「パーティー」
“Party”

Uh well… what just happened here? It wouldn’t be a stretch to say shit really hit the fan this week, starting from that creepy party to Seiji letting loose on the public. The series is entering its final stretch, so amplifying the scope of the conflict by tenfold is perfectly understandable, and I’m hoping ZETMAN can deliver the epic conclusion it’s setting up for.

Jirou is a… twisted person, to say the least. Whatever grudge he has against the Amagi Corporation must be pretty deep if he’s putting this much effort into exacting his revenge. While I’m not really a huge fan of the scenario he’s penned for Kouga, it does make things interesting and brings in some dramatic value. Nothing is as it seems, and I’m guessing Jirou’s little “test” isn’t as simple as putting out robots as obstacles – there’s something deeper and more complex that extends to the trapped girls themselves. Some of them just don’t sit right with me, and I wonder if there’s more to them than their role as fodder for some violence and character development. This girl certainly seems to have more focus placed on her than the rest of the girls (and she has appeared before very briefly), and by sheer luck (or not?), she’s managed to get herself separated – whether that’s a flag for survival or death, I really can’t say.

Speaking of girls… Akemi! Boy, did I miss her and the optimism she brought to the show! She’s such a great character that it’s a shame that we’ve seen so little of her; she owns each scene she’s in though, and this time was no exception. Konoha and Akemi have developed an interesting relationship here, and I find it’s one of those things that I became quickly invested in. While inconsiderate of her to run away, Konoha needs time, and I’m glad it wasn’t Jin she went to go see, but Akemi – not only does that speak volumes of how reliable and great a character the older woman is, but it’s a reiteration of one of the show’s many themes: family. ZETMAN has always emphasized the importance of familial relationships and how they’re not always found within blood-related people. Konoha and Akemi’s conversation was a nice, understated rehash of that theme and I’m happy to have ZETMAN portray the theme of family properly again. It has a sort of natural feel to it that I was surprised to see given how little the two have actually interacted.

They worry me a little though, since Seiji’s most recent ploy and their closeness to Jin probably don’t put them in a very safe place. Their death would be somewhat plausible from a dramatic/narrative perspective, but I certainly hope they don’t take that route. The producers can achieve a plenty epic conclusion as is, so maybe they won’t find the need to kill off one of the best characters in the show.

 

Preview

7 Comments

  1. Agreed, the shit hit the fan indeed. A few things kind of caught me off guard. Jin’s post sex scene (maybe I’m slow but I didn’t expect that). Kouga’s scenes… the girl on the bed smiling saying something akin to “you made a mistake” *squish*, the girl with the black hair trying to escape not on her own but pulling Kouga? And out of all the apparent high school girls there was an adult who wants his autograph? Really random, that whole scene was kind of unsettling. If that was what they were trying to achieve then mission accomplished.

    For me though, if a show or episode gets a genuine reaction out of me. It’s a good thing and well worth it.

    Though I do have a bad feeling about how Kouga will end up psychologically after this one.

    Before I forget – Akemi FTW! 😀

    cyp
  2. How long has it been since Jin teamed up with the old man?

    Two of his conditions were fixing up his aunt’s face and hooking her back up with her kid, doesn’t seem like the old man has kept up on either of those promises yet.

    Qwert
  3. this is what happens when you compact volumes worth of manga into a 13 episode season. Now they are just all over the place. The party should have been done back around episode 5 or 6 at the halfway point and Haitani’s Evol revelation to the masses for now. Well I guess I shouldn’t complain since they ended up with the party being done. This was the event that defined Kouga, but actually we won’t see much of the results since the show is about to end. Really hoping they do a season 2.

    zero hour
  4. Welp, looks like they finally show us Kouga’s “ordeal” i mentioned way back. Kind of weird to throw it in at this time though. I wonder how this show is gona conclude in just a few episodes left. The manga is still not done.

    YanDaMan

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