Captain Earth / First Impressions

OP1.02 Sequence

 

「銃の名はライブラスター」 (Ju no na wa Raiburasuta)
“The Name of the Gun is Livlaster”

Here we are. The Captain’s back on the bridge and it’s pretty much more of the same in terms of the quality we saw last week. The animation was superb—how about that Earth Engine transformation again? Or the epic HUDs?—and they addressed some of the questions people had from the first episode too. Of course, with more answers come more questions too, but it’s a two-cour ride and I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the ride. I’m just thankful I don’t have pain inflicting head gear and creepers keeping me from leaving my house…

That said, this week’s episode wasn’t so much about the fight between the Earth Engine and the Kill-T-Gang as it was the circumstances surrounding it and aftermath of the fight itself. Don’t get me wrong, the fight itself was spectacular, but the real meat of the episode came from the events that came as a result of it, and the show’s really laying out a lot of cards early on. Best of all, it does enough so that you’re still able to follow the general story line—even if some of the pieces leave you tilting your head—and it’s just great to see that there’s clearly a lot they intend to do with this show. There’s something to be said about being ambitious in this day and age, and although it sets up a bigger fall if things don’t work out, I’m definitely one of those guys that prefer a show aim for the sky and fall rather than not aim for it all.

For now though, let’s stick with what we do know, and the first on that list is the fact that Arashi Teppei and Mutou Hana have apparently been in the custody of a group known as “Salty Dog” since they last saw Daichi years back. Strange names aside, it seems like they’re an organization supporting or enforcing Globe in some shape or form, and it’s a kind of interaction that ends up quite reminiscent to the Generation Bleu x Big Blue World link in Eureka Seven AO. All things considered, it looks like there’s going to be a fair amount of political grandstanding and power play behind the scenes—not only with our main group here, but between the Intercept and Ark Factions, and the people behind the Kill-T-Gang, who seem to be plotting some sort of “Macbeth’s Revolution” to top things off. Phew* Talk about a mouthful. Now I know why all those agencies we know of in real life just have alphabet abbreviations!

In any case, I quite like how our MC in Daichi essentially takes the first step for the audience here in regards to basically saying “screw the politics,” and it’s a step that’s not without a significant bang. Or should I say, not without a libido filled laser beam? Either way, there’s a lot to be said about how Daichi’s character is developing, and it’s nice to see that when push comes to shove, he’ll turn away from his apathetic side and do what needs to be done.

The question that comes up however, is how much of a part he’s actually playing in his own actions. Because the thing is, one could argue he’s merely being controlled and pushed by the events happening so far. The whole act of getting into the Earth Engine seems to have been mostly under a trance of some sort, and when you consider the fact that the Livlaster might actually be an extra-dimensional life form using him for some means, it makes you wonder how much of what he’s doing is really his choice. There’s clearly something off about how he acts and reacts from time to time, and this is definitely another type of potential internal “power play” to look forward to here as the series goes on.

Ultimately, there’s just a lot here and the series is just barely hitting its stride from what I’ve seen so far. The workings of fate seem to have just started, and it’s going to be great seeing how Hana, Teppei, and Daichi end up coming together initially. They’re going to have to come together fast though, cause with some sabotage from Salty Dog and the return of the Kill-T-Gang looming, there’s going to be lots to do. There’s also a new potential addition to the main crew in Akari—if the ED sequence is any indication—and gosh darn, why can’t I hold all these great looking female mains? I thought Hana was a winner due to how she acts and the alien pet thingie she owns, but that flashy orange hair on Akari is quite something… Anyway, that’s about it really. I’ll leave off with a few memorable quotes from this episode and a full length below as well:

I’m just a magical girl here to help you!

I don’t want to die. I just need to hit it right?

I want to show her my boomerang!

Full-length images: 36.

Author’s Note: Sorry for the slight delay guys. Just returned from PAX East yesterday evening!

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「アメジスト」 (Amejisuto) by HANA (starring Ai Kayano)

Preview

66 Comments

    3. There must be a legit reason for him to be such a dick. I’m sure things will be resolved without any further violence. The main character seems to be an understanding guy.

      *looks at preview of next episode*

      Alright, who gave this guy authority over children and why isn’t he in jail yet?

      Sintrino
      Reply

      1. Agreed. It’s sad a lot of people wrote him off as a generic emo teeange pilot (a.k.a Shinji) based off on one episode.

        Thankfully the show proved he isn’t immediately on the following episode. It’s nice for a change to have a bones mecha pilot who doesn’t wait til mid-end series to turn badass.

        Vagrant
        Reply

    5. The only thing that absolutely made me rage was how they had him be a creeper instead of a “stiff government suit.” I can understand being a stickler for the rules, but its clear hes just on a power trip and thinks Hana is actually his. That shoulder stroke /shudder.

      Hes fairly two dimensional though. I would absolutely love it if it turns out he is in some way justified in keeping the two under such heavy surveillance as opposed to a simple obnoxious douchebag.

      Broxis
      Reply

  3. Don’t you hate it when you have a crew of people who are super chill and love looking out for each other and then you have that ONE guy who’s an arrogant douchebag but gets away with it because of his position/status? Yeah……this guy is a bit to hand fisted for my tastes. He’s obviously going to stand in everyone’s way but hopefully there is more depth to him besides “I’m a jerk….hate me!”. Such people always felt cheap to me.

    leatherhead333
    Reply

  4. Anyone notice that the rocket Daichi’s dad was on was called the Star Engine? Since Daichi rides the Earth Engine, he’s called an Earth Driver. That would make his dad the Star Driver! FABULOUS!

    Crimson7
    Reply

    1. Not sure what part of that connotation they’re ignoring. That female mecha pilot was all teh sex; can’t imagine what will happen when she gattais with the other guy :V

      chaoslimits
      Reply

      1. I think he’s talking about the fact that Daichi is powering up with the same so called “libido power” and yet, he’s power seems to be more of will power than any sort of sexual connotation.

        Irenesharda
        Reply

  8. A big question here is that if Daichi could summon the blue Livlaster into his hands, and break free of Salty Dog’s oppression, why didn’t Hana do the same thing considering she is the master of the pink Livlaster?

    ShanHaxx
    Reply

    1. Who says she is the master of the first livlaster? I consider her more the delivery girl that grants the livlaster to a worthy earthling. I thought Teppei was being trained to handle the first livlaster, but who knows…

      Next episode, Daichi will summon livlaster again to shoot an annoying prick! …or so I wish, but I doubt a MC that murders the baddie in cold blood is part of shounen heroics

      Faolon
      Reply

  9. Star Driver with E7 AO-like characters. I LOL. MC is clearly a mix of Renton & Takuto, Hana is the weird cross between an islander and an alien and Teppei is clearly the Sugata here.

    TheMoondoggie
    Reply

    1. I thought the exact same thing when I saw her. The hair, the goggles, the l337 h4x0rz skillz!11 It all reminded me of Ed from cowboy bebop, but less tan and possibly more socialized.

      TheWalker
      Reply

  18. Still on the fence with this. The episode felt heavy, like the “many plots and dark designs are stirring in the background but we aren’t going to explain it” rigmarole that was present in Eva.

    Hana is the main reason I’ll watch since this show will be my main Ai Kayano fix this season. Considering that Sidonia will trounce any other mecha show this season, I need more reasons to watch Capt E

    celebrinen
    Reply

  19. So how many factions are there ?
    1.Good guy ,Captain Earth
    2.Fake Alien, Killgang (which is in fact control by human)
    3.Real Alien (which is not come in story yet)—> this one kill Daishi father

    right or wrong?

    Topboy
    Reply

  21. I’m already starting to love this series, despite it only being the second episode.

    At first I was a little put off by how fast Daichi’s personality seemed to switch, then I realised that the one we saw in the first episode might actually not be his ‘real’ personality, what with his apathetic outlook at life and all. I’m guessing the switch really came when he saw Teppei and Hana, then suddenly this guy’s acting more like a teenager again. The punchline came at the very end of the episode for me when he suddenly mentioned how much he liked the wind here, compared to his monologue of how he hated the wind on Tanegashima in the first episode mainly because of his father’s death. The 2nd one probably cleared that up for him when he realised that his dad might have died for a noble cause rather than perish in an accident like he was originally led to believe. Like a boomerang, he’s back where he feels like he belongs.

    Aside from the Glasses Scumbag, I quite like how the episode explores the different perspectives. The Kill-T Gang duo’s relationship looks interesting, as are the political stuff and a certain light-heartedness the episode seemed to bring.

    One more like these two, and I’ll probably put this on a must-watch list.

    Owaranai
    Reply

  22. speaking of the gun controlling Daichi is another alien life form, the same gun could be the the girl in the blue sailor suit. based on my speculation the sailor suit girl appear in front of Daichi and disappear an somehow Daichi end up holding a gun. what come to surprise is Peter westvillage doesn’t even notice her

    Shinkirou
    Reply

    1. Yeah, perhaps your right. This Girl with the Flute and Sailor Uniform, could be a manifesting Picture inside his Mind, and for others it looks like this Gun.

      But then, we have here 2 Guns. One was sleeping with this Girl in the bubble, where the two awaken her. Is this Gun a 2nd “Earth Engine”? or is it the real “Alien Engine”?

      So, this 2nd (first original gun) has still it’s secret. It is just a matter of Time and Strong Attacks of the Enemy, when we get to see it…

      Germanguy
      Reply

      3. After rethinking it all over again and again, deeper and deeper and with my experience
        i came to the conclusion, that this Huge Crystal thing on the Dark Side of the Moon, is the “counterpart” of this other Gun.

        I bet on it..

        Germanguy
        Reply

  23. Tanegashima housed another futuristic anime with giant robots and conspiracies, accept JAXA was more deeply involved. I just hope that this show turns out better than Robotics;Notes. I haven’t finished all of Uchyuu Kyodai and its been a while since I’ve watched it so I don’t remember how much of Tanegashima is involved outside of JAXA in that show. It’s not really relevant, I just found it interesting and a little troubling that I’m learning so much about Japan’s history and historical figures (though accuracy varies wildly), dialects (Any woman with Kansai-ben is automatically best girl) and geographic regions using video games and anime.

    TheWalker
    Reply

  24. So, if i understand it right. The Bad Guys in Space, are not living on the Moon. They are somewhere on Earth (Because this Red light Tower, in Background there where Clouds) And this “Men in Black” Guys that hold this 2 (or 3) with this headband under control…

    Great, i just hope that this Anime dont life only from the Power Plays of this Company’s. Because they reduce the MC to nothing

    I wait for Episode 3

    Germanguy
    Reply

    1. I just hope, they explain. Why he could summon his “Gun” into his hand. Where did he learn that? No one explain it to him… Perhaps this will get cover in future Episodes. That this Girl can speak to him, in his Dreams or something

      Germanguy
      Reply

  28. On one side these settings get into my nerves:
    The superiors or governments knowing the MC might be the only one able to use the world saving Mecha, weapon or whatever; yet they won’t let him use it or get near it.
    Even if the MC gets a hold of that mecha or weapon. Superiors or governments always end up telling MC it’s not theirs and they’ll take it back. Amusingly just like Captain Earth, most of the time somehow it disappears from whatever secure location it was kept and appears in our heroes hands when really needed.
    And lets nor forget the government or superiors always being the bullies towards “the savior”.
    And yet they expect them to save their asses and the world.

    At least here Daichi pretty soon showed he had some balls and gained a lot of points with me.

    Kamui04
    Reply

  29. https://randomc.net/image/Captain%20Earth/Captain%20Earth%20-%2002%20-%2034.jpg And here is one of the contenders for best male protagonist ;p

    Color me surprised when Daichi went outside to destroy the signal tower. I thought he was just going to sit there and take that crap from the Creeper.

    The fight was cool…but

    https://randomc.net/image/Captain%20Earth/Captain%20Earth%20-%2002%20-%2010.jpg Where was mah piledriver?! Some kind of gun came out instead ;/

    magoiichi
    Reply

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