Generic mecha protagonist who can instantly understand mechas as soon as he touches it: eat your heart out. This episode went pretty much as you thought it’d go when a group of teenaged pilots are forced to operate a ship they don’t know: with problems. You can see that they know a fair bit about operating space ships, probably both due to school and their work at the yacht club, but if they don’t know the quirks of a particular vehicle it’s going to be very hard to actually get it to work.
It probably still is a bit simplified (one look at the manual was enough for everyone to understand everything about a heavily customized vehicle), but I’m still really glad that this series addressed this. What’s also is interesting is that we got to see an interesting flaw of Marika here: her self confidence. In this episode she really underestimated what it would take to pilot the Bentenmaru and didn’t tell its crew about what she was going to do, and it’s a nice touch to have the crew rush out a bunch of manuals to guide them along the way. I also loved their reactions when they found out what Marika was up to.
And then there is the subplot of Marika’s mother going for a career switch. With this series finding very erm… “creative” ways to get its characters at the right place, I’m wondering what they’re going to do to her. Is she going to return to the Bentenmaru as well or something?
Rating: ** (Excellent)
I really thought that Misa was gonna ask some awkward questions to make Marika let something slip about her plan to crew the Bentenmaru with a bunch of high school girls. Instead I was just as surprised as the other (old) crew members when she didn’t, stating her trust in Marika and having faith that she has her reasons for not telling them. Their reactions when they first found out was priceless indeed, especially Sandaime and his freaking out-break at every little thing. It was also heartwarming to watch the crew members decide to support their captain by making that Bentenmaru manual for beginners and having Show pass in on to Marika as an old manual to not let on Marika that they were already on to her. Overall, a very fun episode made a hundred times better with a scene of Chiaki-chan + parfaits. And next weeks episode looks very promising with scenes of the girls on their first pirate raid of the Queen Esmeralda. Can hardly wait!
Haha. I liked that touch too. It would have been nice if the crew still had remote access to the ship. Watching their reactions is pretty priceless. XD
I am sure they will have trouble getting the Bentenmaru to perform properly, but from the preview it seems like they do eventually manage to get on the luxury ship.
I am very curious to see if they use the same formula as before, with Marika “killing” a brave passenger to scare everyone.
I have a weird picture in my head of the girls screwing up somehow and wind up becoming waitresses on the luxury ship to make up for it. XD Kind of like Gruier waking up after the Golden Ship skirmish only to see the pirates and the security team working together on the bridge.
Hahaha, wouldn’t it be a crazy coincidence if the luxury ship they were raiding was owned by Jenny Dolittle.
Okay, I hate to say it but this week’s episode was a liiiittttleeee bit hard to swallow.
Nice touch to put these kids on the clock but VERY weird that the ship’s weapons were on a one touch trigger with no safeties. ^^;
Just about next to impossible to come up with effective manuals on how to operate a customized starship in…minutes? Hours? And using a third party to deliver those manuals. How about just posting it on their version of the internet? News about the Bentenmaru’s predicament leaked through this insurance company. Now, I’m pretty sure everybody with ties to the company and their kid brothers can operate the Bentenmaru, along with a very good idea about it’s specs and weaknesses. I mean, the crew had remote access to the ship’s jamming systems, right? Or were they really jamming the military’s patrol ships all the way from the hospital? Why not dump the manuals quietly onto the ship’s computers?
And cutting off that remote access by pulling out a webcam….hmmm. ^^;
I know I’m nitpicking but I think this is the first episode so far where I actually felt the need. I still like the show though. I wonder what they’ll pull out of their sleeves next time? I’m wondering if some of the other girls, including the Serenity princesses might have to come up with their own pirate costumes and join the boarding party. Come to think of it, I wonder what Chiaki’s pirate costume looks like. She was disguised as Marika in her last pirate action. Well, that’s assuming it’s a boarding show this time.
The button did have a skull on it!
I guess with a professional cyborg operator you dont need safetys you prefer the edge in reaction times.
Hahahaha. And she just had to press it. I guess we should be relieved it wasn’t a self-destruct button. That sounds more skull-like. XD
Well the way I see it, the original Bentenmaru crew knows the ship so well that they can explain its quirks from memory.
They were also not writing a manual for a totally green crew, since the girls are mostly seniors in the yacht club.
The Odette II is even in the same hull class (it’s the same size) and they piloted that under some pretty intense circumstances earlier in their semester.
I think that it’s pretty clear the girls are no where near being 100% capable of using the Bentenmaru properly yet, but they can at least pilot it poorly, which is believable to me under these circumstances.
Chiaki-Chan’s love for Parfaits is one of the the main reasons I watch this. 😀
Yeah, nothing changes a girl’s personality like a good parfait. Guys, keep that in mind.
It’s kinda like K-On in space sometimes. With tea and cake being in every episode.
Gruier: DIABETES FOR EVERYONE!!!
I liked that this got down into the nitty-gritty process of getting a ship up and running with a new crew, but I would’ve liked a little more peril.
Remember all those various factions trying to kill Marika in the early going? I do. Marika’s dad had enemies. You’d think they would be waiting for a chance like this. Was the contaminated cargo just an accident, or a purposeful effort to get the Bentenmaru crew out of the picture?
As for Ririka, with her daughter-raising duties at an end, it would seem she’s ready to get back to space. It would be interesting to see them become rivals in piracy.