Well, that battle ended quickly. I’m not even exaggerating. It literally lasts for 1 minute and 8 seconds before the OP plays. After hyping up Chisato and Takina’s teamup against Majima, this is what we end up with? You got to be kidding me. And I know from the end of the episode that this fight isn’t technically over but that’s besides the point. That said, there’s still plenty to like with this scene. The show wisely acknowledges that even with Chsiato and Takina together, Majima is still a tough opponent. The animation is solid (and that has been the case throughout this cour). Chisato firing her gun super close to Majima’s ears to mess up his super-hearing is also a great way for her to defeat him. After Majima exploited her weakness last episode, it’s only fair that Chisato does the same.
The next 9 minutes or so after the OP is dedicated to Chisato’s confrontation with Yoshimatsu. Yoshimatsu confirms everything Mika told Chsiato about him and, like the “father” that he is, he expresses disappointment that his daughter is “wasting” her potential. I kind of get Yoshimatsu’s point here. He believes that anyone with a special talent should use them to the fullest for the benefit of the world. I just don’t get why it has to be used for killing people. Like, does it even matter with Chisato when she can complete missions without killing at all and other characters acknowledge her as a force to be reckoned with? It just feels like Yoshimatsu is arguing semantics. Maybe if Chisato genuinely struggled in a mission or two, I’d understand more but this show never once did that so this argument over ideals doesn’t completely stick the landing for me.
If nothing else, I kind of admire how dedicated Yoshimatsu is in making Chisato break her rule. The man implanted the newer artificial heart into his own chest so if Chisato wants the heart, she has to kill him to get it. Himegama arrives to fight Takina (to finish this rivalry that they kind of started?) and Yoshimatsu fires at the support beam they’re on, thereby endangering Takina. With no other choice, Chisato is forced to fire a live bullet at Yoshimatsu to get him to stop. This doesn’t kill Yoshimatsu but it is the closest Chsiato has gotten to breaking her rule. I do think all of this is absurd but it does illustrate the lengths our antagonist is willing to go to win. Part of me wondered why Yoshimatsu doesn’t just kill Chisato if she’s a lost cause in his eyes but I think that might be the father in him acting up. He cares enough about Chisato that he’s willing to give her a myriad of chances.
Given all the trouble he’s caused, it is extremely frustrating that Yoshimatsu leaves the scene alive. Any other comeuppance would be acceptable but if there one, it has yet to happen. I do however accept that Chisato allows him to leave. On principle alone, she isn’t going to kill him. And while she is disappointed at who her savior really is, as evidenced by her handing back her Alan-themed trinket, but the fact remains that she’s still grateful to him for saving her life. I kind of was expecting Takina to kill Yoshimatsu. It’s not like she’s as strict as Chisato about the no kill rule. She certainly tries at the end but Chisato stops her and convinces her to let it go. Admittedly, this is for the best. As much as Takina wants to rip out the heart from Yoshimatsu’s chest, Chisato would never approve of it.
After Yoshimatsu and Himegama leave, Kurumi and Mizuki arrive in a helicopter to pick up Chisato and Takina. Our leading duo learn that LilyBell, the male counterpart to Lycoris, has dispatched their agents to kill off any remaining Lycoris to cover up the government’s tracks. The girls have therefore been requested by Kusunoki to assist Fuki and the other Lycoris in seizing the Enkuboku’s control and thwart off LilyBell. If you’re confused about LilyBell, that’s because they were only established beforehand in a throwaway line of exposition by Chisato. I can’t technically say Lycoris Recoil pulled something out of thin air but it nevertheless comes across that way because they were only mentioned once and they don’t actually appear until now. It also just feels like an excuse to give the Lycoris someone to fight since Majima only has a few stragglers left.
Once the girls reach the control room, Chisato plugs in an USB stick given to her by Kurumi, giving her the access that she needs. As Walnut, Kurumi counters Robota’s hacking (while also getting him arrested) and she restores Radiata back to normal. She then broadcasts a message, claiming to the public that everything that just transpired is a publicity stunt. Frankly, I call bullshit on this. I mean, really? That’s all it takes? What about all the property damage or the very real guns people found? How about all the people who actually died during all of this? Are people just going to assume those people are just method actors and everything else is a bunch of special effects? I’d suspend my disbelief but the suspension cables instantly snapped when this scene happened. This is so damn stupid. I didn’t mind Kurumi’s hacking at the beginning of the show but it’s gotten to the point where it’s used as a massive crutch for the plot.
As mentioned earlier, the fight with Majima isn’t technically over. The dude manages to break free and trick Chisato into separating herself from her friends (with a very obvious trap but whatever, there’s dumber stuff in this episode). I’m down for another round between these two. Here’s hoping it lasts longer than 1 minute and 8 seconds.
Frankly, this is a pretty messy episode, in a way that past episodes aren’t. As you can tell from all the above paragraphs, there are a few things I like here but I’d also argue that this episode tries to cover too much ground. Even putting that aside, there are a couple of details that nag at me. The one saving grace I can see here is that this episode leaves the show with just a few things left to do, meaning that the finale might have some room to conclude all the loose ends in the story.
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