「選択」 (Sentaku)
“Choice”

Oh my God. Where do you even start with an episode like this? I thought the subjugation squad getting annihilated was bad enough, but as it turns out, it was just the first of a series of unfortunate events. Tanikaze does ends up swooping in to save the day—overcoming his fear of the Gauna psychological attack while he’s at it—but even though the threat’s been dealt with, there’s much to be said about where exactly this fight leaves not only him, but the people of Sidonia in general.

Because if there’s one thing made abundantly clear here, it’s that the Gauna aren’t going to sit back and stick with their usual “tactics,” and if this Gauna’s any indication, the heavy mass driver might not even be effective from this point forward. To top things off, they seem to be attracted by either the Kabizashi (or Tanikaze himself) for one reason or another, are now perfectly willing to fling on back for additional attacks instead of just cruising on by, and even seem capable of adapting parts from the Gardes (at least that’s what I assume happened) to create their own Hyggs Particle Cannons to boot. What’s more is that there’s one less Kabizashi to use, the Sidonia itself suffered catastrophic damage, and they lost god knows how many trainees and pilots (all that blood splatter) during the stage five acceleration… and things really just don’t get any easier here.

That said, it’s great how they’re developing Tanikaze as the centerpiece of the series here, and this episode really highlights the kind of potential he has as a pilot. Of course, it’s not exactly surprising given all the hints we’ve been given and his simulator training, but that doesn’t change the fact he’s pretty darn good and he’s got a great personality to boot. Not only does he know exactly when to disobey orders, he goes back for comrades against all warnings, and he does it all without being arrogant about it at all. There’s a lot that could be said about how Kunato (among others) could learn from his example and how many shows in general could learn from this series in regards to proper character development. Because despite it being obvious that Tanikaze’s likely above and beyond any other pilot in terms of ability, it’s not to such a point where he overpowers the rest of what the show wants us to see (he’s so inconspicuous he even pales compared to some of the side characters), and he’s demonstrated plenty of weaknesses from which to speak of.

Looking forward, it’s interesting to note that it’s that same personality that ultimately leads him to cross the line of no return in order to reclaim Hoshijiro (WHAT A BOSS), and all you can really do is tip your hat at him for voluntarily doing this without hesitation or any desire for fame. There’s no fancy line or any proclamations of love, he does it just because he wants to do it, and that’s just how a main character should roll (even if a pilot of his skill shouldn’t be risking his life like that). Needless to say though, he’s clearly going to find a way back at some point (the preview seems to show him finding an abandoned Gardes or something of the sort), and I guess all we can do is sit back and enjoy what should be a quality character development episode next week (is that a blush I see?). Makes you wonder though… if he doesn’t return with the Tsugumori but manages to find another one of the same model, would Kunato still be pissed? Hm…

Author’s Note: As per the usual, please put tags on any and all spoilers and try to write a quick blurb indicating what’s being spoiled.

 

Preview

97 Comments

  1. This episode was just incredible.
    Didnt think so many people would die even if their fodder characters. I mean we saw so many blood stains on the buildings and not to mention the people they actually show falling.
    Goes to show you how big of a threat the Guana really is.
    However I’m glad to see that the next squad that actually fought against it, were able to survive and it seems that Tanikaze will save that girl but I dont think it will be that easy.
    However, I have nothing but respect for Tanikaze, for the way he took down that Guana single handedly. That was definitely impressive.

      1. Harem is the way to go. And no complaints! Cloning is possible and socially acceptable in Sidonia, so clone Tanikaze as many times as needed (several copies for the Honoka sisters will be recquired) and everybody is happy.

        Mistic
      2. There is no harem, it is more of a love triangle between izana and hoshijiro. The otheres are just friends and there hasn’t even been any hint of him being romantic interest in anyone else.

        Pen3
  2. I shat. That’s quite scary. I thought I was a tough guy after watching Corpse Party and Pupa cringe free, but not on this episode. Though I still don’t understand why they didn’t bother preparing a “back-up squad” beforehand in the case that the worse case scenario happens (and it did – Elite Four wiped the floor). They wouldn’t have to resort in “dodging” that 7cking abomination which resulted to ugly casualties.

    tsukioniisan
    1. Well, the Captain looked like she had a backup plan in the mass driver, which seems to have something akin to 100% effectiveness at that range. Think the key thing here really was the Guana just exceeding any and all expectations.

      1. Quite true. Though having a backup squad as a fail-safe plan is a much reasonable choice. It won’t hurt to have multiple choices to lean on when they’re on the brink of extinction. And if that concrete bullet is indeed a hundred percent effective, I would’ve shot down that Gauna on sight instead (pretty dangerous considering that it has to get closer to the ship first! But who doesn’t want to pull the trigger on that monster’s face?)

        tsukioniisan
      2. I would think part of the onus on that decision was assuming that no other squad would have the capability to deal with the Guana by themselves. Kinda feels like the fact they needed to deploy all 256 Gardes after to try and defend themselves showed just how weak/how little experience the other squads are. All things considered, deploying a backup squad would’ve been much likelier to result in more lost spears and the Guana landing on the Sidonia once the squad was taken down, so I don’t think that really was an option ehhh.

        As for the latter, it’s seems like one can assume it’s 100% effective from that range, but in the end it requires a squad to engage it and only serves as a temporary deterrent. I’d think their ammunition supply isn’t exactly unlimited either.

      3. seriously that 4 man squad is really a bad call by captain and they end up losing more than necessary but , andd IT”S RANING blood , that captain look so suspicious , everything about nagatake is also suspicious , it’s almost if she expect the 4 man squand to fail and mc to jump in and save the day,
        Sidonia no kichi wow that Snk letter never fail to deliver huh girl in this anime is so cute lol especially that third gender one …..oh shit Am I GAY?

        PeTdo
    1. Great episode – enjoyed it more than any of the first three & will definitely watch it the rest of the season.

      I am trying to avoid thinking about it too much … but it keeps grating at me: if they are going to the trouble to make it look like hard sci fi, they should be more consistent. A small mass like the Gauna should be able to fly circles around the ‘asteroid ship’. There’s no way they can throw it off with that sort of course change, given the differences in their mass.

      Any adjustment they make, the Gauna should be able to easily match without flying by, unless it’s going ridiculously faster than they are … and even in this case, it should be decellerating as it nears them, so it can make those sort of adjustments *shrug* Given the difference in mass, it should be able to decellerate so much faster than the asteroid ship.

      Also there’s no explanation for how the Gauna propel themselves (at least revealed so far). I get that it’s a space alien, so its something completely made up … its just weird to have that spliced right into something that attempts to have such a premium on realistic space combat.

      At least in Gundam I can just turn my brain off and enjoy the lights, without worrying about physics. This show tries sometimes & then just totally makes it up the next moment.

      Far Horizon
  3. Okay I’m probably a derp for asking but how is Hoshijiro in a pod? I could have sworn I saw her eject and get flung as the mech explodes. Am I just crazy or is there some like marble that turns into an evacuation pod or something?

    Asturiel
  4. This was glorious in all the right ways. Especially liked how the vector shift of the habitat and the resulting casualties were not hidden by censors and instead the blood was left for all to see. It’s quite amusing in the face of this that some still insist in focusing only upon the romance or the animation style. This and Break Blade are the mecha shows of the season.

    Also I cannot be the only one to see the provocative imagery in the Guana’s particle cannon.

    Pancakes
    1. Also I cannot be the only one to see the provocative imagery in the Guana’s particle cannon.

      Guana: Kneel before my giant phallic instrument of doom!
      https://randomc.net/image/Sidonia%20no%20Kishi/Sidonia%20no%20Kishi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2024.jpg

      Tanikaze: Size doesn’t matter!
      https://randomc.net/image/Sidonia%20no%20Kishi/Sidonia%20no%20Kishi%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2034.jpg

      Tanikaze Nagate, proving once again that it’s what you do with it that counts ={D

      Beedle
  5. So many unnecessary deaths from the civilians, I mean why is it that Sidonia’s town cannot hold well the motion when the colony’s rocket engine was used? Isn’t it suppose to able to withstand such force because it is already a given that it is inside a freaking ship?

    Or maybe since it’s an emergency evasive procedure that it used too much force than what should have been just the normal? Oh well…

    Overall great episode. Gave me chills.

    Ghostalker
    1. The insides of Sidonia was sprawling with Slums and myriad assortments of haphazardly-attached structures, built long after Sidonia embarked for her journey. Look at the face of the residential tower, like something out of Kowloon Walled City – Pipes, passageways, engines, railings, all over the place. Most of them are made after decimating Gauna Sieges in the past, over hundreds of years. The Original Residential Tower and Tube Walls can withstand the maneuver well.

      kittyraider
    2. The way I saw it, it wasn’t unnecessary at all. The captain made a decision based on past interaction with the Guana and the belief that if a Guana that manages to land on the Sidonia would kill a lot more than the deaths caused by the emergency acceleration. Makes sense, as there would be a lot more issues deploying within Sidonia, and the fact that the Guana took time to return allowed them to deploy their entire defense squad.

      As for the structural integrity, yes, the way they said it indicated that the emergency acceleration would generate gravity forces well above the norm. I’d say one analogy for this would be a pilot flying a fighter jet. Normal conditions you’re fine. Knock up the speed in an extreme G-maneuver and it’s quite possible you’ll die (or at least blackout) at some point.

      1. Something needs to be consider, Sidonia is not only a ship, it´s colony ship so the equipment it uses is fragile and since they don´t have where to resupply irreplaceable. The gauna of 100 years ago took almost all food production facilities, imagine what this one could have done, destroy the artificial gravity generator, the propulsion systems or the life support; when you think it that way you have to admit that the ship´s integrity is the priority, even it means massive casualties.

        haseo0408
    3. Physics at work here. Sidonia’s engine is normally off, the ship is adrift in space and traveling by inertia alone – Newton 1st law. Artificial gravity is generated by a gravity generator that can produce 1G inside the ship (and damp out 1G of acceleration.

      Sidonia left earth over 1000 years prior to the story. It probably haven’t use the engine after that. The ship core structures that was there from the beginning was probably able to withstand the stress of using the engine. The slum built in the subsequent centuries probably weren’t. This is the biggest difference between Sidonia and other spaceships. It’s a thousand years old seed ship carrying the remnant of the human civilization. Its inhabitants would modify its interior the suit there need.

      fatflightlesspenguin
    4. As an aside it’s kind of funny because the setting all but eliminates the need for things like an artificial gravity generator. Simply spin the ship around its central longitudinal axis and you generate gravity. This would actually work great here because the immense size of the seed ship allows for centripetal force strong enough to simulate 1g. Not to mention that since most lateral movement between levels is done via elevators (from what we’ve seen) the problem of free fall is minimized.

      Would have been a little bit of neat physics if this had actually been included.

      Pancakes
      1. The spin works to simulate gravity, but it would be uneven without an entire redesign of that seed ship. Basically they’d require a much larger ship achieve the same interior volume they have now than without artificial gravity.

        That said, 1G of acceleration is actually a lot, especially over long term. You don’t need much acceleration to achieve very high speeds in space when you have endless paths of near frictionless acceleration.

        You don’t even need much acceleration to achieve escape velocity.

        It’d also vary considering the gravity of that ship would be much inherently less than earth given less mass.

        Drasca
      2. Chances, are, it doesn’t even need escape velocity. The thing is probably built in space and merely left it via normal thrusters. Also, it is evidently traveling at a constant velocity rather than accelerating when it is cruising normally (it doesn’t use its thrusters at all) – this fits Newton’s first law, but with the exception that perhaps space dust acts as friction, thus lowering its velocity.

        Actus
  6. It has absolutely no connection but Muse’s Knights Of Cydonia song always gets me hyped about this show/manga, I looped it a lot while reading and play it at least once before watching now.

    BuckRodgers
    1. Who knows, maybe Tsutomu Nihei is a Muse fan, and the title is actually a grand Shout-Out…

      Well, what I really know is, that You’re not the one who read while listening to…

      NO ONE GONNA TAKE ME ALIIIVEEE…

      kittyraider
  7. Another great episode. Nagate showing why they should prioritize on killing the gauna above all else. If he tried to rescue Hoshijiro or tow away Kunato and Honoka like he was ordered, they would all die like Akai and his team.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    The sfx in this show continue to impress, the sound the the main engine firing is incredible. The frame rate in the fight scene shows why CGI is the future for mecha combat. The build collapse and falling objects scene is closer to what one would expect from western live actions or games than a Japanese anime.

    Looks like next week’s episode will be character development and SoL. After 4 episode of great actions this show can do with a rest episode before more action.
    Show Spoiler ▼

    fatflightlesspenguin
  8. I pray those abominations don´t have some sort of hive mind, becuase if they can share tactics or how to evolve to destroy the Morito with its own weapons with its own weapons Sidonia is done for.

    haseo0408
    1. Its already a third through this run so I don’t think we’ll see the new toys for the Gardes. (season end speculation spoiler) Show Spoiler ▼

      celebrinen
      1. Here’s to hoping there’s a season 2 programmed and SnK is secretly adhering to the new “air first 12 eps, take a break to produce more footage without rushing it and skimping on quality, then air the next 12 eps one or two months later” formula.

        It worked for Valvrave, let’s hope they’re doing the same thing for SnK.

        R334
        1. We can only hope. Sidonia no Kishi has enough material for two series of 25 episodes each, or even more. Attack On Titan ended in the 25th episode, but without making up a new ending and suggesting that they’re waiting for more manga chapters to air another season.

          By the way, am I the only one getting confused when I see “SnK”? I keep thinking of Shingeki no Kyojin instead of Sidonia no Kishi ^_^; Ironically, both series could be considered to be equivalnt.

          Mistic
  9. I have to say this show only seems to get better and better. I’m more interested in how many more guana they are going to encounter from now on. I got to about this point in the story before I lost track of it in the endless shuffle.

    In reference to the emergency turn, their gravity generator was damaged in the last Guana invasion as well as the food production. That is why they introduced the safety line in the first place. It was a small miracle they were able to salvage what they could and keep the gravity enough so that their bones and muscled didn’t atrophy.

    Over all love the realistic tone and cant wait for next week and the triumphant return.

    Will
  10. I wonder what the Gauna represent (if there is some meaning behind their behavior).
    Whenever they turn into the shape of a girl, I feel like it’s an omen of some kind. From the beginning I figured that the Gauna were more than what we’ve been told. First of all, information on gauna are confidential, but for what purpose? If gauna are the ‘bad guys’ there wouldn’t be any need for the lack of transparency.

    Anyways, I really enjoyed this episode. The OP lyrics are making a lot of sense now. I feel like this mentality of “I have to fight until I die protecting ‘something'” is something that the commander is harboring in these kids in order to achieve some goal in collaboration with the talking tombs. Their whole lives revolve around this single mentality, eventually controlling them, and it ends with death. Who’s the real ‘bad guy’ here? The commander and her ‘superiors’ are suspicious as hell.

    At one point in the dialogue it was something like this and it made me chuckle:
    “give me intel on our frames!”
    “it’s too slow!”

    1. This is just my speculation, but I’ve always seen them as trying to communicate through imitation. It’s like, when you meet someone who doesn’t speak your language, and you see them wave at you you wave back. Except in this case instead of waving they politely eat you, and when the humans shoot lasers in response, they politely shoot them too. As in, they don’t realize that we’re trying to kill them. Adopting human faces is a part of this as well, of course.

      There’s also the implication that they’re only chasing the ship because of the kabizashi. In this episode it prioritized the retrieval squad, after all.

      Clarste
    2. It took me on the second viewing (with my bro who is just getting into the series) to get that the “Gauna” girl probably is YAMATO. The girl that was killed off in the first episode (who was serious about learning how to pilot and was the pride of her village). This leads me to wonder whether if Gauna kill off a person, they can use that person’s essence to essentially create a new being.

      WhatTha
  11. really enjoyed this ep.

    some things i specially liked:

    -OP song… i soo have to get it… hopefully someone does a passable english cover/fandub
    -realism (as far as it can go in a sci-fi show) … i mean.. the way they handled momentum and its effects in the insides of sidonia.. like that falling building “changing” trajectory because Sidonia started its other thruster.
    -all the hints and the set up! … that gauna sure looked like a person!
    -that blush! im convinced now that it will become a triangle!

    anyways…. waiting for the next EP!

    inanis
    1. “-that blush! im convinced now that it will become a triangle!”

      honestly if you will read the LNs it … Show Spoiler ▼

      word of advice don’t get spoiled, far too many cats have already died due to curiosity.

      n30nl16ht
  12. Before any military otaku chime in lambasting Tanikaze’s insubordination, I will give you one, just one example of similar event.
    Nelson putting his blind eye to the telescope and pretending he didn’t see the signal to retreat. And then proceeded to curbstomp Danish fleet at Copenhagen.
    There are rare individuals who can get away with this.
    Nagate was on the spot, he was quick to understand implications of Gauna’s new, ranged capabilities and prioritized killing it over retreating with other crews in tow (which would have made him sitting duck). And he was good enough to pull it off. He even managed to use Gauna exposing its inside with it’s organ/cannon/whatever deployed against it.
    Now as for his second insubordination in a row, I think he has some kind of plan to go back from beyond BINGO fuel point. I am all eager to see how exactly he will pull it off.
    And I was all delighted to see G-force wreaking havoc on Sidonia – not because i liked the suffering it involved (though grisly details were done masterfully), but because so many shows handwave the effects of acceleration with “high technology” wand…

    ewok40k
    1. In short, he’s not liable.

      He’d first have to be indoctrinated in a more organized military society to actually have any responsibility to responding to orders.

      Given he’s a recent recruit with no training or consequences and the society he’s in hasn’t seen action and has lack of discipline from being in peacetime for 100 years– it is no surprise he has independence.

      Sure they paid lip service to his recruitment, but their society is far from professional military.

      You cannot expect Tanikaze to be unquestionably obedient. Real military has issues with obedience all the time, and these goons that haven’t seen action in over a hundred years.

      I don’t think Tanikaze has a plan, as he was winging it instinctually. He doesn’t seem like the type to scheme in advance ( a la code geass ), but acts the best he can on the spot.

      Drasca
    2. Normally the Captain gives order and Assistant commander Seii relay that order. However, when it came to Tanikaze, the Captain remained completely silence and Seii tried to issue commands.

      Tanikaze is definitely not the typical untrained and inexperienced high school student thrown into a cockpit that is common in other mecha anime. He is a highly train gauna killing machine, probably better trained in anit-gauna combat than any other living pilots or crews.

      Show Spoiler ▼

      Nagate maxed out the Type17 simulator but did very badly the first time he use the unfamiliar Type18 simulator. That’s like a rally driver who only drive nimble manual European hot hatch suddenly being made to drive a big automatic SUV. The control would be awkward at first and initially he probably won’t preform as well as people who drove SUV all their life. That doesn’t mean he is bad at driving. Putting Tanikaze in the Tsugumori is like putting that rally driver back inside his rally car, the SUV cannot hope to keep up. On the other hand, putting a SUV driver in a rally car will probably lead to a crash.

      fatflightlesspenguin
      1. Good catch on the Captain remaining silent! Usually I follow the logic of the commander letting the subcommander take control and having faith in the subcommander’s orders, but the fact she didn’t countermand his orders nor support him makes a difference too.

        Drasca
  13. No inertial dampers in this anime! Well, none that can prevent G forces above 1 G I guess.

    Good episode and great series thus far. I’m sad to see this only have one season. If it stays at this level, it will prove to be one of my favorite series of the year thus far.

    Next episode looks like a change of pace. I’ll be interested in how it will end up. I personally really enjoy a good romance in a series that is not a romance series(see also steins gate).

    Commenter
  14. I have no words. Amazing episode!! I was on the edge of my seat for the whole time! On another note, if Hoshijiro was already fond of Tanikaze, she is head over heels for him after going to her rescue!

    Tassadar
  15. The best thing and most praiseworthy of the features in the episode is definitely the attention to detail. Other than the people being splattered from airborne objects and buildings, I was surprised at how much attention was paid to the people who were buckled up as well. It perfectly shows that a harness is definitely not enough to stop sudden erratic movements and this is reflected in the casualties who were buckled up as well.

    Actus
  16. Considering how all of you are calling them “Guana” I’m probably mistaken. But isn’t their proper name “Gauna”. It’s clearly written like that in MAL synopsis.
    I’m certain that I heard characters in the show call them “Gauna”.

    Please tell me if I’m mistaken!

    BuLa
  17. and now because of my curiosity i read the forum discussions for the next few chapters and now officially hate myself for spoiling myself!

    STUPID! but uh… yeah awesome episode… one of my most anticipated series every week. I just hope that i didn’t spoil myself too much to still get excited with the next eps.

    why oh why is this only 12 eps, ill just pray the sales will do good enough to warrant multi seasons for this one.

    n30nl16ht
    1. I recommend reading the manga in that case. If not, you’re going to get more and more spoilers each time. It’s like Game of Thrones in that regard. A lot of red, and not because of tomatoes.

      Mistic
  18. If you’ve already read the spoilers you might as well just go and read the manga. It’s worth it and you have nothing to lose now.

    We’ll have to wait and see how this thing sells but I think we are all hoping for more than just a paltry 12 eps. This world needs more Nihei adaptions.

    celebrinen
  19. Worst. Seatbelts. Ever.

    and for a flying civilization, they didn’t really design the place very well. time to turn on thrusters! oops a building fell.

    and recycling material in a longer series is one thing, but this is only episode 4! I didn’t need to see the “elite” squad’s complete cluster fuck again.

    well Tanikaze disobeyed orders, but was that really a surprise (he was never really trained formerly)? and he finally got to show his skills and took out that Gauna. I wish we got a better look at it as the brief glimpses are really unsettling. and apparently the Gauna got a massive erection, er I mean “placenta”, and began firing off shots! Not the face!

    and could Kunato be any more of a douche? I got the spear! I await his demise or comeuppance in some form.

    a box like Hippo
  20. Tanikaze did it like a knight. Using the spear, charging against the enemy like a medieval knight in a tournament. And then, of course, rushing to save the lady. Never the title of “Kinights of Sidonia” has been more fitting than in this episode.

    Mistic
  21. This episode was just…WOW…Can’t believe Polygon Pictures actually pulled it off. There was only 1 difference though in this episode… mind you tjough, don’t read the SPOILER below if you don’t want to spoil your future viewing of SnK.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Having all volume of SnK manga (currently there are 8, vol. 9 English translation will be out in June), I’m hoping Polygon and its crew won’t mess the storyline/make rushed ending for this great piece of story/manga adaptation.

    Insania
  22. Well, if they really want him to turn back, they still has the Remote Control on the Mechas. They mention it in Episode 2, while he was unconsciousness

    And the Captain, really happy, that she can hide her Face behind this Mask. The Mask is also part of self protection. Sometimes she must select between pest or cholera. As you see in this Emergency Evasion

    No sir, i dont want to walk in her shoes even for a Minute

    Germanguy
  23. That was chilling and intense to the bone, the massive casualties, and of course, Tanikaze being a complete boss. When one of the defense pilots mentioned how Tanikaze was not bad, that couldn’t of been more of an understatement. Taking down the guana single handedly while the “elite” 4 were annihilated fighting it is pretty damn impressive.

    As for Kunato, I was expecting him to be a douche this episode, and he succeeded. I have a feeling he’s one of those characters that are asshats at the start, but eventually become more competent, less arrogant through the progression of the series. But right now, he’s still a douche.

    12 episodes is not enough…ahhh. Speaking of which, the acronym SnK or KoS is a winning formula for success so far when it comes to anime. EX) Knights of Sidonia, Shingeki no Kyojin.

    ChromeNova
  24. Well, I just realized that the scriptwriter made quite a lot of alteration for Knights of Sidonia, especially regarding Midorikawa Yuhata and how she actually meet Tanikaze Nagate and Shinatose Izana. However, the modification didn’t disturb anything and it went smoothly, and as a fan of the manga, i approve.

    @R334, i agree with you. That would be the best way to continue and KoS, and regarding the pacing, 3 episodes of KoS = 1 volume of the manga… so currently there are 10 volumes..well, about 33 episodes?

    @celebrinen, that would be suck, you know… maybe they could do with someone else, ‘you know who’ Show Spoiler ▼

    Insania

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