[Fish Sandwich]

Jetman 42-43:

42 is really all about relationships that can't work out with affection alone. Inoue establishes that theme almost right away by showing Gai losing patience with Kaori's attempts to teach him proper table manners. In the case of their relationship, their attraction is even mutual and everything, for once in this show, but it's readily apparent there's still a fundamental gap between them as people, and it's clearly becoming an obstacle to the idea of them being together. Tranza starts a scheme in this one to build the ultimate super robot to defeat the heroes, but his rough draft of a creation here, G2, is a childlike defective product quickly condemned to the scrapheap. G2 forms an attachment to Grey after being shown kindness by him as a fellow robot, but G2's attempts to stay by Grey's side are constantly rejected, because that one little gesture of mercy meant far less to him than it does to G2. Grey himself is still pining after Maria, but he receives a harsh reminder here that his very nature as a cold mechanical being puts him at a distance from her no matter how hard he tries. In that one regard, Grey even recognizes that Red Hawk has something to offer Maria that he can't, but of course, Ryuu's affection towards Maria isn't. Ryuu longs to be reunited with Rie, and it seems like at every turn, he's denied that happy ending. And that's the story with this episode; it's not very happy for any of the major players. But its melancholic atmosphere is supremely compelling, and the amount of depth Inoue has packed into these characters is commendable beyond any doubt. I really liked this one. Had me totally totally gripped from start to finish.

With 43, Inoue essentially takes mercy on the target demographic by doing a much more lighthearted story driven primarily by evil plans and sci-fi adventure tropes. There's a fantastic scene of Kaori's ill-fated attempt to introduce Gai to her parents, but beyond that, it's fairly straightforward toku aciton and excitement. The team even end up getting crucified! It doesn't get much more traditional than that! This is also a focus episode of sorts for commander Odagiri, but there's never been much to explore about her character, and Inoue doesn't really try here, perhaps coming to the not-unreasonable conclusion that said lack of complexity is part of her charm. She's just a no-nonsense authority figure who's just flexible enough to not come off as overly stern, and she does a great job looking out for the team. So while Tranza continues to go big with his giant robot plan cooking in the background, Radiguet goes small by shrinking down a Bio Dimensional Beast to take apart the heroes from the inside in a very literal way. When their commander starts acting all crazy, it's up to our heroes to do a Fantastic Voyage deal with Jet Icarus, and in stark contrast to the previous episode, it's mostly goofy fun. Not actively comedic, mind you, but it really leans into the larger-than-life drama in a way that keeps the episode very light on its feet. Again, this is the episode where the team gets crucified, and it happens because their commander made them think it was somehow a test. I guess it just goes to show how much they trust Odagiri, or something, if you want a central theme to the story, but like, by the time she's piloting Jet Garuda to get back at the monster of the week, do you really care that much what the deeper meaning of this one might be? It's an entertaining watch, and a welcome respite from the *drama* that's presumably on both sides of it. I mean, I'll find out in a bit, but I'm guessing that robot Tranza is building will be no laughing matter.