oprainfall Week in Anime: Feb 19 - 25

We here at oprainfall don’t just love video games: we’re big fans of anime, too. So in celebration of the medium, we’re here to give you our thoughts on what we’ve been watching each week as we watch it. Old, new – anything goes.

Currently Airing:

Nier: Automate Ver1.1a

After last week’s honestly lackluster episode, I wasn’t expecting much from this week’s Nier, so of course it goes and throws a genuinely enjoyable curveball. We cold open on Adam and Eve sitting in their skivvies, with Adam explaining to Eve why he’s required to wear clothes and eat. They want to emulate humans, and these are things humans once did. Eve couldn’t care less, but he will do anything his big brother says, so complies. While this scene is directly from the game, I still genuinely appreciate how the animators give us equal opportunity fan service, because we all know they didn’t have to. Anyway, 9S and 2B are on an errand to bring fuel and other supplies to the Machine Village run by everyone’s favorite pacifist, Pascale. On the way they pass through an old mall, where 9S suggests he and 2B return when they achieve peace so he can buy her a cute T-shirt. It’s one of my favorite exchanges from the game and it was adorable here, too. They reach the village and meet Pascale, who explains he’s collected like-minded machine life forms who only want to live in peace. They are no longer connected to the machine network. While exploring the village, the Yorha units descend into a cave and find a giant head in a tree, and here is where this episode goes from “okay” to “oh my gosh.”

The Nier anime so far has excelled when it does its own thing, rather than recreating scenes from the game. Here, not only do we get an entirely new backstory for Pascale, we also get our first introduction to Emil, but not one those who played the game would recognize. This tree is the village’s god, Pascale explains. When the pods note that the head is alive, 9S hacks in, and to say my jaw dropped and I flailed would be an understatement. Not only do we get Emil’s theme starting in the background, but the hacking sequence gives us glimpses into Emil’s past, showing characters and locations from Nier Replicant. 9S is quickly expelled, but not before he gleans some information about who – or what – Emil is. This is a massive change from the source material and I am genuinely interested in seeing how it plays out. After this, the group leaves the cave and handles a spat between some of the children machines, with 9S more than ready to murder them because they’re arguing over a music box, because 9S is gonna 9S. His Operator talks him down, and we end the episode with a parallel sequence where Adam similarly cows Eve. I want to see more of these twists and changes that give the anime its own take on events rather than the dried retellings we’ve gotten in most episodes. I really hope we get them. – Leah

— You can watch Nier: Automata Ver1.1a on Crunchyroll.

Buddy Daddies

We got a Rei-focused episode and we go more into his family as he’s called back. This was probably the least humor-filled episode with how it goes into his situation. Kazuki mainly is at home with Miri explaining a bit more to her. Going to the job, Rei finally comes into direct contact with the odd man we occasionally see. He is just as unsettling as you would think. The brief action we get was well done and it does really show how dire the situation is for those involved, including Rei. The ending though was nice as we saw what the pair was spending the episode doing; however, the after credits scene is pretty foreboding. – Walter

— You can watch Buddy Daddies on Crunchyroll.

Trigun Stampede

Following right on the heels of last week’s reveal that Vash is, in fact, a Plant, this week’s episode is dedicated entirely to his time as a child before and after the Great Crash that stranded humans on Gunsmoke. After running away from Nai, Vash is found half-dead in the desert by survivors from Ship Three – Luida and Brad – who take him in as a quasi-prisoner. Unlike most Plants that exist in the spheres and power humanity’s civilization, Vash is what’s called an Independent. He wasn’t cloned from a progenitor Plant cell, but rather was reproduced naturally. He’s more human than power generator, and the humans of Ship Three aren’t sure what to do with him. Eventually, Vash proves his worth by saving a Plant that’s losing control, and from there he becomes a bona fide member of Ship Three. He travels Gunsmoke with Brad treating Plants from other survivor ships and colonies and is generally just living his life happily. Unfortunately, Brad eventually discovers that Vash was involved in the Great Crash and that the boy hid not only his involvement but the existence of another Independent. Vash overhears Brad telling Luida that he must have been in league with Nai to destroy humanity this whole time. Vash runs away, determined to atone for the sins of his bother, and we end the episode as the two meet amongst the red and dying Plants of another ship.

I loved how this episode handled Vash’s past. In the 90’s anime, we only ever really spent time with Rem during flashbacks, so to see how Vash got by long after she was gone gives us more glimpses into what makes him tick. Rem is ever-present throughout the episode despite being dead, and her impact on Vash can be felt in every action he takes, but Luida and Brad also left their mark on him. I also enjoyed getting more Plant lore in general. I find the concept of them so incredibly fascinating, and they were my favorite aspect of the original anime, but we never got to learn much about them. Seeing Vash interact with them is always a delight, and I desperately need to know more about Independents and how they came to be. We’ve only got a few episodes left of this season and I am gnawing at the bit for the next one. – Leah

— You can watch Trigun Stampede on Crunchyroll.

Tomo-chan is a Girl!

I caught up on the last three episodes and they were all pretty good. We got a flashback seeing Jun, Tomo, and Misuzu as kids, a beach scene, and not to mention a summer festival. There were a lot of great scenes. We got to see a bit more about Jun and his point of view in the flash back, which was different. I would still say that some of the best moments are the ones with Carol and Misuzu. I was surprised that the delinquents became more reoccurring characters and their attempt on Misuzu and Carol was unexpected. Though it goes without saying, things don’t go well for them and is finished nicely with Misuzu’s final threat. – Walter