[Frontier]

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Right out of the gate, Baku is actually credited as "Code number: Seven" in the opening, which is a fine detail that starts things off on the right foot, for sure. The actual episode then begins with The Lady giving probably the single most straightforward exposition dump this show has ever had, which I'm less sure I like? The fact that that a cut here subtly calls attention to her and Nem's matching butterfly accessories kinda illustrates what my issue is. It's like -- *that's* how ZEZTZ likes to talk, usually. That's why I got it in my head that it was significant we never saw the Zeroider actually being controlled. This is a show that frequently has deliberately vague dialogue, and even vague situations, but also lots of incredibly specific things it does visually that it wants you to be paying attention to. (See also: the saga of NOX's ring.) So even with a flashback to add the necessary element of showing to all the telling going on, it almost felt blasphemous to have so much crucial information delivered in such a standard fashion after all this time. The clarity is nice, yes, but I have this nagging thought in the back of my head that it still could've somehow been presented in a more ZEZTZ-y manner than it was. Probably not a huge deal, for how much I'm talking about it! But honestly, in spite of all the new details, I don't have much to say yet about how it affects my view of The Lady or Nem, and their roles in the series. Definitely something I'll be curious to see play out now, though, so my issue is absolutely not with the revelations themselves. The Lady in particular is a very strong presence here, and her having so much to do is one of the best things about the episode, even.

I think there's still stuff they were deliberately leaving out of Lady's story like what her ultimate endgame with the Nightmares was and what world she sought to create by destroying it with the Nightmares she was creating.

But knowing now that the "real world" might not be what we thought it was, it might actually explain some of why the Nightmares functioned as they did.

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Baku's end of things is the most present-tense part of the story, and I'm still liking that stuff enough that I sort of refuse to dignify his delusional fantasies the way the credits do. The dialogue in this show might not always be specific when it comes to facts, but it's definitely very precise when doing things like having Baku immediately respond with concern about Minami when The Lady brings up his sister. You know, the one he insists he doesn't have anymore. Fitting for the dramatic low point of the overall narrative, this is probably the most pathetic Baku has ever been, to the point I honestly kinda get why CODE puts him down like a rabid dog in the end. He gave up everything to become stronger, but it only seemed to make him weaker in just about every way that matters. He consciously alienates his family and allies, and even turns his back on CODE, all in the name of a noble mission that he ultimately fails to carry out. Sure, he does literally Find Nem, but does he even remember what the point of finding her was by the time he gets there? What does a Seven that uncaringly walks by people in distress have left to offer her?

One could argue he became a rabid dog of CODE's own making that they cut down when they didn't need any more or couldn't rely on him to follow orders.

I think he did remember Nem beneath everything, though, because knowing Lady was her mother and Nem didn't want her to hurt him was the only thing that held him back and undid Catastrom.

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Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

Boy, if this show hadn't lost me already it certainly would have at this point. This is an issue I often run into with Takahashi, where the writing starts emphasizing sensationalism over... pretty much everything else. Agh, I'm gonna go watch Gavan Infinity and hopefully actually enjoy myself.

Speaking as someone who has watched Zero-One and Geats, I feel like their twists usually have at least some set-up and foreshadowing, and I feel with the premise of the show and how certain events have played out that this isn't all that out of left field either.

Like thinking on it, all the vague stuff NOX was always alluding to might have meant a lot more than we ever took at face-value.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

I suppose it's less something super specific and moreso just how the general vibe of the show hit a big shift with these recent episodes. I've far too often seen episodes like these pretty much tell the audience "All that stuff we presented before? Forget about it. New direction now." And as one who was very much liking how Zeztz was up to now, it just feels disappointing.

I don't think they're telling everyone to forget or act like the past half didn't happen. It might not have been 100% "real" but it's still probably going to inform or effect Baku and the cast moving forward.

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Originally Posted by GuardianAngel87

It doesn’t mean he has to like it though. I figured ZEZTZ is going to pull some form of BS like this and I only have seen Ex-Aid and merely heard about what goes on in Zero-One and Geats considering that Takahashi clearly can’t seem to control himself in that regard. If it weren’t for the fact that the show is available to watch on a weekly basis on TokuSHOUTsu’s YouTube channel and me following the series right from the very start, I would’ve hold off on watching ZEZTZ until sometime after the show officially completes its run.

Is it really BS? Like this is the one show that could pull of an Inception-level twist and have it make sense. People were calling it as a possibility pretty early on too.