Sakugan – 03

“BRAINS&HEARTS”

Memenpuu and the multipurpose Tony.

I think more than anything this episode was trying really hard to give Memenpuu a reason to humble herself a few steps down. Maybe I was distracted by the shiny newness of Sakugan or the fact I was trying to fully immerse myself in its world. But this episode Memenpuu was turned up to eleven. Her constant over-the-top confidence without a second of doubt made for bits that wronged me the wrong way with her character. There is a fine line between confidence and pure recklessness, but never did she stop to consider if what she was doing was the right thing, or if the course of action she was setting was the right one, instead she felt betrayed by her dad for not believing in her. And takes the reigns for herself, thinking she knows exactly what to do and how to do it. I get the show is really trying to push this overconfident kid that has a college degree and is always the smartest in the room. Memenpuu not only had to study, but she also had to take care of her dad because apparently, he is unable to bring himself to clean anything or maintain his house in a semi-clean state. Thus relinquishing all house duties to Memenpuu, she doesn’t have too but I bet she feels like she has to either way. I get that some people probably dumb her down because of her age. And how at such a young age you will always choose fun over everything else, with blind faith and overconfidence to boost. It was a little bit displeasing to me, she was constantly veneering Gagumber into more dangerous routes, all for the sake of getting deeper faster. Even locking him out of the controls. She dives headfirst into danger without listening to reason or thinking things through, just because it’s the shortest path, doesn’t mean it’s the right path.

But because of her recklessness, they meet with a Kaiju after a somewhat shaky earthquake, Memenpuu points out that the river should have a cavern inside of it because of how it was moving into the rock slide caused by the earthquake. She dives headfirst, and if not because of Tony being a multipurpose doll, she wouldn’t have survived. After some exploring, she meets with some crustacean looking creatures but they are way too many, so she runs away, and finds a container where she is able to hide, trying not to fall asleep because she didn’t sleep the night before, even though her father told her to get some sleep. If she does, complications could arise with the cold, so she stays awake, and just at the last moment, Gagumber is on the scene! And he beats up the crustacean party. But even after that, she is still over her head. That moment did nothing to humble her, only make her realize she might not be able to do some stuff, without her partner in crime. I like that this show is trying really hard to sell us the child genius thing, but with her reckless attitude, it’s hard to make heads or tails of Memenpuu.

I’m getting the sense Memenpuu hates being ignored by adults, because they think they’re better than her, or know more than her, she get’s mad when Gagumber tells her she has no real experience in the field, everything she knows is theoretical. So in that same line, she disrespects Gagumber when he doesn’t give her a proper place as an adult and continues to treat her as a child. It’s an interesting analysis the anime is trying to convey, and it’s doing it through subtle hints in body language, in expression, and familial bonds. It’s going to be interesting to see how and if Memenpuu changes in any way shape or form, She’s an interesting character, and an eccentric one at that too. She’s quick to retort to Gagumber with shallow remarks and get’s mad when he doubts her. She knows she can do it, and only needs that little extra push from adults. If only they were able to trust her more. In the final moments of the episode, Gagumber does kinda change a little bit and starts trusting her just a smidge. His overprotectiveness as a father still stands, even if it’s something Memenpuu fails to understand because she compartmentalizes it as a personal attack. She’s unable to see more than the one outcome in front of her, and when she’s decided, it’s go time! There’s no way you’re taking her out of her personal reason once she set her mind to something. So yeah, what exactly will become of this father-daughter duo? This was the start of their adventure and it’s already off to a rocky start.

At the end of the episode, we meet a new character, who is waiting in arms apparently, for Memenpuu and Gegumber, his name not yet known. However, he seems like the boss to the next stratum, if you ask me. I’m looking forward to seeing how this journey will change them emotionally, the upcoming challenges, and learning more about this world and its inhabitants.

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