It has been fun over the last two weeks of Kotobuki, where we get to learn more about two members of the squad and some more fun times with them fighting against air pirates. One thing first, I still greatly enjoy the tongue-in-cheek conversations Kotobuki employs. It’s fast-paced, it’s irrelevance, it’s silly but Kotobuki is also whole lotta fun. At this point I can firmly say that the characters aren’t supposed to be a full-fledge characters, instead they are cool and boy, did the show deliver on that. On top of that we have some really silly, goofy side characters (read: mostly men) that despite their over-the-top, there’s something charming about them. I know there’s an overarching arc that will come later on, but now I’ve warmed up considerably with this pirate-of-the-week format. One factor that needed mentioning regarding its world-building though, is that the characters are in the era where they don’t have any idea about “sea” or “bike”. Which is interesting if they can manage to explore the world building more.
In episode 4, it’s Zara (not the brand!) who takes the torch and she sure makes an impression as the experient quiet one who manages to singlehanded raids the gang and effortlessly claims back the Raiden safe and sound. She appears to know about basically everything, has her way of gaining information and beat the men in their own game (booze). Moreover, when she meets the young girl who is behind all the paintings the CEO trying to sale, she encourages her to be her own self. The CEO, although unbearable in episode 3, suddenly becomes charming as we learn that all he does is for the benefits of the girl, and naturally it gets in the way of other members of his “organization”. The way they double-cross him is a tad bit on your face, but I let it aside because it’s fun to see them got hit by our girls and the interactions between the girls are as natural as ever.
In the last episode, we have an addition cast, Isao who is the head of View Trading who has lame magic tricks. This time it’s the team leader Reona who going through some sort of focus as it’s revealed that Isao was a talented pilot and had saved her in the past, so that she wants to pay back by protecting him. Unsurprisingly, air pirates appear with overwhelming volume (air pirates are everywhere in this world, not that it’s a complaint), and the man himself joins the battle, shoots down some air jets before accidently self-destruct his plane. As I keep saying every week, while the plot itself is merely passable, and the characters aren’t what we considered as deep, it’s the confident tones and the way Kotobuki represents itself that make it a rewarding ride with heaps of fun so far. Even if this turns out to be a low-tier offering of the season, I’m still pretty much happy with its existence.
