Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
「わたしの名前は伊東せりかです」 (Watashi no Namae wa Itou Serika desu)
“My Name is Itou Serika”
The conclusion to last week’s cliff-hanger was pretty much as expected… or was it? Okay, I guess it was really, but Mutta’s elaborate tale of checking the odometer when boarding and disembarking the bus, combined with the extensive reverse calculations he used to get there had even me fooled for a little while. It’s pretty surprising to see how easily Mutta has begun ‘making full use of his luck’ as Ozzy would call it – I’d half expected him to come clean at some point. As I suspected when I saw him turn to look, rather than actively seeking the time, he was in fact checking to see if his assumptions on the driver’s baldness were correct. There’s still something fairly impressive about how he managed to perform the reverse calculations to figure out how far the bus had travelled. Whether or not he can actually tell how fast a vehicle is going by the engine is uncertain, but it’s definitely a skill I can imagine him having.
Contrary to a lot of speculation last week, there was no mention whatsoever on whether or not knowing the actual current time is important in space. While it may be true that all you really need to live by is a frame of reference (so theoretically it doesn’t matter whether your time is in sync with the rest of the world), it would likely be somewhat detrimental to be living on a different cycle to mission control – scheduled check-ins would be much harder to co-ordinate for example. Of course, merely following any frame of reference being more important to having the correct time is a moot point here since the test was evidently to work out the correct time based on observations made during the journey. It might not have any effect on the results in the long run, but only Team A and Team B managed to get roughly the right time (Team C is somewhat irrelevant anyway beyond their potential use as an illustration of how to completely fail the tests).
It would seem we have a possible rival for Mutta in the genius-level observation skills department. Tomii, our Rubik’s cube fanatic, seems to share Mutta’s uncanny ability to notice small details and make use of them. In a sense, this episode served as a better introduction to some of the characters we’ll be following for the rest of the test, Team A in particular. In addition to Mutta and Serika (who I’m sure need no introduction by this point) we have Nitta Reiji (Hoshino Takanori) who studied sports medicine and practices kendo (and continually makes me think of more typical shounen manga/anime characters); Fukuda Naoto (Bando Naoki), possibly one of the most suited for space travel given his experience in rocket development; and the ever disagreeable Furuya Yasushi (Naitou Ryou) with his Kansai-ben and chimpanzee research.
I personally agree with Team A’s decision when it comes to the subject of picking the two members to nominate at the end of the tests – it’s far too early to make any solid decisions on how to go about it when none of the team members have really had a chance to get to know each other. When everyone is better acquainted, the two who are most suited to be astronauts might begin to come to light or a better way to make the selection might present itself. Team B seems to want to use a point system, though Kenji will likely be the voice of reason in deciding on a more suitable way to judge. I get the feeling Team C and their ballot box will serve the purpose of teaching us what should not be done if you want to pass the exams.
Random thoughts:
- Mutta takes one for the team! Or for Serika at any rate. His luck seems to be running with him on that front.
- Space food! I can’t say I’ve ever really wanted to try it, but I guess there’s a novelty to it.
- Giving someone a name because you want to call them that actually seems like a better way to name a child than trying to attach a meaning. Another point in Mutta’s favour for his complementing of Serika’s name!
- Cooking together is also going to give Mutta a lot of time to bond with Serika. I foresee much bonding over the course of the next episode or two!
Full-length images: 02, 03, 04, 11, 13, 16, 20, 24, 26, 27.
Preview
 |
 |
 |
Omake
 |
Pretty good episode this week. I wasn’t surprised at how Mutta figured out the time, and how he did it was basically what I (and I’m sure many) expected last week 😛
Heh! Mutta’s heart lives in his hair and it LEAPS around at being allowed to use Serika’s name out loud.
Haha, Mutta also had me fooled too. It’s possible his tendency to “stretch” the truth could become a significant plot point later on. Although Mutta’s really scoring heavy points with Serika this episode, so that’s never a bad thing.
Of the 3 methods to determine the 2 candidates, I concur that Mutta’s team has the best idea. Team C’s idea of a ballot could work, but it relies heavily on the honour system. Kenji’s team has the worst idea IMO, and I’m glad Kenji is opposed to it. A point system only makes people greedy for points. There are tasks where earning the most points is not conducive the the well-being of the entire team. It forces people to act for selfish reasons, and not for the benefit of the team. (ie no one would be willing to take one for the team)
is it just me or did anybody else notice a huge drop in production quality in this ep? Mind you, this show’s not known for incredible visuals, but drawing and overall visual production (i.e. the way mouth moves and eyes moves, etc) for this ep was quite amateurish.
i mostly blame the original character designs from the manga for any kind of quality drom the anime suffers. the manga’s art was pretty bad to begin with, and i’d say the anime has already done quite a lot to make those designs watchable
This was one of my favorite episodes so far. Great character development makes for a great anime.
My only criticism has nothing to do with the story itself, and that is the horrendous opening song. The ending song, however, is bomb.
I totally agree with you. I can’t even bear the op song even after so many ep. But I really really love the ending song .
i’m sorry, but the opening song is my favourite one of the season, no other one comes close. i’ve always skipped the OP in my many years of watching anime up until this one…
I’m with Nitro here. I’ve loved the OP ever since I saw it. The first 50 seconds are some of the most hilariously absurd sequences I’ve seen in any OP/ED, and the spacey, old-school feel is why I enjoy it as much as any other opening.
i’m actually more about the song than the OP visuals, but ok! i’m pretty damn hyped for the single’s release in about 5 days’ time!
I really like the OP song, but I hate how it gets cut off at the end without a harmonic resolution. I so want to hear the full song.
I agree with Nitro too. The opening is a gas. Rainbows coming out of Mutta’s nose? C’mon! This OP rocks.
I’m also a fan of the OP. It’s a pretty damn good OP.
Eh? I like the ending more though.
Ahaha! I really like Mutta! He’s the most down to earth character ever! He’s like the anti-cool, which makes him cool!
He has incredible luck too. Trigerring Serika’s flag unknowingly. I also like how he’s the butt monkey of the team.
Enough about Mutta, I thought Team B’s plan of a point system was a great idea. It seems fair enough, but I guess the fact that it makes people get greedy slipped my mind.