Short Synopsis: Haru receives Akiyuki’s letter
Highlights: Haru, you seriously rock.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,5/10
I think that with the arrival of Akiyuki’s letter, the introduction of this series is finally over and the plot can start to really develop. The time for mourning about the tragedy of Sentan Island, and it’s time to move forward. Furuichi joins the military, and to my surprise Haru does so as well! I sort-of suspected that she wouldn’t sit still for the entire series, but to think that she’d actually join the army. That really makes her much more interesting than most other female love interests, whose majority seems to degrade into a damsel in distress.
Toujirou also doens’t seem to be the bad guy I originally thought he would be. There are a lot of parallels between him and Dominic of Eureka7: they’re both young leaders who have troubles with their subordinates. Toujirou in this case is fundamentally against these experiments with the Xam’d, and this episode gave him reasons enough to worry when one of these Xam’d that was supposed to be dead revives and starts rampaging. I guess that this is another way that a Xam’d can turn into, without the help of Nakiami. This begs the question: why can Nakiami safely control the Xam’d, while a scientist from her people can’t do the same, and ends up with the Xam’d going berserk?
Akiyuki’s fight against that humanform reminded me of Eureka7, where Renton suddenly realized that he’s been fighting humans. I’m surprised at how different this was done in Xamdou with its subtle approach. But then again, Akiyuki is a lot more mature.
I’m also reminded of another series, which disturbs me a bit. I just keep comparing Haru and Nakiami with Shirley and Karen from Code Geass, even though the former two managed to get about as much depth in six episodes as the latter did in 46 of them… It’s strange, there are of course a few similarities, but also just as much differences, but I just can’t seem to stop comparing them..
I think it is somewhat implied that she was supposed to be a successor to Sannova, which seems to hold some power or control over the Hiruko. That might explain her ability to control the Xam’d.
I think the Humanforms are supposed to be some kind of Xam’d derivative for the north to use against the south… rest… supposedly free world? I forget the name of the other faction.
Xam’d seem to be the pinnacle of the humanform, though their sources appear to be more natural. That’s also probably why the experiment is now going berserk, since it’s either unnatural. Or perhaps it’s just plain mad at being locked up.
Nakiami: “Fasten your seatbelt!”
Akiyuki: “There isn’t one!”
Nakiami: “Fine! Then hold on to me!”
Akiyuki: “Where am I supposed to…?”
This scene could have gone hilariously wrong, heh. And hooray for Haru, about to kick some butt. I’m willing to bet that she surpasses Furuichi in piloting skill. I wonder if he harbors some sort of feelings for her with the chocolate roll scene?
Akiyuki seemed a bit too overeager in trying to save Nakiami (and flex his Xam’d muscles), and his realization in killing the humanform seemed more well done and less heavy-handed than Renton’s revelation in Eureka Seven, which is good.
Nakiami’s rebuke for Akiyuki’s mistake was definitely her tsundere side poking through (smile one second, disapproving frown the next, heh).
As for the giant Xam’d itself, I found the mother and child parallel a little unsettling, and wonder if the other Xam’d’s out there (Akiyuki’s included) are somehow its children as well. Which just begs the question; what exactly is a Xam’d? A super evolved human? A near extinct species of animal (or plant judging by how Nakiami is trying to grow one in a test tube)? Aliens? Questions, questions.
@Reiter: The old guy made a comment in an earlier episode indicating that the ‘dead’ Xam’d they’d found in the subway (and ‘revived’ in this episode) was originally formed from a mother her and child…
sigh… this show is trying to hard
Helen: It is? Care to explain that statement?
Cheers for Haru. Best character right now.
Also, does that make the white-haired terrorist girl CC? I heard that CC ‘died’ in the first episode then came back several episodes later(note that it’s easy enough to get an entire plot summary of Geass just from skimming past the threads on 4chan). I doubt the former is immortal, but she seemed to have a bunch of friends who looked like clones.
Oh, but at the end of the episode, was it just me, or did Haru and Furuichi’s ASP suits just happen to be the ones that didn’t get shot? Because that would be lame, and almost totally cancel out how awesome the creepy baby-like actions of the humanform and the bubble-explosion were.
Yup, Haru didn’t get shot, I’m not sure about Furuichi
I just started watching Xamudou yesterday, though I’ve been wanting to since I heard it began, but knew I’d prefer watching it once there were more episodes. And man am I happy to have started watching it now! Eureka was one of my favorite series ever, and I like how so far Xamudou has been cutting all the things that were annoying about Eureka. Can’t wait to see episode 7.
And on the similarities with Shirley and Kallen… I don’t find their personalities similar at all, but appearance-wise, yes. Especially Shirley and Haru, they have the same voice actress! But I liked Shirley, really like Haru, like Nakiami, and have always been heavily annoyed by Kallen…