This episode did a great job of bringing the series together. It’s really interesting how different the build-up in this show is compared to its Anime no Chikara’s predecessor: there, everything was all over the place, fun and whimsical. Here the characterization
has been composed and mature. Aside from episode four, the creators have been carefully building everything that’s necessary to the plot and characters, while Sora no Oto’s pace felt much more random. It’s very interesting to see how different these shows can get, even though they’re both about impeding war.
A major theme of this episode was the following question: what’s more important to you, a loved one or your father land? Aoi here tried to get his loved one back, against all orders. These plots really need a lot of build-up in order for them not to get annoying, since it’s based on a very overused shounen stereotype. within this context however, it gets a totally different dimension here. It’s been constantly stressed that the stakes of this war are incredibly high. Heck, we actually see the Japanese portrayed as the bad guys in this series. At this point the characters are all performing delicate work that unlike earlier on at the series will have very big consequences on failure. Aoi trying to get his girlfriend back is totally different from an angsty teenager with superpowers who refuses to obey his superiors because he’s rebellious.
This episode was all about seeing your past back. Yukina’s brother also becomes a lot more dimensional here when we get a few hints about his intentions. It’s not like he’s immediately a good guy either, he has done enough morally objectionable things, however at the same time I’m getting the feeling that he’s acting out of fear. We still don’t exactly know how and when he learned of the atom bombs, but my guess is that he’s trying everything in his might to stop one from hitting Japan. Again coming back to that theme of choosing your country above your loved one: he consciously decided to sin, in an attempt to save a large amount of people with a plot that might not even work, above taking care of his family.
Oh, and added to that: the soundtrack really was amazing in this episode.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
Now if only subs would be released…
HOORAY LOVE STORY!!! xD
I’m really interested in learning how Isao got to know about the atomic bombing, too.
I suppose he had contact with a Yogensha back when he disappeared along with his troups in Manchuria and learned about the fate of Japan.
Still the vision had to be pretty unspecific if he allowed exactly those things to happen, partly even furthered them (the Lytton case).
But it would pretty much explain his actions back in episode 6, when he asked the other Asian nation’s delegates to make their countries join teh Coprosperity Sphere in peace…so he has to know at least more than just the vision of the bombing itself.
Is this series done by the same studio who did Daughter of Twenty Faces?
rossi: nope. There dobn’t seem to be any connections between the two.