Zetman’s “QQ” face.
Summary:
Amagi Seizou tries to trigger the Zetman full form through traumatizing Jin with another death of a person close to him, but all it does is cause the white Zetman form to deteriorate faster. They travel to the underground room where the original Players were call forth, and Jin makes his choice- to take on the full form of Zetman to the best of his ability.
Impressions:
The speed the show is going at never ceases to amaze me…it’s like they don’t want to you linger on any of the story, characters, or events. On one hand, they’re not doing fillers; on the other, they’re not making a whole lot of sense, and is very unforgiving for anyone that isn’t really paying attention or just started.
Some things never change: the episode starts where it ended last time, with Jin seeing his auntie being killed by a Player. It turns out, it was all just an illusion induced by the grandpa Amagi in order to bring about the full form of “ZET.” But the underlying issue is that Jin is inherently human, and not a Player. The more violence he suffers from, the more he becomes the ZET, but also, the shorter the duration of the turn. The death of a Player returns him to his human form, which leaves him extremely vulnerable in a fight. This where Alphas will come into the story…I think he’s only going to be a support character in all this. As much as the escaped Players are the ones that are causing destruction in society, the real antagonists is the Amagi family. Whether it’s Seizou Amagi, trying to close the chapter of mistakes he has made with bringing forth the Players; his son and current head of the Amagi Corporation, Matsugai Amagi, trying to save his corporation; and lastly, his disillusioned teenaged son, Kouga, who still dreams of being seen as a hero.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller…” XD
Kouga, Kouga, Kouga. As much as this episode was about Jin, it was about Kouga’s development…or his lack of it. He still sees Alphas, his childhood cartoon hero as “real”- an ideal of justice that he should reach for. While Jin may not have the role models and characters to emulate that Kouga has, he develops a mindset that will help his survive. Kouga is soft, too protected by his family’s power. Zetman, the Players, Amagi Corporation are all parts of an evolving family legacy, and how many people’s lives it destroys.
Kouga’s Alphas figure collection inhibits his desk shelf.
There’s a scene that touches on the childhood relationship that Kouga, Konoha, and Jin had. Kouga had tried to stop a purse-snatching, but Jin was the one that moved to stop the person, while Kouga just stood by. Kouga is still struggling to catch up, and while he trains physically, his mental capacity needs a strong boost in the upcoming story. Jin may have unfair advantage of the ZET form, but Kouga lacks the fundamental understanding of wanting to grow up, and change for the better. In a way…I think he minds me of otaku. He’s an Alphas and “justice” otaku, and looks on his ideals and toys of childhood with a hint of nostalgia. While most people choose to move it to the side when growing up, Kouga has made it his center, his point of focus, and this has hampered him. He has Konoha for help, but even she doesn’t know how to teach him. It’s not childish to have figures and have unreachable ideals, but to not be able to move beyond that limited thinking is part of growing up.
Difference of ideals: Jin eventually agrees to train to the best of his abilities to become the full form. I’m not sure why they need the full form, when the “incomplete” one has been sufficient enough to fight the last few Players. Also, what are the guardians doing, of not going after Players? There’s less than 13 of them now, so what stops them? Seizou seems keen on using Jin to solve his greatest mistake, and Jin only agrees in the way he knows best, which is with compensation.
Typing Kanzaki head.
And what’s with Kanzaki’s head? Why is it talking? How is it talking? How did they get it? Why is it in a box?
Jin is traumatized with the fake death of his aunt, and this triggers the degeneration of the ZET form in the training cube. The greatest weakness, perhaps, of the ZET form, is not physical, but mental. Like Alphas/Kouga, there’s a mindset needed to take care of others and become all that you can. But how can Jin go from the one that protects all to the killing machine needed to defeat the Players? Also…the Players themselves are, I suppose not entirely at fault. They were pulled from the depths with the Angel’s Ring, told to fight one another to the death for the amusement of the rich, and when they escape, they are hunted. Sure, they kill people, but…
I really liked that they concentrated a bit more on Kouga’s development this episode. Editing needs a lot more work, though. Until next week!
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