You and the rest of us watching this show, Pinky.
SPOILERS AWHORE!
Undeterred from being blowed up by Tusk, Embryo puts his world merging plan into action and finally rips his Nice God persona completely off. If it isn’t spanking Salia for her insubordination it’s casually brushing Ersha’s simple request of resurrecting dead preschoolers back to life. Unsurprisingly he does not care one whit about what they want, and only wants to groom them for his new world run by “Strong, intelligent, women”. However, his definition of strength and intelligence is markedly shallow in that it is defined by unquestioning loyalty to him, never mind is showcased by one of said women making him lunch wearing only an apron. Thank goodness Cross Ange is not a dating sim, or else this would all just be very very very uncomfortable when you have to “Press X to spank”.
The developments with him, as well as the nascent union between Salamandinay and the Norma are big highlights of this episode. The showcase of how both sides are dealing with the aftermath is handled very well, continuing the cast’s descent into proper resolve for the final battle. This extends well into the World O’ Mana, where interestingly enough Embryo sends their civilization into a grinding halt. I half expected a coalition of Mana users fighting in the final battle with their power getting cut off in the end, but I guess they are too much of a bunch of sheeples to be of use. Now that the world is in chaos, the stakes are raised much higher, as well as the possibility of dick Hover-Lacrosse players getting merged into ruined Art-Deco facades. That last one would be very neat.
Alas, that is nothing compared to the crux of the second half of the episode: Ange going through the grieving process of losing both Tusk and Momoka. This not only involves an attempt at suicide, but a realization of how Tusk almost fell into despair when he became the last Ancient Person. That entire part worked incredibly well, as it showed how much an impact the unwavering loyalties of Tusk and Momoka had on her, and her ability to trust others. The segment is short enough to elicit enough feeling about loss, but doesn’t overstay its welcome, turning her entire plight into helpless pity gathering. The woman whose glare would be like a thousand daggers piercing you has revealed her vulnerability…
…Until Tusk comes up behind her, in turn compelling her to channel her grief and sexual frustrations into hot island sex, before finding out that Momoka was waiting for 12 hours to feed them.
Honestly, I do not know what to feel anymore. When I first found out about Tusk and Momoka surviving, I was totally inclined to have as my subtitle “OKAY WHO LET MOROSAWA INTO THE WRITING ROOM!?” at the way the show handled their survival reeks of copout. To be sure, them coming back has always been a possibility, given how they ought to have known better trying to kill a God. If Momoka and Tusk were ignorant to the fact of Embryo’s abilities it would’ve made for a nice tragedy since they were leading a futile attack unbeknownst to them. Given how they had seen Embryo’s power, some contingency plans may have been set up. However, to the detriment of the show it does absolutely nothing to truly explain away this rather big development.
Fukuda has gone on Twitter (account’s still locked) and apparently stated it doesn’t really matter how they survived, just that they did. Granted this is a show that has a God reviving whomever he so pleases, it still is not enough. One cannot wave massive explosions with enough force and energy to completely incinerate anybody in its way and not get suspicious as to whether Embryo had something to do with it. Hell, Ange initially is filled with reservations when she reunites with Tusk. So in the end, while I can somewhat understand Fukuda saying those things, it still feels like one big setup by the writers before a gigantic punchline. I’m sure of it. This series has an internal logic that when you sit down and think about it, makes some modicum of sense, so to pull this off is a rather big volte-face for it.
This said, at least these deaths were made with some distinct possibility they may have survived, given how they occurred in open, outdoor, spaces. In Gundam SEED/Destiny, you are more likely to be murdered by a stray beam or explosion in an open area, but your survival skills are increased tenfold when you are in a confined environment like a mobile suit cockpit. Fukuda logic! I… I… something it.
Cross Ange will never let us win. It’s like we’re playing soccer and it’s playing Calvinball.
Rondo of Notes:
- Dat last still image of the sponsors. Kinda hawt-- Wait....
- I love how ill-defined they’ve kept the tech in Cross Ange. Instead of a Vilkiss fetch quest, Ange just summons it with her ring easy-peasy. Cheap? But then again, so is the show.
- Lots of flashbacks in this one. Kindof a Fukuda staple, but thankfully this episode seems to be the only big perpetrator in indulging in this vice. Maybe what was saved budget-wise will be used for quite a bit in the last three episodes.
- Some part of me wished that after the love scene with Ange and Tusk, she’d turn to him and then to her horror she thought she was making love to Tusk, but it was him, Embryo. But nah, that’d be too cruel even for this show.
