Is it possible to hate half of an episode but still like an episode as a whole? Until now I might of told you, ‘No, that can’t be a thing’ however, Plastic Memories managed it. I hated the first half of the episode, a lot. The second half however, was sweet, romantic and nearly had me in tears. So what did I hate so much about the first part?
What made the second part so good? Let’s take a look.
The first part of the episode we establish that Tsukasa has been moved into the dorm with Isla and they aren’t exactly clicking together as roommates. As soon as they get to the dorm, Isla curls up on her…bed/recharging chair and doesn’t say a word to him. This of course, concerns him. So he goes through various ways of trying to get her to open up.
Why he didn’t go to her previous owner and talk to her until halfway through the episode is totally beyond me, or why he listened to all the guys in the company rather than asking the girls.
[Though, Eru’s advice was just as bad as any of the guys.]
Basically, it’s a montage of failures to get her to open up that always ended in some kind of awkward situation that Michiru would walk in on. Thus, giving her a chance to be annoyed with him, think he’s a pervert or punch him in the face to kill the bee on his nose.
You see, the issue is that I WANT to like Michiru. I think under that ‘I’m totally Asuka from Evangelion’ exterior she might actually be an interesting character. This episode did nothing to show that though and just annoyed me MORE with her character. [Also, this episode, she has that nerdy thing going on when she’s in the dorm that reminds me of Naru from Love Hina….please, improve as a character…please?]
Instead of getting mad, labeling him as a pervert and beating him up. Why didn’t she talk to him? Try to understand what was going on and offer advice? Please, Michiru, I want to like you. So stop being an unlikable bitch. Please.
So after he fails at becoming a muscle man to impress Isla, fails to cook for her, fails to be an escort, fails to give her flowers and fails to push her down and force himself on her.
We get to the GOOD part of the episode, where Kuzuki talks to him and tells him to take her out somewhere and to be himself. Because, going to her sooner as her old partner and roommate wouldn’t of been a stellar idea from the start. -rolls eyes-
So, he asks Isla to accompany him on his day out to help him pick out a gift for someone who had helped him at work. We all know, that he means her, but as she never accepts gifts for herself he has to lie.
So they go out shopping and she is wearing her work uniform. He asks if she has any normal clothing, she does not, so they go to a store to pick out clothing. He finds an outfit that he believes would be cute on her and asks her to try it on. Saying that the person that he is buying for is about her height.
She goes to try it on, but messes it up and rips it in the process. They buy it and move on to an herbal store that Isla frequents. I just, have so many feelings about this part of the episode. He wants to make memories with her, on and off the clock. They buy some tea herbs and he takes her to a theme park and reveals that the person he was buying for all this time was her.
She pushes him away and runs home, he just can’t understand it. It’s because she knows, as we know, that her time is coming up. Nobody has told Tsukasa yet. So how can we expect him to understand that. He buys her a keychain from the theme park and brings it back to the house.
He gives her the gift, telling her that if she doesn’t want it. She can toss it later, the last thing we see in the episode is her holding it. Looking at it, as if she’s trying to burn it into her memory.
STUPID FEELINGS, STUPID SHOW, STUPID NOBODY TELLING TSUKASA THAT ISLA’S TIME IS COMING UP. I mean, when your job is erasing the memories of your kind and knowing that your time to have your memories erased is coming up, how can you want to accept new memories? How can you desire to get close to anyone? Doesn’t anyone realize that by not telling Tsukasa about this, that they are just hurting Isla more?
I was really frustrated by the first half of the episode, but the second half more than made up for it. So for my question of, ‘can you hate half an episode and still like it overall?’
Yes, yes you can.
~Midnight
I didn’t hate the first half but I agree that the second half was better. I mean how could I, they put a chuunibyou demo koi ga shitai reference in! BANISHMENT THIS WORLD! (no, anyone?) But this show is so sad…the feels…OH GOSH THE HORRIBLE END WE ALL KNOW IS COMING *sobs*
Seriously sci-fi is not the only genre I think they forgot romance, seinen, slice or life, comedy, romance, romance, feels, feels, feels, tragedy. tradegy. mecha, feels, feels, feels, feels, drama, romance, drama, feels, feels, and let’s not forget feels Q.Q
I love this show but it frustrates me that NOBODY is telling Tsukasa about Isla’s short time left. I mean it seems like the obvious thing to do, but nope, no one tells him anything.
I really love how the opening flashes between Isla in two different times, so fitting! That countdown with 2000 hours and supposedly every Giftia they’ll retrieve being part of the opening is a little harsh. Harsh realities though. It’s not like I’ve got a right to complain though. I’ll live.
I can understand what you meant about the different halves of the episodes. First half had its chuckles, but there was much more that could’ve happened, like having her model Eru’s dress since she won’t accept as a present. That would have made her accepting Tsukasa’s present at the end all the more impactful!
I find it really interesting that they feel the need to have Giftias bleed though… So I’m still holding on to the hope that artificial, but biological brains are what let Giftias be so natural above all other artificial beings. Gather enough data and the designs can be improved. One day.
I have a dream that our four precious Giftia will one day live in a nation where they will not be limited by the makeup of their bodies but by the content of their character.