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Summary:
While leaving home, Kyo notices an envelope from Celebrum with a game stick inside for a “Pain of Zega” game. Today is the big day when Kyo gets to show off the promotional video for the swim club that he and Ryoko made. Everyone is excited about seeing Shizuno and about the video itself, but no one joins the team. Seeing Shima there, Kyo uses the chance to ask him about telling everyone about the “Pain of Zega” thing he got, but Shima doesn’t care as long as Kyo protects his promise to Shizuno. Ryoko and Tomigai already seem to know about it, and hook it up so that Kyo can play. The introduction of the game says that in 40 years, the planet will be transformed by an environmental modification experiment and that the Celebrum is the resistance organization against the Gards-orm. The game itself is like a simulation of the battles that he fights in the Zegapain Altair. He fights to a Deutera Area, which, as Ryoko’s little brother explains, is an environmental experiment area that will cause mankind to lose the fight if it is allowed to cover the entire world. Kyo starts to wonder about why he’s fighting in the other world. During this time, Ryoko runs into Shizuno on the street. Her friend Mizuki asks Shizuno about the alleged kiss between her and Kyo, and Ryoko is surprised that Shizuno replies that it felt good. Shizuno continues on about Ryoko’s video making skills and the conversation switches to dreams and the future since Ryoko wants to be a director.
Back at Ryoko’s apartment, Kyo is led to a locker after beating a certain level of the game. When he opens it, he sees a message telling him to be careful about being involved with Misaki Shizuno. He then gets a mail from Shizuno asking to meet him, and so he goes. The two enter the Zegapain world and are sent to a Deutera Area, just like in the game. Kyo notices that his body seems to remember this place and the movements he’s making, but not because he played it in the game. Along with the Garuda pilots, Kyo and Shizuno are successful at destroying the enemy core structure. When the fight is over, Kyo gets off the Altair and remembers the locker he saw in the game. He notices that same locker nearby, but gets interrupted when parts of the building start to crumble. Words appear behind the Altair warning him not to believe the world he sees. Even though Shizuno tries to stop him, Kyo still tries to open the locker. However, his hand disappears in the area right around it. Kyo can’t believe what he’s seeing and asks Shizuno about it.
The mystery of the true reality deepens. The Pain of Zega game is obviously connected to the Zegapain world, but the question is why Celebrum made it into a game. Probably to train Kyo or start to trigger his memories or something. There’s also the question of who’s sending Kyo those messages and why, but that’s pretty shrouded in mystery. The whole locker thing makes me question whether it’s the world that’s fake or even if it’s Kyo that’s fake.
So despite what the popular opinion of this show seems to be, I rather enjoy it. The mecha parts definitely take a backseat to how much more interesting everything else is: the characters, their relationships with each other, and how the reality question factors into all of it.
On a side note, I can’t help but feel that this PAIN of ZEGA game is like a demo/prototype of the ZEGAPAIN game that Bamco is putting out this summer for the XBox 360.
Zegapain RULES!!
I still have no clue why I like this show, it’s so generic, but for some reason I just do.
I’ll probably end up saying this again whenever I get to finishing the writeup, but the reason I’m drawn to the show is because of the characters, their relationships with each other, and how the reality question factors into all of it. Yes, it’s been done before, but I like their take on it.
Surprisingly, the mecha aspect is my least favorite part of the show.
I guess it’s weird that the mecha is the most un-“favourable/popular” stuff in this mecha anime. But the story/plot is really looking good. I like the fact that there’s a good story in this, and of course having well-drawn characters doesn’t hurt either.
Anyway, back to the episode, it’s sad that despite the effort Kyo puts in, nobody is rushing to join the swim team.
lol exam..
we have science block day -_-;
I started watching this series a week ago and I must say I really like it and I look forward to the next episode.
Ow btw I like the story and the characters alot, and its Namco not Bamco (just noticed) Great you keep blogging this.
Bandai and Namco merged. A popular name for Bandai + Namco is Bamco.
“Bamco”, lol. It sounds retarded. It sounds like they are going to bankrupt soon already -_-;
Yeah okay the have merged but to me it’s still namco and bandai. But nice one Bamco.
man, can’t wait for the full reviw, looks like a good ep. Good luck with your exams Omni.
Hope they remake Street Fighter then.
Hmm….interesting. I’m starting to have doubts as to whether the Kyou now is really the Kyou right at the start of episode 1. For all you know, he may not be real but something else…..
I have to say this series just keeps getting better and better. Looking forward to the sub for this episode.
This series is obviously generic, but I can’t help but find myself interested in this. Maybe it’s because of my recent lack of mecha series, or maybe its because of how the characters just seem so much more interesting that it outweighs the crappiness of the mecha sequences.
I like this anime.
“Hope they remake Street Fighter then.”
I think is Capcom doing this game not Namco neither Bandai.
Ohh Bamco LOL, it looks like the lottery in Canada…the name is Bango or Banco LOLLLLLLLLLLLll
Why not Namdai?
Bandai is bigger than Namco I suppose?
Preview seems to suggest that for the other pilots, zegapain-world is real?
I say that Kyo is fake, so the story can have a possible twist.