[Layton13]

38 is straight up my favorite episode in Zero-One, and I think the last one I actually enjoyed at the same time.

Gai was, at this point, just straight up my favorite character since he was both very well defined and someone who was an active participant in the plot, while our heroes just kept bumbling around. And I had gotten a bit annoyed how after winning against our heroes, he is simply reduced to the buttmonkey, leaving the show without a central antagonist for a while, so, seeing this episode really felt right at the time.

It really explains where a person like Gai can come from, and I adore that. It really just treats him like a multidimensional character again, and I'm all here for it. His backstory really struck a chord with me, and I adore how Ai-chan and Zea go out of their way to cheer him up.

Small tangent, Ai-chan is probably the best use of Aruto as a protagonist. He really was drowned out in the show proper and doesn't have many good moments, but I count all of Ai-chan's moments as his as well since this AI is something only he could have come up with. It's the most impact he has on the story, and I really like it. I'd loved it if stuff like this was used more for him since he comes off as super bland otherwise.

Another reason I may love this episode is that I called it xD
Ok, mostly a joke, but I find it funny that I called Gai's daddy issues around the early twenties and was proven right. Stroking my ego always makes me like a series more. Also helps make this come less out of nowhere.

That said... There are a few issues I have with what surrounds the episode. Primarily the foreshadowing for Gai's daddy issues. It's there with how much he seems to idealize grandpa Hiden and how much the dismissal of his concerns clearly felt personal to Gai that gets brought up in Aruto's and Gai's early coffee talks. That said, it quickly kinda just dips out of the show, and for the majority of Gai's time in the show, it is effectively forgotten. And yeah, that is a massive problem since there needed to be more to make it really work in the series's greater context. It just doesn't fit with what came before it in some way, similar to the Workplace Competition arc. That one is, in my opinion, the best arc in the show, strong antagonist, solid two-parters, and I feel it dives into what makes Humagears special the most but is terribly placed. Going from the frantic first arc to a slow and structured second one is a terrible idea and wrecks havoc on the show's pacing. It doesn't work well with what has been done before, just like with this episode.

That said, I still love this episode to bits!
Also, cute robot dog!

Quote:

Because horrible people don?t come from nowhere, and that?s worth acknowledging. Gai?s a terrible human being, but there were things from his past that made this terrible outcome feel right to him. It's everything this show's been talking about with intolerance and hatred, how they have a root cause rather than an innate presence. This isn?t an episode about forgiving Gai; this is an episode about understanding him, and maybe seeing if there?s anything to be salvaged.

And that one I save for later use as well.