“I guess it’s not as easy as it is in cartoons…” -Ao Fukai
Summary: Ao tries to learn the controls to the Nirvash, and with a little help and lecturing from Fleur, he’s able to final figure out how most of it works. Together with the rest of team Pied Piper, Ao and Fleur devise a plan to get close enough to the Secret to destroy it. With Fleur and Elena as backup/baby sitters, Ao is able to blow the Secret up in a truly spectacular manor. We’re shown a little bit more of the world that Ao lives in and how not everything is as peachy as it might appear when Ao’s shown around a city of the United Okinawa and Ryukyu Islands by some dude (who saves him from the water? What?)
Back on Iwato Jima, Gazelle, Pippo, and Han see Fleur and Elena extracting a strange glowing green cube from the Scub with their IFOs, causing the Scub to go dormant. They wonder to themselves what exactly the cube is, and why Generation Bleu wants it. Ivica, Fleur, and Naru are waiting for Ao when he get’s back from his little excursion to the city. Determined to find out what exactly happened to his mother, Ao asks to join Generation Bleu with the hope of eventually being able to find her. The Allied Forces (the Americans who built part of the Nirvash and now that’s it’s working again want it back) show up, forcing Ao and Team Pied Piper to make a hasty get away.
Impression: A so-so episode in my opinion. On the one hand, we’ve got a pretty nicely done fight scene between the three IFO pilots and the huge flying penis Secret. Of course Ao was going to be the one to finish it off, but it was cool seeing Fleur and Elena kicking some butt as well. Elena’s little homage to Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion made a little part of me scream with happiness inside (Highfives all around if you caught that too.) We also finally find out what happened to Eureka (kinda of.) I would not have guessed that she would have disappeared fighting/being around(?) a Scub Coral. The question remains: Where in the world is she now?!? I also liked that they fleshed out the world a little bit by showing us how exactly the kind of half-independence that they live under affects everyday people. It’s obvious from the interactions with the lady at the restaurant that Ao and Random Dude go to that people are desperate and willing to do anything to survive. I’m also pleased with the pace of the show so far. After four episodes dealing with Ao’s home, it’s good to see that now they’re moving on to new locations.
On the flip side, there was one part that really confused and irritated me. After Ao blows up the giant space dildo Secret, the next time we see him is on the beach with Random Dude. BUT HOW DID HE GET ON THE BEACH? AND WHO IS THE RANDOM DUDE? They kinda leave you to infer that in the explosion, Ao and the Nirvash are either knocked into the ocean or crash some place on the island. Random Dude then rescues Ao and hides the Nirvash, but HOW (since they just explained last episode that only children could pilot IFOs) did he manage to move it if Ao was unconscious?!? It’s not like it’s something that you can just pick up with your hands, it’s a giant robot for Pete’s sake! And there is absolutely no explanation given as to who Random Dude is, he doesn’t even have a name! He’s just some Random Dude, who works at a High-Energy Particle Mining place (whatever the heck that is…) and who might (?) have some connection to Generation Bleu. I did not buy that Ao would just trust him enough to get in the car with him and go on an ice cream date (Ao has either had a very sheltered life or he has zero common sense.) Maybe I just missed something? Point being, it was all done in a very confusing manor and I was not a fan.
Final thought: Noah was extra cute this episode! Ivica and him are already my favorite pairing of the show so far. Also, Ao, pro tip dude: ditch that ugly baseball cap. It is truly horrible.