First Impressions / Mouretsu Pirates

「意外な依頼人」 (Igai no Irainin)
“A Surprising Client”

From blackmail to battleships, at this point there’s practically nothing that can catch Marika off guard… except maybe a kiss. But damn, that was one epic kiss.

Jenny Dolittle came back to the Yacht Club with a bang, and the circumstances around her return coupled with her backstory only made me like her character even more. She always did have a bit of that ojou-sama vibe so it was no real surprise that she was set to inherit her family’s company, the large interstellar trading firm Hugh & Dolittle, nor was it a surprise that she was being married off by a jealous uncle so that his son could take the reins. What I didn’t expect was that Jenny had no plans to inherit the company, at all. She actually wanted to hire the Bentenmaru to kidnap her so she could attend Space University and become a better business leader for her own trading company, Fairy Jane. Talk about admirable! Other characters would probably be content to stay comfortable and stick with running their family’s business, but not Jenny – she has ambitious dreams and a girlfriend too.

I’m glad Marika didn’t heed Chiaki’s objections and agreed to take the job, even if it did cross the lines of legality and thus risked losing their letter of marque. It showed that she still has a playful streak and that she’s not all business. A blatant disregard for the law, and a willingness to have fun and do things for fun – these are the hallmarks of a pirate captain, what sets them apart from any regular old ship captain, right? Fortunately, the Bentenmaru didn’t have to break any laws, but it was still nice to see that Marika still holds some of the romantic notions of being a pirate.

From the positive reactions of the Yacht Club members, it seems like they weren’t all too surprised at Jenny and Lynn’s romantic reunion. Sure, it may have looked a little clichéd with the prince and princess imagery, but it was still a sight that left me speechless – although that could also be due to my having been tricked by a producer saying that there would be no romance in this series. I do like that Lynn, who was serendipitously still wearing her princely outfit, appears to be the perfect match for the dazzling Jenny in her pure white wedding gown. These two lovebirds couldn’t keep their eyes (or lips) off each other, and all the girls supported their amorous reunion with smiles on their faces. Well, almost all the girls. Chiaki is her usual tsundere self, making some adorable sound while turning away, while Marika and the two princesses were completely surprised and speechless. It was pretty hilarious seeing Gruier pretend to cover her eyes and Marika stumble with her words a bit while introducing herself to Jenny.

I don’t think anyone on the ship expected Jenny to escape from her uncle so easily (and with such gusto!) without any repercussions, but I would have never thought Marika would be so quick on her feet in dealing with his blackmail either. She didn’t even skip a beat in thinking up the idea of negotiating a better payment with Jenny, who understood what Marika was up to just as quickly. Since so much of the piracy in the Mouretsu Pirates universe involves contractual work, Marika’s business savvy will definitely prove useful in her future. I was left impressed at just how great of fit as a pirate captain she already is. And like Shou says, these girls are going to be scary in 10 years’ time, especially with the lucrative financial windfall that the Bentenmaru will reap… if they can pull off the job. I have a feeling that with Marika’s intention to take out Jenny’s uncle, she’s just trying to have her cake and eat it too, and I just hope that Marika hasn’t bitten off more than she can chew! (insert groan for cheesy sentence here)

 

Preview

41 Comments

  3. I got 3 liters of AB- blood that I managed to pump due to the nosebleed I got from the kiss. Anyone in need of a transfusion ?

    Jokes aside, I really enjoyed that episode. Jenny’s escape was awesome… and I never expected them to animate the kiss (or should I say both kisses) from the light novel. Great episode, minus some of the reactions:
    * Marika’s was priceless.
    * Gruelle’s was cute.
    * Grunhilde’s was… kinda weird, like she’s saying “What in the world is the meaning of this charade ?”. I thought she would react like her sister on that one.
    * Chiaki’s was underwhelming. Come on, she just turns away. They could have at least shown us her face, she’s always cuter when she blushes or when she’s upset.
    * The rest of the club’s was borderline immature… seriously, now I question all of the girls’ fetishes.

    Aside for that, it was all good. Thanks for the review. However, what’s the reason for this image ?
    https://randomc.net/image/Mouretsu%20Pirates/Mouretsu%20Pirates%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2029.jpg

    I’m waiting for an explanation Verdant…

    JiCi
    Reply

      4. No yuri in the “Serenity” System? Bah. If it is even remotely connected to the other Princes Serenity (of the Moon Kingdom) on anime fiction….yuri is a well know quantity (even in the English dub…”cousins”…yeah sure thing. I mean they are related…right? So instead of yuri, we get incest yuri! :p)

        ithekro
        Reply

  6. DAT KISS!
    ok no more undertones, hints and similar beating around the bush, we get 100% fulfilled yuri romance!
    “Gosh, get a room!” Chiaki
    “Erm, nice to meet you!” Marika
    all of my yuri equipement is undergoing emergency repairs due to Yuri Pulse damage

    ewok40k
    Reply

  7. Color me impressed; it isn’t all that often that we get to see a mainstream show deal with the issue of homosexuality in such a dignified and progressive manner. Instead of portraying people of divergent sexual orientations as stereotypical caricatures like anime too often does, Pirates takes a daring leap forward and presents Jenny and Lynn to us as capable, normal individuals who excel at what they do; their personas defined by their actual personalities and talents rather than their sexuality…

    Zen
    Reply

    1. Agree 100%!! Most people don’t wear their sexuality on their sleeve so it’s nice to see something done like this. Quite often we get these caricatures that don’t represent reality. I think the worst one is the ultracamp gay guy.

      Scruffy
      Reply

    2. To be honest, I haven’t watched very many shows, if at all, with LGBT characters, so I didn’t know if Jenny and Lynn were commonly portrayed this way, or if their portrayal was out of the ordinary. Perhaps a bit naively, I chose to treat the two as if they were any other couple because I optimistically hoped that this was the norm for anime. I do agree that it is nice to see that their relationship didn’t focus on their orientation at all – my only qualm is that they still had a bit of a stereotype going with one half of the couple being more “masculine” than the other.

      verdant
      Reply

  8. Great things in this Episode.

    -Jenny kicking ass
    -Yuri kiss
    -Bentemaru getting a spiffy new fighter. Anyone want to bet that Marika will be riding that soon?
    -Yuri kiss!
    -Show being totally a bro to a bunch of girls. I like him.
    –YURI KISS!
    -Marika being an awesome negotiator. She even has a cross-legged pose LIKE A BOSS.
    -Have I mentioned the awesome Yuri kiss?

    Now if you’ll excuse me, my goggles need fixing.

    fragb85
    Reply

  9. Are yuri goggles anything like standard issue UV goggles? I mean, hell, we all were them pretty much all the time, right? That being the context, weren’t we all a little bit blinded?

    skylion
    Reply

  10. And we proud yuri fans rejoice with this epic yurilicious episode. And look, our yuri goggles have been busted again.

    Now all we need is for Marika to create her big yuri harem.

    John Hayabusa
    Reply

    1. yeah, i got caught off guard as well. I’m not against yuri or anything, but just that I simply wasn’t expecting a full on yuri moment at that point. Especially since there wasn’t a clear indication in the early episodes that Lynn and Jenny were a couple. Also, the kiss went on abit too long to make me feel comfortable 😛

      I did get a good laugh when Jenny revealed the company she started up on her own was named Fairy Jane XD.

      Euzio
      Reply

  15. Certainly didn’t expect the lesbian factor. It totally took me by surprise.
    I really thought it was going to be one of the anime cliches, where girls fantasize about 2 girls turning the heat, and with the background sparkling. But it didn’t.

    The creators are certainly playing with us. They did that during the supposedly-dreaded-beach episode, and now this. I’m loving it

    Alec
    Reply

  17. Many are focusing on the kiss – not that there’s anything wrong with that ☻.

    …but, Jenny Dolittle came back to the Yacht Club – she didn’t have to be kidnapped!
    Remember, that was the concern raised – kidnapping her would be a criminal act.
    It’s cool how the writers worked us through that detail and kept the Shirley Temple aspect
    of the show intact! And diverted our attention by a great yuri kiss!

    Next week – some action… But we were told that they only have to get her to Space University.
    Once there, nothing can harm her (Jenny).

    I’m still wondering how the android got sick – anyone?

    mac65
    Reply

    1. The only Hint, they left. Was only Her Cosplay Outfit.. Prince and Princess… Well She still in her Prince Cosplay, and she is in her “weeding” outfit, like a Princess..

      But really, i dont saw it coming.. Just think that see to busy to change into Normal cloth

      Germanguy
      Reply

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