Cop Craft / Final Impressions

「TRANSITIONAL CRISES」

At this point, the political turmoil happening the background of this series took centerstage, embroiling Matoba and Tilarna in a conspiracy that goes further than Cole and his wife, Marla, all the way to the heart of the city. With two of the mayoral candidates down, the stakes have never been higher and, of course, the remaining candidate, Tourtes, makes for an obvious suspect. His stance seems to rely on an anti-immigration platform, which would give him motivation to assassinate his competition with “Semani” gunmen, yet after a charged session of questioning between him and Tilarna, Matoba wasn’t convinced. When he was dragging Tilarna away before things could get too heated, Matoba asked Tourtes if he was an Earthling or a politician first, and the man admitted that he was a politician first. Roth, Matoba’s former police chief, had been fiercely protective of his identity as an Earthling, but perhaps, for Tourtes, his platform is exactly that – a platform. He’ll use the rhetoric he believes will help him win, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean he isn’t against Semani immigration, some part of it is just appealing to a very specific voting demographic. In any case, while Tourtes wasn’t the mastermind they were looking for, the short meeting between him and Tilarna and the resulting conversation between her and Matoba where he assured her that her presence has changed the people on their lives for the better had such a strong impact that the conclusion to this series may have been very different if they’d never met.

The storytelling and pacing in this episode were tighter, and the animation was sharper. It was honestly impressive how parts from each of the individual cases have come together to form the foundation for a fun and multi-layered finale. On that note, Marla really did step into the mayoral election, playing the widow card for sympathy while also espousing a more liberal, tolerant position on migration that would undeniably be a boon to the Semani people. Of course, Tilarna and Matoba suspected foul play immediately, but just when they found evidence that Marla not only knew the assassin that killed her husband, but very likely had an affair with him, they were taken in by the FBI. Except! Another twist! All but one of the agents were being puppeted by the necromancer, bringing the story right around to its beginning.

 

「TWO WORLDS, TWO JUSTICES」

With Tilarna suffering the Leia Organa treatment from Zelada and Matoba being subjected to a beating, there’s little doubt that this is the end game. What followed, though, was a culmination of everything Tilarna has learned from her interactions with humans. While Zelada tried to make a case that humanity would destroy Semani if they came to love it – an argument that admittedly has some weight to it, though our track record with hate’s not so great, either – she defiantly refused to ever join him. Humans, in her experience, are not all black and white, nor are they incapable of change. Even Matoba barely tolerated Tilarna at the beginning. Everyone has dreams and motivations and hobbies and flaws, which at heart, are what bind us together. After this was affirmed verbally, Tilarna and Matoba managed to do it symbolically as well when they traded weapons in a visual confirmation of their status as equals. It’s been many episodes of culture clash and bickering, yet somehow these two came out of it friends and partners. The motion and color and emotion of the scene was like nothing I’ve seen from this series before and if this was were the budget from those episodes with wonky animation went, it was well worth it.

Although the main pair were without a doubt the draw of this series, with their evolving dynamic that at times seemed to almost serve as a microcosm for the wider racial tension between the humans and Semani, the side characters deserve praise, as well. Not a single one looked or acted the same, and was in possession of a rounded personality in addition to their quirks. Cecil was, to my mind, an absolutely fantastic example of how someone can maintain an amicable relationship with an ex without letting it define them. In fact, I think the show mentioned her relation to Matoba maybe twice. After that, she was a friend to both Tilarna and Matoba, as best exemplified by the cat switcheroo two-parter a while back. Then there’s the fact that the other members of the precinct actively contributed to solving the case, whether it be from conducting research on a bulldog tattoo or going undercover to investigate a lead. The last time I saw a group of unlike personalities work so well together was probably Mustang’s group in Fullmetal Alchemist. I’m still impressed that the show took the time to show them bonding at a pool and barbeque, whinging about their loves lives, and spending time with friends or family outside of work. This series took its time to develop relationships and pile on intrigue, so that when it got to the end and Tilarna was faced with letting a murderess go free to possibly benefit her people we, the audience, were invested. For once, I had no idea which choice she was going to make. With that said, while I’m sure Marla would make for an excellent mayor, it doesn’t seem wise to trust the word or the policies of a woman who would have her husband and an innocent woman murdered in cold blood. By killing Zelada, Matoba finally achieved revenge for his partner, and by turning in the photo of Marla and the assassin, she avenged her friend. It’s a very neat ending, come to think of it. Tilarna made up with the cop who badmouthed her in a frankly adorable scene where she made him spin around three times and bark (on Matoba’s advice) and the adventure continues. But then, what better way to end a Western-inspired fantasy cop show than with your heroes running off into their next grand adventure?

 

15 Comments

  1. This show was one of my favorites of the season, beating out the other two perhaps only because I had read those show’s sources. Aside from a bit of uneven pacing in the later half of episode three, and the “elephant in the room” that was the animation quality, there really isn’t anything bad to say about the show; the aforementioned negatives were pretty minor and were overshadowed by everything they did right.

    Sadly, unless the BD sales somehow selling well for some mysterious reason, this is probably all we’ll end up getting. I doubt the light novels will be translated, though I’d preorder as soon as it were available. This show has set up an interesting world with interesting character dynamics and interactions.

    Honestly, the part that really had me wanting for more that Tourtes getting elected. He is an interesting character that fits into the “gray” area of neither hero nor villain that you don’t see much now-a-days. Yes, he wants the Semani to go back and for each world to keep to itself, but from his interaction with Matoba and Tilana, he doesn’t seem to have personal animus and elevates “law & order” above any potential animus.

    I started this show because the author was decent and because of Range Murata’s designs, but the show delivered much more in the end.

    LoliHat
    Reply

  2. Good show despite the budget. I wrote earlier that if this show won’t make a definite ending, then another hilarious case like episode six would suffice– but this one wrapped up a lot of things pretty nicely, the Zelada and Marla cases included.

    https://randomc.net/image/Cop%20Craft/Cop%20Craft%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
    Gotta love Jamie, the blonde Wikipedia addict. How she got from “M4 Carbine” to “Marines” through “Einstein” and “Cesarean Section” was hilarious.

    Magnus Tancred
    Reply

  3. Quirky but good little show with a lot of world building and mysteries still playing around in the background. Uneven for the most part, rushed in others but it worked nonetheless. If it got a season 2 I would check it out.

    Kurik
    Reply

  4. Despite the obvious technical issues, this was one of my favourite shows of the season. Given that BD/DVD sales are claimed to be almost non-existent, I doubt we’ll be getting any more, which is a real shame. But at least it was nice to have Tilarna as Range Murata’s latest Futuregraph “cover girl” (issue 192) as a sort of farewell.

    Angelus
    Reply

    1. I’d be surprised if the first volume sold more than 1000 copies. I’d think probably half that at best. The sales data should be out end of October but all signs point to low interest if you look at where its ranked on the various websites stocking it in Japan.

      Speaking of bombs.

      Enen no Shouboutai V1 Blu Ray – 107 copies sold.
      Maou-sama, Retry! V1 Blu Ray – 302 copies sold
      Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi V1 Blu Ray – 350 copies sold

      If people are expecting a second season for those shows, just lol.

      Lyfe
      Reply

  5. For me, this is far and away the best show of this year. I just looked through every show I’ve watched so far and the nearest to it would be Dororo. I would definitely buy it if it came out here on blu-ray. I find it discouraging that this might not happen. I’d probably even buy the novels too if they were translated (at least the first one to see how the writing goes).

    I found the writing and dialogue to be very good, along with the characters. I liked that so many of the characters have their own, often complex motivations for how they acted. Even the villains were more interesting because of this.

    It was a great show to watch. I’m glad that it had its day in the sun.

    Mockman
    Reply

  8. Just watched this again. 5th time? It reminds me of old Gonzo shows like Speed Grapher and Blue Submarine #6. Perfect for a Murata-designed cast.

    And that “Turn around three times, and bark like a dog” scene gets me every time.

    skyhack
    Reply

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