Emi’s Conflict
Hmm. Have thousands of worlds erased and billions of lives exterminated or risk potentially losing your own, non-contributing one. Which will be more beneficial in the long run?
I joke. It’s a tough call. Well, not really. But a lack of empathy can go a long way in complicating the decision. I don’t envy her position right now, that’s for sure. You know that feeling when you’re with a group of friends (me neither) and everyone’s having fun but there’s something nagging you in the back of your mind? Like you have a paper due or you left the oven on? I imagine Emi’s situation to be exactly like that one. As per usual, her soft shell of isolation is easily being broken down and it seems like it’s only a matter of time.
SHE DRANK THE MILK. Her renewed devotion to her father was portrayed well in the beginning of the episode. Saying good morning to the picture of her dad and downing a glass of milk for breakfast was kind of subtle, and really helped reinforce what she was thinking. Good communication. I hate when miscommunication and misunderstandings are the basis for conflict in a show. Hearing a character say, ‘nevermind’ after not being heard the first time is the bane of my anime existence so I’m glad this show is able to use dialogue and action to get things out. Can’t say I’m happy about the return of pouty Emi though.
Being A Father
I think I understand Kaido’s goal even less than Emi’s conflict. Probably because I’m not a dad. Parent’s love can stretch pretty far it seems. The priority list is not something I can understand though, especially when it comes to happiness vs being alive. Why would you want to live in perpetual sadness, knowing you’re the reason multitudes of universes are being carved up and destroyed? That’s just a downer. Emi did seem legitimately happy with her friends though. It isn’t much of a stretch to say that if the heroes would go away, there’s a good chance Emi would get over it eventually. Maybe that’s how Kaido sees it. I could get behind that thought process.
I could get behind that process. That was before hearing that Emi’s dad’s flesh was long gone and he had become a personification of all the feelings of regret from every universe Emi had died in. And Emi thought that was sweet. They both really need to tweak their outlooks on life a little. It sounds odd to write, after everything I’ve watched, but aren’t they a little too optimistic? Hoping that she’ll get over indirectly murdering billions and being thankful her vengeful spirit of a father is trying to keep her alive just seems… not like a fun family activity.
Heroes and Villains Diverge
Something that was noted in the last episode but that really came out today was the divergence between the heroes and the villain’s paths to reaching the same goal. That is to say, none of it is fueled by logic but one involves protecting everyone while the other involves killing everyone, save one. Ken, at his Ken-est, ditched the other heroes to have a nice chat with Zed. Gee, wonder how that one was gonna go. I’m sure the man responsible for countless murders is totally open to criticism regarding his daughter’s safety. Especially when Ken’s plan was to save her. “But how?” Just don’t give up and save her, duh.
Regardless, it was once again nice to see the conflicting personalities. While Takeshi was loud-mouthed and rather unhelpful, he did follow Emi out of worry for her. A big split from his normal, goofy self. That karaoke scene with Casshern was so funny I had to pause the video because I was laughing so hard. At the same time, Ken’s brooding and silence while finding a solution, when he is usually the first one to speak out, was a nice departure too. He’s grown the closest to Emi since the start and I feel like him not pushing her was a nice sign that he understand her on a deeper level now. That’s progress, baby!
Emi’s (and Raja’s?) Determination
Did not expect this episode to end with Emi riding on Raja, in bird mode, while shooting lasers at Belle but I am by no means complaining. So it looks like the case was inside Emi the whole time. Shocker. Having had no real desires, the power had never manifested itself until now. 
And Raja, an unlikely companion, just happened to stop hating his dad recently too. Go figure. It’s now a 6v1 battle against succubus girl. Is she really that strong? And she only lost before because she didn’t want to look so ugly in her robo-suit? Huh. I’ll call BS on that emergency, we need to stall, plot point. It’s whatever though, the show is still incredibly solid.
I don’t fully understand Belle’s character though. Why was she mad at Emi? Maybe I just missed it. She appeared to get mad when Ken was fighting Kaido. Is the assumption that Belle is upset that Emi made Kaido go a bit nuts? But he was already nuts beforehand and Emi is obeying his wishes for the first time since, like, ever. Oh well. Love is love. Is it Dammy’s turn to come back now? If not, can it be? You better believe I’ll be waiting til the bitter end for the return of One-Eye Dammy! Friendship edition!
Serious Emi looks like she’s here to stay though. No more whining this time, I’m sure of it.
The pencil may be smaller but her dream is bigger than ever! HA.
I thought Belle overheard Kaido when he told Ken that his flesh was long gone and, since her whole shtick has been wanting Kaido’s DNA, got annoyed that she was strung along for a prize that doesn’t really exist. Since she’s being denied what she wants, she’s trying to take her ire out on what Kaido wants to protect. At least, that’s how I interpreted it.
Oh! Good call. I’ll stick with that then, since none of my thoughts have turned up anything more plausible. She was waiting on that reward for calling in the nega-heroes. So that totally makes sense.