Mouretsu Pirates – 02
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「私の力、海賊の力」 (Watashi no Chikara, Kaizoku no Chikara)
“My Power, A Pirate’s Power”
Mouretsu Pirates is still very well in the worldbuilding process, taking things slowly and not rushing Marika into the captaincy role that we all know she’ll eventually take on, and I continue to find myself swept up in its mellow pacing — in a good way. Unlike a series that tries to get out the door on a strong note and grab as many potential viewers as possible, Mouretsu hasn’t even flaunted its “bodacious” mini skirt pirates yet in an attempt to do so. Instead, it’s used its title — at least for initially — as a bit of a misnomer and provided something quite different than was advertised. While things do look like they’re “drifting” the mini skirt way, for now we’ve been treated to a somewhat uneventful yet entertaining look at how Marika comes to terms with inheriting Bentenmaru and how her “unique” friendship with Kuroneko Chiaki develops.
Between these two sub-developments, Marika’s relationship with her mother Ririka is the more interesting one, as it manages to put a nice sentimental spin on something as unusual as learning how to fire a deadly beam gun. I found myself stricken enough by their parent/child moment that I was willing to overlook the context of it, especially when it came to Ririka’s seemingly honorable explanation of what it means to be a pirate. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but interpret it as a bunch of nonsense to make pirates seem more courageous than one would believe, but given that the series is trying to redefine exactly what a “pirate” is, it wasn’t too hard to just go with the flow. Marika’s determined look was really all it took for me to suspend my disbelief — long enough for my focus to shift to Misa and Kane’s realization the Space Yacht Club’s Odette II spaceship is actually one of the Original Seven pirate ships, Hakuchougou (lit. “Swan Model”), anyway.
As for Chiaki, she hasn’t been nearly as difficult to deal with as I thought she’d be, judging from how she was impressed by Marika’s decisiveness (even if it was naive from my perspective). That was the first telltale sign that Marika has the makings of a captain — something that Kane and Bentenmaru sensor/radar operator Hyakume (Fujiwara Keiji) have expectations toward — so Marika’s attempt to stop hackers and practice cruise should prove to be an interesting dry run. I don’t know if she’s going to falter or completely impress though, as things could go either way to prepare Marika for the captain’s seat on Bentenmaru. One thing that I am sure of is that third-year club president Jenny Dolittle (Satou Rina) will be someone to watch for.
* Note: Crunchyroll has started to simulcast its shows in 1080p, but most seem to be upscales since very few anime are even produced in 1080p, so I may go back to 720p screen caps.
* Alright, it’s time to attach some names and seiyuu to faces, starting with the club members who had some lines in this episode. (This is mostly for future reference for myself.) We have: Jenny Dolittle (Satou Rina), Lynn Lambretta (Hikasa Youko), Mylene Certon (Hayami Saori), Berinda Percy (Mimori Suzuko), Asta Alhanko (Yasuno Kiyono), Izumi Yunomoto (Uchida Maaya), Shouko Kobayashimaru (Nomura Kanako), April Lambert (Tatsumi Yuiko), Sasha Staple (Takamori Natsumi), Lilly Bell (Satou Satomi), Ursula Abramov (Nishi Asuka), Maki Harada (Akasaki Chinatsu).
Preview
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January 14, 2012 at 6:46 pm“Pirates”
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And the search for something on Saturdays that doesn’t make me want to just go back to sleep continues.
January 14, 2012 at 6:54 pmBass.EXE
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I’m really glad they gave this series 26 eps (as opposed to 12-14) so they can afford to take it slow and really flesh everything out. I mean, in all honesty I was looking forward to a series of pirate shenanigans across
the high seasouter space, but the fact that they’re taking their time with the story is surprisingly quite enjoyable.January 14, 2012 at 11:12 pmSpinarakk
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It’s good that they’re setting things up instead of jumping right into it. Makes the payoff that much better. So many people are damn impatient, maybe they don’t realize that it’s a 26 episode show.
I mean didn’t Okarin send his first D-mail in episode 6? lols.
January 14, 2012 at 6:58 pmFencedude
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There’s actually a character in this show named Kobayashimaru? Thats hilarious.
Thanks for the rundown of the girls, I’ve been meaning to go through the ED myself for that reason, but you saved me the hassle.
Really enjoying the show so far, and Chiaki’s tsun-tsun is adorable.
January 14, 2012 at 7:09 pmDivine
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No prob. That’s not the complete list though, as I only included the ones who were credited in this episode. There are still a handful of the Yacht Club left, as well as the rest of Bentenmaru’s crew.
January 15, 2012 at 4:55 amdefunktbots
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lol i just saw that!
just waiting for Kirk to show up now…
January 15, 2012 at 4:09 pmSelpheed
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Kobayashimaru?!? Trekker detected!
January 14, 2012 at 6:59 pmskylion
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Good review. I hope they don’t keep this sort of pacing up for to long. Like you described, the tin says, “Bodacious”, the show, not quite so much right now. The seed is there, the sprout needs to shoot.
Anyone else surprised the had the zero gravity thing going on? I was expecting something more space opera like with artificial grav.
April 15, 2012 at 11:59 pmHitoha
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you would be surprised at how accurate this show is in terms of actual space flight and the type of names they are using. The person who written this must have done their homework.
January 14, 2012 at 7:03 pmHmm
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This whole pirate thing is complete misnomer… they are privateers.
January 14, 2012 at 8:12 pmW.Wolf
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Yes that’s exactly what I thought when they gave that ham-fisted intro back episode one. Which to anyone who doesn’t know privateers are more or less mercenaries but with ships.
January 14, 2012 at 11:08 pmSpinarakk
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Who cares. If you were to name a show, which sounds more marketable, pirates or privateers?
I’ve seen tons of people hung up about the show title. It’s just a name. Don’t tell me they went into Bleach expecting it to be about washing laundry.
January 15, 2012 at 1:46 amLurker
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One man’s privateer is another man’s pirate. Or something like that.
January 15, 2012 at 3:12 pmBass.EXE
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If I remember my history classes correctly, weren’t most privateers pirate crews that governments paid to direct their pirating toward enemy ships, like the Shichibukai?
January 15, 2012 at 3:19 pmGermanguy
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The little Line what are the Difference of Privateers and Pirates…
Well, Privateers fights for Money
Pirates fight for they own..
Well, not exactly right. But i thing that works here for this Anime
And, honestly. They can called even the “The Shining Holy Maiden flying trough Space of the 1000 Years Princess”…. I still like the Screenplay. Names are just heads, its the body we want to see
January 14, 2012 at 7:27 pmPtolemaios00
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Marika’s personality irks me somewhat. Almost like a lack of reaction or just a little too subdued which contrasts with her active girl persona so much that it seems fake. Even Chiaki seems to have more personality after her deredere over the sundae.
Animation and character design is top notch though. I wonder how realistic the space combat will be: Gundam style or Starship Operators style.
January 14, 2012 at 7:38 pmricz
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Now I wonder….. if there will be an enemy :/
Well so far I love mouretsu
January 14, 2012 at 7:43 pmKerensa
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Why does she call her mom Ririka? I mean, Ririka is her mother, right?
January 14, 2012 at 8:45 pmAnonymous
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There are plenty of people who call their parents by their given names.
Anyway, this show is awesome. It’s like Japan finally remembered how to make good anime with no fanservice or moe.
January 15, 2012 at 4:53 amdefunktbots
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there’s plenty of moe in this.
so far they are doing a good job of restraining themselves when it comes to zero-g mini-skirts. i can’t think of much less useful space wear since watching two seasons of vandread back to back!
side note: when boarding another ship with the chilly void of space outside, there’s no way i would want to start firing a beam gun that will mercilessly double penetrate an armoured tank.
January 14, 2012 at 8:49 pmfragb85
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I like how this show feels so old school. I also like the addition of cyber warfare on the ships, it gives a nice twist.
Its also interesting how they avoided so many opportunities for pantyshots despite having the schoolgirls in zero-g.
January 14, 2012 at 9:38 pmstarss
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*gasp!* JENGA!
January 14, 2012 at 9:55 pmRoguespirit
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It’s been so long since there was a good series like this that took the time to develop the story, universe and characters. I’m going to keep watching. There aren’t enough good space anime’s.
January 14, 2012 at 9:59 pmSeishun Otoko
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That’s a really sweet gun… who needs a tank when you have a deadly beam buster like that?
http://randomc.net/image/Mouretsu%20Pirates/Mouretsu%20Pirates%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2012.jpg
January 15, 2012 at 4:56 amdefunktbots
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#twinbusterrifle
January 15, 2012 at 3:21 pmGermanguy
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And “low” Recoil.. Amazing
January 14, 2012 at 10:28 pmLuxor
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Something’s up with those sweet, sweet canals/architecture recently. I mean, Mouretsu Pirates, Aquarion Evol, and Zero no Tsukaima (this week’s episode) all have canals and are obvious recreations of a Venice-like city. ^_^
January 14, 2012 at 10:56 pmalbanian
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Actually, as far as Mouretsu Pirates is concerned at least, the architectural style, the size of the quays, and the design of the bridges (and the fact that they can be raised) would suggest Amsterdam.
January 15, 2012 at 3:22 pmGermanguy
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Yes, Pirates are more Amsterdam (as we see on the Bridge where they must Wait). Zero is Venecia. The Bridge for the Peoples are build over the Water Canal
January 14, 2012 at 10:33 pmJhacks
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Ahoy ye bilge-suckin’ landlubbers. Arrr! This be a slow As The Dead Sea! sail’n pirate ship, but i still lov’n th’ sodd’n th’n.
January 15, 2012 at 1:08 amRockmanshii
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You know, about Ririka san’s pirate speech, it may seem like the author made it up but actually that’s how things really worked with sea pirates back in the 17th century. I dunno about the courageous part but some of them really did try to impress people for easier fights/making them surrender. After all instilling fear into your opponents is always to your advantage. You guys all know about Edward Teach aka Blackbeard right? Many remember him as the cruelest pirate ever while he was actually a pretty fair-play guy. Most stories about him being cruel and all is rumors he spread himself. He also had his long black beard, red clothes and the guns all over his belt in order to impress. He was a master of psychological warfare. That’s what a pirate otaku told me anyway.
In my case what I couldn’t help but interpret it as a bunch of nonsense yet went with the flow was the whole electronic warfare thing. I think it was made a bit on bullshit but it made perfect sense, and really impressed me.
Also I loved all these details on the ship. I like the narrator too.
January 15, 2012 at 1:34 amButterbean
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Marika reminds me of Haruka from Idolmaster. She’s got that “normal moe” appeal to her that I find rather refreshing. She was so cute when she accidentally got her tummy hit with that chair machine.
Anyway, good show so far. It seems to play like a classic 1980s sci-fi anime, with its slow, dialogue-based build up and diverse characters. In other modern-day shows, most of the characters will have been covered by the end of the first or second episode. In this show, most of the characters haven’t even been shown yet!
I get the feeling that this show is going to be steady like this for the next 4-5 episode. Then it’ll get exciting. Right now, it’s interesting but not exciting yet. I hope the wait pays off.
January 15, 2012 at 4:26 amThe Moondoggie
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Madoka and Marika’s RnL x BsP cross fanfic on the way!
Makes me wonder how much budget they got. The details in the animation, both 3D and 2D amaze me….
Makes my LED Hi-Def monitor worth it.
January 15, 2012 at 4:36 amJiCi
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Good episode… and I chuckled at Chiaki who was STILL having her chocolate parfait after the skirmish, like: “Wait, what ? How did she took that with her ?”
January 15, 2012 at 4:47 amZhinvu
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Wow you noticed it too Divine. That Jenny Dolittle character also caught my attention after hearing her ojou-sama way of speaking and also because of my fondness for girls with pony-tails. And another wow that she’s voiced by Biri-biri.
January 15, 2012 at 7:28 amJellyfish Marine
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No pantsu shot! I was so happy that I almost cried… Finally, here comes a show where I can truly enjoy without being irked by pantsu flying everywhere ;w; I really love the pacing at this stage too.
January 15, 2012 at 8:43 amA. Nonymous
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My face when this show actually brings up Letters of Marque…
January 15, 2012 at 8:57 amAnonCat
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If anyone has watched the 2009 Star Trek movie, you’ll realize that Marika is Kirk and Chiaki is Spock. Just like Kirk, Marika is able to make split second wan-ton decisions and has excels in many things that she does, and Chiaki is emotionally retarded like Spock but excellent at almost everything else and also holds a disdain for illogical reasons.
January 15, 2012 at 5:47 pmThe Moondoggie
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LOLZ. Star Trek was an awesome movie. I really hope this show would turn out awesome too.
Let’s just hope Homuhomu v2.0 won’t try to mess with the timelines using red matter as well.
January 15, 2012 at 3:08 pmGermanguy
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I think, most will agree that the Story Writer loved Amsterdam in Netherlands :) The Water Way here :)
January 15, 2012 at 3:13 pmGermanguy
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Oh. so far my Anime list this Session: Mouretsu Pirates (Grafic good, Story Good, Chars good), Symphogear (Grafic good, Story Good, Chars Good) and Zero no Tsukima (Just the Old Times feeling. Entertainment light. Grafic Good, Story Good, Chars Good. But then lets see how “Dirty” the War will get)
Last Exile Fam, is on my List. But not on Main Focus. Lets see how they work this “Heavy Burden of Last Exile (1st)” out. Well at last there was 1 Main Actor in the Main Stream.”I want to see it, with my own Eyes Lavie!”)
January 15, 2012 at 3:16 pmGermanguy
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What i think of this girl http://randomc.net/image/Mouretsu%20Pirates/Mouretsu%20Pirates%20-%2002%20-%2002.jpg
She has the Skills to be the Captain. But she lacks on something important, the Genes. :)
Perhaps She will be the Vice-Commander/Captain of the Ship
January 15, 2012 at 6:48 pmLonghaul
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a Ford Ranchero in future space huh, good taste
January 15, 2012 at 10:49 pmEliteF22
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Since they’re officially sanctioned pirates, wouldn’t that make them corsairs?
January 15, 2012 at 10:52 pmEliteF22
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Or more generically privateers, but the french term corsair just sounds sexier.
January 15, 2012 at 10:54 pmThe Moondoggie
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Privateers or Corsairs either way. Their enemies are the only ones who call them pirates anyway. Kirika went as far as calling people who feels they belong to space “sailors.”
January 15, 2012 at 10:55 pmThe Moondoggie
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Typo… *Ririka
January 15, 2012 at 10:53 pmLonghaul
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Privateer, with the letter of marque and all
January 16, 2012 at 1:37 amewok40k
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WHERE DO I GET THAT GUN?
Also, predictably MiB in the cafe were assorted secret services watching the prospective new captain of Bentenmaru.
Still wondering where does Chiaki come from? She’s too good at hacking for ordinary high school student…
January 16, 2012 at 8:43 pmDayriff
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I came in expecting something like Dirty Pair, and instead I’m getting Banner of the Stars. I’m serious about that comparison too. Nothing in Mouretsu Pirates is inherently sillier than space elves, and MP isn’t working any less hard than BotS to make us take it all seriously.