Short Synopsis: The Zanbani is attacked by a number of humanforms.
Highlights: Only 11 episodes and the cast is already developing.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,5/10
I must say, I’m very impressed with this episode. The cast is already connecting to a level that takes most series at least five episodes longer. This episode was really meant to develop the cast of the Zanbani, to push them to their limits and use time that the previous episodes spent on fleshing them out, with some awesome results. I think that from now on, we can expect this series to really get fired off, and I’m really curious whether the creators are able to get the best out of this series’ potential.
This episode confirms what I’ve been suspecting: the Zanbani isn’t just a regular postal ship with a bunch of strange members on it. It makes perfect sense: why else would a postal ship carry guns and a Hiruko-priest? It’s the same as Eureka7, where the main characters pretend to be a bunch of trendy people on surfing mecha, while they’re in fact an underground rebellion. The question now remains: who is Benikawa, and why is she carrying out her mission with a bunch of children on board? It seems to suggest that she has a lot of personal issues in whatever she seems to be trying to do, if she really wants her friends and loved ones to accompany her.
I really loved the situations the creators put the characters in in this episode, every single character was awesome in this episode, and especially Benikawa got a lot of depth, as she started yelling at Yunbo because her motherly worries annoyed her. It’s also typical for her gun to suddenly stop working after two shots. She never striked me as the type to take good care of her guns, so it’s natural for them to get clogged up once in a while. Nakiami also completely lost it, after seeing so many killed Humanforms. We still don’t know exactly why she takes them so personal, but my guess is that she once lost a loved one, who became a humanform.
Kisel-jii also shined as he tried to perform maintenance on the ship (a role often neglected, but at the same time very important). Meanwhile Akiyuki and Raigyo played a surprisingly small role in this episode, and this episode mainly showed Akiyuki was he continues to grow and learn to control his powers. There’s also a strange chemistry between Ahm and Hinokimaru, as in a strange father-and-son relationship while they’re actually not related.
What I loved about this episode was the creator’s amazing ability to make every character count. Most of the time in anime, you see the focus falling on one or two characters, and the other characters could just as well merge into one big character, without much of a difference. In Bonen no Xamdou each character has his or her individuality. There were no two characters who did the same. It may be a pet peeves, but I love it when a series manages to accomplish this. I can really see Bonen no Xamdou turning into my favourite series, once all spring and summer-series finish airing. It all depends on what path Porfy no Nagai Tabi decides to choose, and whether or not some amazing short series pops up in the upcoming fall-season.
It’s been discussed elsewhere that Nakiami may have freaked out over the mini Humanforms (who might be children) Which would make sense.
Thanks for the review! Two quick things:
(1) Banikawa’s rocket launcher was mentioned in an earlier episode as being a “relic”, so it’s quite old. I think she’s taking good care of it, given the scene with her cleaning the shells, it’s just that it’s an old gun.
(2) Nakiami can actually hear the humanforms, just like Haru can, and she probably knows quite a bit more about them than she is letting on. I also think she’s probably the keeper of Raigyo’s “soul”, much as Haru is the keeper of Akiyuki’s “soul” (as described at the end of the first episode).
I’m really liking this series. Can’t wait for the next episode!
Thanks for all the reviews!
@atSageGaiGar That makes complete sense.
I really like this series. The characters are really solid and believable. I like them all so far. I’ve been getting annoyed lately with female anime characters that are portrayed as abnormally weak, clumsy and/or dependent on male characters so I’m glad that this series has none of those.
It was really nice to see Ahm, who was usually in the background, get some spotlight this episode. It’s only fair.
And it’s great to see a family forming between him and Hinokimaru and Yunbo. It’s definitely something I would like to see develop.
“Only 11 episodes and the cast is already developing.” is so nice to see considering all the painfully drawn out episodes it took for the Eureka Seven crew to develop.
@ Russell: Seconded! I’ve always thought I was a sucker for strong female characters, when in reality, it was just to rectify this particular imbalance. The characters of Xam’d are refreshingly believable.
Hoba-la: Eureka Seven does not have pailfully-drawn character development. Every single episode in the first season is to introduce one foreshadowing after another, and not just foreshadowing in terms of plot but also in terms of hidden character traits. Bonen is nowhere near the grandness of E7 because Kyoda is not the writer for this show.
@green: This is simply my own opinion.
E7 might have been far more complex re: plot, themes, characters, etc., and laced with far more foreshadowing as you mentioned, but in the end, I feel as though I value Xamdou’s characters more than those of E7, whether they have they hidden character traits or not.
And to be honest, I’m not entirely sure why.
I’ll wait for Xamdou to conclude before drawing any more comparisons.