[DreamSword]

Episode 7: Appropriate Gear

This one was kinda confused.

Like, I think I get the base of what it was going for, but unfortunately, when you set off to appeal to morality, it's something you need to take great care in.

To give the angle that the episode shoots for a bit of the benefit of the doubt, it seems as though the entire idea to get Rouge thinking. Make her question just who she should be placing her trust in and where she wants to take her journey.

And on paper, that's fine, however, there are a few problems. Firstly, Rouge has already been questioning the quest she's been on for almost the entirety of the show so far. We even outright saw that with her questioning the memory of her brother in episode 5.

Second, the reveals about who exactly the Immortal Nine are muddies things by alot. Alice claims that her and Ace are separate from them, but yet in practically the same breath she goes to bat for the other members of the group as if she's in league with them, claiming all they want is freedom, and that Rouge is evil for killing them.

And you know, maybe Alice would have a point, if not for the fact that Yellow Jacket has been going around killing humans indiscriminately for the entire story, ontop of the fact that Silvia shows up and does the exact same thing in this very episode. That Rouge never thinks to bring this up seems rather out of character given how keen on details she's been up to this point. I guess you could argue that she's under alot of stress right now, but even so. No questions, at all?

That's not to say the episode was all bad though. The elaboration on some of the hellish conditions that Neans have to endure on a daily basis was really interesting to see. Not just the situation on Venus, but also the conversation showcasing how corporations are very keen on the idea of dismantling Rouge for parts in an attempt at a goldmine. The new, ongoing mystery about where exactly Naomi's' loyalties lie has also been a neat new hook, as you could argue either way as to what her intentions are.

So, yeah. I overall found this one to be very half and half. Some really intriguing stuff, but the main moral core unfortunately fell pretty flat.