[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

But yeah, the ending definitely caught me off guard when I first saw it. Like there was that scene earlier in the episode talking about someone from Ochrona being in Alethia, but I didn't expect it to turn out like that.

I figured that something had to be up with Naomi, given some of her previous dialogue in past episodes as well as Yellow Jacket's' keen interest in her. Surprised it came to a head in the very same episode that a spy was talked about, though.

[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.

[Enchilada645]

Man, I can't believe the Immortal 9 are the friends we made along the way

With that joke out of the way (seriously we met like 3 of them on one bus ride), this one's an interesting episode in dealing with the aftermath of our cliffhanger.

I'll totally agree that Sylvia's method of trying to win Rouge over falls flat. While she's fighting for a clear and noble cause, she's very much an extremist in her viewpoints and her actions which very much taints her standing.

From the way Alice spoke though... I feel like I interpreted it a bit differently, at least for the most part. I feel like she was speaking for herself and Aes mostly, wondering why despite being an Immortal 9, they had to die when they did nothing wrong. At least that's how I took it. Though Alice is definitely jumping the gun a bit with the villain remark, especially when she's confronting a Rouge who very much is being dragged along for the ride.

While the events of the episode are likely to get Rouge thinking further, I do think it's also to show how she's very much lost and caught in the center of everything going on around her. She's being pulled all these different directions by a lot of people with different motives and it's very much that these are uncertain times for her.

And those uncertain times are certainly going to keep growing what with Giallon still being alive, we've got Blouge now out and about, plus there's the matter of Ochrona likely hunting for Rouge and who knows what Sylvia's going to want to do next.

Admittedly, it's interesting to see that Rouge found the most unlikely allies in Ash and Noid who could've turned her in but instead took her and the Aerkos duo to safety. And while Naomi may have turned Rouge in, she's definitely got more to her than meets the eye given how much she's pushing back against everyone with her authority.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Admittedly, it's interesting to see that Rouge found the most unlikely allies in Ash and Noid who could've turned her in but instead took her and the Aerkos duo to safety.

Yeah, it's nice to see that Conner and Hank are finally getting more into the forefront of things after very much being a background detail for half the show's' run. Hank's' intuition really is spot on, ain't it?

[DreamSword]

Episode 8: Nowhere House

This overall structure of this episode was a smart move after the previous one.

It's mostly talking, with Rouge, the Detective Duo, and Gene all investigating more into Rouge's' origins and what exactly Rouge's' father might've been hiding that'd make the Immortal Nine want him dead.

The overall atmosphere does alot to carry this one, which is exactly what you should be gunning for in a dialogue focused episode.

And of course with that comes some rather significant plot reveals. Mainly in that Code EVE, the master code that would overwrite the Asimov Code for all Neans, is actually split into pieces between all members of the Immortal Nine. And Rouge herself is one of them.

There's also the debate between freedom and order that the episode brings up, and I was happy to see a middle ground being presented to the entire debate, as many anime would be quick to swing one way or the other. Civil Rights situations, as easy as it can be to paint them as black and white, do come with alot of hitches, big and small, that many aren't ever willing to talk about.

And while Gene is the one representing Order in this situation, I feel as though there's more to this than what he's letting on, given a very brief shot we got in a previous episode of him putting together the Ids of the I9. This of course though also brings into question: Should the Nine have to die in order to release Code Eve onto the world? Or are their lives too precious to give up for Neans as a whole? Noid's' situation even brings up that while the Asimov Code can certainly be abused, there are humans who won't treat Neans that way.

Lastly, the smartest thing I felt this episode did was show that the Immortals are not as unified a group as previously thought. Sure, there are alliances, but at the end of the day each Proto-Neans has their own thoughts and views. Viola just wanted to live a quiet life away from strife. Noir is willing to side with Rouge in the fight for equality between all beings. Sylvia is the main one pushing for the War on Humans.

Oh, and there's also the reveal of Cyan, who is very much the Hakaider of this show. But we'll talk more about her another time I'm sure.

Overall, a very interesting episode to sit through. I dug it.

[Enchilada645]

Not much to say about this one admittedly. But we continue our escalation as we fully enter the latter half of the series. Really loved Rouge's speech to Sylvia at the end, as despite everything she's managed to find something to ground her in this riptide of a battle. But with this the stage is essentially set as nearly every Gladiator is in one spot.

Will say, shoutouts to Cyan Bluestar (still love this name) though who shows up, tries to kill Rouge, barely elaborates, and then leaves.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Will say, shoutouts to Cyan Bluestar (still love this name) though who shows up, tries to kill Rouge, barely elaborates, and then leaves.

She must've been inspired by Gackt.

[DreamSword]

Episode 9: The Ones Who Visited

Plot dump.

Yeah, that's pretty much this episode in a nutshell. Not that I didn't enjoy it, mind you, but yeah.

Turns out that the Usurpers are supporting the Alters, that the Venus terraforming project is for the sake of the Visitors, that Neans can apparently live without their Ids, and that Naomi was the first ever Nean.

And that last part, well, I felt that one was kinda obvious. Still, I think the biggest aspect of all of the exposition is the reveal that even the Visitors, those who first help design the Neans, also view the Neans as tools, and the whole social struggle them as simply an event that their enemies are taking advantage of, rather than any sort of big moral/social event.

Thing is, sure, I get that there are people who use big ideas of "social justice" for selfish or nefarious ends in real life; That commentary isn't lost on me. However, I also think it's the sort of thing where Metallic Rouge needs to really be careful going forward, else the intended message couldn't become very mean spirited very quickly. Having shades of gray is fine, but portraying those who want equal rights as inherently on the wrong side is another.

The show has been solid about walking that line so far, but with the Usurper twist, I dunno, it could get dicey in the future in not looked out for. Not to mention, I just kinda dig it alot more as a parasocial thing between Humans and Neans. Introducing a grander scale isn't inherently bad, but I do find it less interesting.

Not a bad episode, just a very straightforward one with not a whole lot going on to talk about.

[Enchilada645]

The scale is definitely getting a bit bigger than normal what with the aforementioned aliens now more at the edges of the conflict than they were before. I feel like that's probably a side effect of this being only 1 Cour long. The staff wanted a longer run but broadcasting issues basically had to consolidate everything they believed was important into 13 Episodes. This is part of the reason I feel like the show could've been better with 2 Cours (24ish episodes) since it would have had a lot more time to space everything out.

The wrinkle of aliens is definitely part of my issue with Rouge, pushing these things when it was a fairly personal premise before. It definitely makes the conflict a bit bigger than I feel it needed to be. But the core of the show is still there, that being the conflict between the Immortal Nine and Rouge and what exactly will happen with Code Eve.

I'll probably talk more on the themes of Order vs. Freedom and the alien factions playing into those more towards the end once everything's said and done. But I do think the show is careful about it for the most part, mostly in how exactly the Alters and Usurpers are going about things. Clearly Rouge is still thinking about the freedom of Neans despite everything Sylvia and Co have done, and despite the idea that the Usurpers wish to take advantage of it. I think the series wants to land towards a somewhat complex answer even if said answer can be muffled because of the bloat.

But enough about deeper meanings! Let's talk about animation, because man was that the most animated hallway scene of all time. And also not the first animated like this. There's this weird fluidity and flow to the characters and their actions that we first saw when Naomi confronted Opera (the Pupeteer's right hand).

And what was their conversation? How both her and Naomi seemed to "smell" very similar. Very much a hint at Naomi's true nature at being the first Nean with her bosses being the Visitors since she very much assumed Opera was working for the Usurpers. Likewise we get an extremely fluid and animated scene once Naomi reveals herself to Rouge. Considering these are really the only scenes to get that treatment at this point, I'd like to say it's intentional.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

But enough about deeper meanings! Let's talk about animation, because man was that the most animated hallway scene of all time. And also not the first animated like this. There's this weird fluidity and flow to the characters and their actions that we first saw when Naomi confronted Opera (the Pupeteer's right hand).

And what was their conversation? How both her and Naomi seemed to "smell" very similar. Very much a hint at Naomi's true nature at being the first Nean with her bosses being the Visitors since she very much assumed Opera was working for the Usurpers. Likewise we get an extremely fluid and animated scene once Naomi reveals herself to Rouge. Considering these are really the only scenes to get that treatment at this point, I'd like to say it's intentional.

Haha, yes. I noticed that too, even if I forgot to mention it. I was like "Why did the show suddenly become 60 FPS!?"