Ninth Yells About G-Tekketsu Episode 4

[ninthfeather]

 I really enjoyed this week’s episode, “The Price of Life,” alternately titled “The Calm Before More Explosions Happen” or “Gaelio Bauduin’s Horrible, Awful, No-Good Very Bad Day”…

 

Seriously, though….a lot of plot threads went into motion, characters were fleshed out, there was even more social commentary and the answer to why the heck a unit was called “Human Debris” turned out to be just about as bad as I thought.  Spoilery observations under the cut.

 

So, this was not an action episode but it was very much a plot one.  I can see them setting up dominoes and I do not like the dominoes.  Or, well, I like them, but in the sense that I am hoping for Tekketsu not to hold back and so far the indications are that it won’t.

 

Todo is a lowlife and that domino is falling by the end of the next episode.  Either he dies next episode at one of the Tekkadan’s hands or he survives a gratingly long amount of time as a proof of the capriciousness of war.  

 

Either way, that promises to be an utter mess and probably the first battle that goes really badly for the Tekkadan.  By episode 5, we’re due for a rout, anyhow.

 

Speaking of awful things, the Human Debris.  Oh gosh.  Slaves.  Just when we thought Mars couldn’t get uglier, it got uglier.  There’s a question of whether this is just meant to be a bit of thematic awfulness or social commentary, too, since slavery/human trafficking is still a thing that happens, especially in disadvantaged, poor populations.  Either way, Orga giving them their papers was spectacular, especially the way he was deliberately casual about it.

 

And, speaking of social commentary, the whole scene with Kudelia and Mikazuki in the cornfield felt like it to me.  At the very least, it was reinforcing the existence of their differences in experiences…Kudelia finding the work “refreshing” while Mikazuki was concerned about earning his friend’s grandmother money to live.  I’ve lived near working farms and know farmers; I kinda find Kudelia…well, not cute, in that scene, because of her attitude there.

 

Speaking of her, I can’t say I’m a fan of the developing love triangle between her, Mikazuki, and Atra.  I find both girl-guy pairs cute but I’m not here for the competition between them, I’m here for robots, politics, and angst, not necessarily in that order.

 

We do have another confirmed existent girl, though!  Given, she’s 9 years old and probably has Gaelio’s weird hair genes–but she exists.

 

Poor Gaelio, though–if he has to write a mission report on this episode, he probably ends up ready to resign his commission in disgrace by the end of it.  “I swerved to avoid the two children, got out of the vehicle to ascertain their condition, and then was nearly choked to death by a teenager.  Shortly thereafter I nearly threw up after mention of a medical procedure said teenager underwent.”  He did not have a good showing, this episode.

 

Questions and Predictions

Questions: Where, exactly, are they going with Ein Dalton’s character now that they’ve killed Crank and the other guy on his team?  Is Kudelia’s spine going to make a reappearance?  How badly is the relative calm of this episode going to be counterbalanced next week?

 

Predictions: Biscuit now has three likable family members; he is going to die.  Orga is hitting every Jerk with a Heart of Gold button I have and acting as the inspiration for the Tekkadan; he is going to die, too.  McGillis Fareed just acknowledged his enemy’s fighting skill, wears a uniform with a cape, and is blond–he’s the Char clone.