Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
「さるの巻」 (Nasarin no ichi pondo kōka)
“Blood for a Nazarin Pound”
That had to be the least populated town I’ve ever seen. It’s not my imagination that there was only one person in that entire town, right? But if that’s what it takes for the animation studio to churn out gorgeous dogfights and skyscapes week after week, then I’d say it’s well worth it.
Though the Yufang wasn’t the focus for this episode, their lasting impact on the characters remains apparent, as an injury Kate’s brother sustained during his search for answers regarding their abrupt arrival and departure ostensibly prevents him from getting behind the wheel of a plane again. Given what we learned last week, it would seem safe to say that all of the characters have been affected by this mysterious group in some manner. And with that said, Kate’s newfound interest in electromagnetism is sure to come up again later. Perhaps it’s foreshadowing that she’s planning on taking up her brother’s mantle?
The rest of the episode had a very Western aesthetic to it. The dying town in the middle of nowhere. The drifters coming in for a drink that are compelled to lend their aid when the town falls under attack from nefarious forces. It appears that a company selling cheap oil – and by cheap I’m referring to both the price and the quality – wants to monopolize the oil sales by destroying other wells in the area. This was pretty much confirmed when Kate read Chika’s book, “See the Sea.” In the picture book, a greedy crab tries to make his spring produce more water by plugging up all the others, and Kirie directly equates the two in case the comparison was too subtle.
Most likely, Standon Oil will continue to be an antagonist in coming episodes, as a loss to the Kotobuki Squadron won’t be enough to make them give up on ramping up their prices for good. This should give plenty of opportunities to match their skills and wits against pilots in more advanced models, and I can’t wait to see what crazy awesome things they’ll do when they’re really giving it their all.
Preview
 |
 |
 |
I guess Standon Oil is behind the new “air pirates” with the high grade planes and training that have been showing up since the start of the show. And it probably ties in with the guy trying pressure the old guy to work for someone last episode.
As far as the air pirates go, that’s exactly what I was thinking. Good catch on the man meeting with Ol’ Sab
Adolfo: “Well, you guys strike up a deal yet?”
Old Man: “Like hell we did! They [Standon Oil. -Ed.] showed up here ready to buy us straight out!”
Adolfo: “Sounds like good news to me.”
Old Man: “You try working under those guys, then! They’ll just push us for bigger numbers until we drive ourselves under.”
Sounds like the story of every videogame developer bought out and shut down by Unicronic Arts.
Chika: (to Kate) “Stories like these don’t just explain everything like that. You’re supposed to build the world for yourself as you read it!”
If that was a jab at the audience wanting to find an explanation for the existence of Japanese World War II-era planes in the world of Kotobuki, then well-played. That gave me a good chuckle.
And speaking of world-building, if episode 6’s hints weren’t enough, this episode reinforces the theory that a bunch of Imperial Japanese pilots and their planes got isekai‘d, gave the locals the technology and blueprints to build the aircraft (and perhaps left a few samples as well–I wouldn’t be surprised if their arrival also caused an industrial revolution in that world) before returning to their original world. (So much for that “post-apocalyptic technology regression” theory back in episode 05…) And Kate’s brother is (or was, before getting shot down) actually doing research on it.
Also, the featured aircraft for this week: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakajima_Ki-84
https://randomc.net/image/Kouya%20no%20Kotobuki%20Hikoutai/Kouya%20no%20Kotobuki%20Hikoutai%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
So this is an alternate Earth? Are we in the Chinese steppes, or South American mountain-deserts? There seems to be extremely scattered cities without continent-crossing train tracks, some automobile use (gasoline is a staple), and of course, air-blimps and WWII aircraft.
I’m just saying the appearance of this world is Civilization II set to “old” at the beginning. Apart from one or two 1970s-style cities, everything else looks like the American Southwest after the gold bust with ghost towns.
The show does seem to be implying that this is an alternate Earth. The Yufang originated in Japan before crossing over through a portal, giving the locals access to their technology, and then returning to their world.
Personally, I think you’re right on the money. That post-gold rush, ghost town feel is exactly what they’re going for here. Though in this case, it’s more of a post-oil rush
This World do not have Oceans. So this here could be an dry seabed, and the current deepest Ocean Part could be the “true Grand Canyon” in this World.. deepest Canyon
Standon Oil…a play on “Standard Oil”.
It’s nice to see someone other than Kirie get shot down for once, lets say Zara for instance.
Kate the silent type, what are the chances of her being stoic too?
https://randomc.net/image/Kouya%20no%20Kotobuki%20Hikoutai/Kouya%20no%20Kotobuki%20Hikoutai%20-%2007%20-%2003.jpg
Didn’t Emma get shot down during the Yakuza arc?
You know, I keep forgetting Emma exists…
Kirie took the hits to protect the Bomber. So she let herself get hit, like the last one.. Only 1 so far was hit in the middle of the battle
https://randomc.net/image/Kouya%20no%20Kotobuki%20Hikoutai/Kouya%20no%20Kotobuki%20Hikoutai%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2032.jpg
She got shoot down from her Arc enemy.. He careful aim for the Engines.. Like Porco Rosso
oh well dive bombing coolness aside we have more evidence of some grand plot at work…
is someone trying to monopolise fuel sources?
my pet theory
Show Spoiler ▼