposed to jump to the assumption that shotgun = fire?

More importantly, we don't get to see how Isamu/Yua figure out how to overcome the recoil issue. They just "show up" at the final battle all:



Obviously, we figure out that Yua correctly theorized that Punching Kong's strength would withstand the recoil . . .but we don't see the process. This is the restriction of only 22 minutes and alot going on. Think of the comedy and small character development we could have gotten with Yua in the lab trying different whacky solutions as Isamu tests each one and gets blasted backward each time. I thought that was a missed opportunity. Instead, Yua just . . . solves it.

Lastly, and i'm drawing alot from this . . . the heroes needed BOTH a new weapon (attache shotgun) AND a new form (Flaming Tiger) to beat what was otherwise an unremarkable villain. He's just a dude with strong drills and they burn him away and win.

I suppose we can say the show was being efficient by selling two toys in one week, but . . . i guess this is the wrestling fan in me, if you wanna build a star, BUILD A STAR. Don't dilute each new "thing" by forcing them to share the spotlight. Whatever, a minor point.

anyways, what put the episode over the top was this week's star: Izu

During the final battle, Aru and Flying Falcon are getting punked by the MOTY. Izu does her hilariously awkward toss to send the Flaming Tiger key to Aru, and we get . . .




A meme is born