A build-up episode. And here this series once again shows how cunning the characters in this series are. And as a contrast, we have a weapon called “The Psychobuster”, to symbolize the huge difference in culture between how humanity is now, and how it is at the time of the series.
What is weird is how the landscape in this series has completely changed compred to today. I mean, usually with post-apocalyptic series, you’d see… the remains of buildings or skyscrapers, or anything. Here, Tokyo is reduced to a desert. There are a few rocks, but apart from that no trace from the skyscrapers that used to be there. Was everything really blown to bits in the past?
Also, the characters still seem to think that Mamoru and Maria’s child still is a fiend. That’s probably a big plot point for the next few episodes, since she seems to know exactly what she’s doing.
Rating: 5.5/8 (Excellent)
The Psychobuster feels like a big macGuffin to me. The ridiculous amount of exposition is getting tiresome too. I mean, I may be wrong but wasn’t every single conversation in this episode nothing but exposition?
I agree that it may be a McGuffin; this story has always been about the characters and their development and relationships. However, the Psychobuster is given narrative significance – its a form of Anthrax that can be used to kill without triggering a “death feedback”, that’s pretty important and specific (the opposite of a McGuffin). As far as all the exposition, I personally don’t mind, but I see your point. It does slow down the pace (but the pace is slow anyways).
I wonder if the animators had watched the docummentary Life After People….
This review made me think of the Life After People documentary, too.
For anybody that hasn’t seen it, according to the creators’ research:
1) We won’t leave recognizable ruins the way our ancestors did, because all of our current building materials deteriorate quickly without constant maintenance.
(apparently, even our concrete isn’t robust to time like the Romans’: the reinforcing bars will rust, expand, and destroy it within 500 years)
2) As a consequence, after 1000 years all cities will have effectively vanished. Everything will be wilderness again.
When Saki questioned if the kid was really a fiend, I’m guessing that maybe while he acts completely just like a fiend, but his true nature is actually something else?
Someone who’s not a fiend but acts like one…I wonder if that’s possible.
That one guy said he was able to avoid getting killed by screaming in the queerrats language as he ran past the fiend. I think this shows that the kid isn’t a fiend, just a human who has been raised as a beast.
He’s not a fiend. He’s effectively a queerrat with cantus.
He doesn’t get death-feedback from killing humans because queerrats are “people” to him and humans are the secondary creature.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens if he has a species identity crisis/awakening.
I’m getting a bad vibe from Kiroumaru.
I guess the reason he is famiiar with the runis of Tokyo is the he already tried getting the psychobuster and something prevented him from obtaining it.
He could be an ally of Yakomaru and I wouldn’t trust him.
The very fact I wouldn’t put it past this series is what makes me can’t wait for next week.
I see the same subtle cues between yakomaru and kiroumaru (camera emphasis on their mouths/grins immediately after they make key statements) Makes me cringe everytime.
I read an interview with the author and he stated that he did a lot of research into the lifespan of buildings, materials etc and finally decided on setting the story 1,000 years after, where he determined that most man-made structures would be gone by then. Thus, I believe Tokyo’s barren landscape isn’t just lazy storytelling and animation.
Part of the reason why the landscape has changed so much probably has to do with the fact that people unconsciously direct the leakage of their cantus outside the holy barrier…and that would include Tokyo. It might have accelerated the decay of the landscape. In addition, it seems like Tokyo was a huge battle sight (based on all the biological weapons in the cave), which probably also helped to destroy the place.
They also mentioned radiation, so someone probably nuked Tokyo, destroying most of the city and causing it to break down faster.
I can’t trust Kiroumaru!
They’re basically leading the queer rats that can get rid of ALL humans with cantus..
Damn after the last episode where it looked like they were raising humans children as weapons, this might instead be their goal all along.
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This is keeping me on my toes, but i do think the latest twist with the existence of a psychobuster came out of nowhere, along with this sudden journey to Tokyo which seemed a lil bit out of nowhere.. and like why didn’t the people in charge try to locate the weapon before like?
I’m wondering if the novel itself made more of the background of the world.
Yes, the novel goes into much more details about the world in general.
The amount of exposition given in the book would have been horribly detrimental to the series’ already slightly slower pacing. Basically the first 50-100 pages are nothing but exposition.