I did not expect coming into this anime to cry. And I think by this point, there are really only a few things that can get me to cry, like CRY CRY, in anime and this episode hit the nail on the head. I had to dab my eyes and everything along with a sniffly nose. And I feel like it still could have been set up stronger. But more on that later.
When they said that this Gob guy hasn’t been around for a while, I already had the suspicion that he was dead. So I wasn’t surprised when it was confirmed later in the episode, but it still made me feel for the Cleaners because they all seemed to really respect and like the guy. I kind of wish we had gotten to know Gob a little more aside from that brief moment of him spray painting during Rudo’s welcome party. I feel like it would have hit a lot harder if that were the case. But I still think they did a good job conveying how much he meant to the Cleaners despite personally not resonating with his death all that hard. Considering this team has quite a few noisy people and then proceeded to be quiet the rest of the episode following the news.
It’s interesting how they spun the sentiment of “never deviating from what they want to do” into a double edged sword. Especially when it feels on the same wavelength of “do whatever makes you happy.” However, that very fact seemingly sent him to an early grave. It’s honestly really tragic that his passions ended up leading him to his death because he didn’t uphold any precautions. He was careless and ignored warnings of not going into the contaminated zones without a mask. His death could have been avoided and I feel like that’s the worst thing. Especially with how young he seemed to be and was seemingly a beacon of joy to a bunch of people, the Cleaners included.
We then are introduced to his successor, Remlin, who is taking Gob’s death pretty hard. Not to mention, it feels like a lot of responsibility lands on their shoulders at such a young age. To which could also be seen as the consequences of Gob’s actions. Though it is really interesting how this specific Vital Instrument is handed down to the next person and instantly gifting them with Giver abilities. Which is something incredibly rare considering the information we know about Givers and their Vital Instruments. I also couldn’t help but suspect that Follo might be feeling a bit envious of Rudo while he was giving his speech about the varying nature of becoming a Giver. He seemingly was giving his gloves a side-eye while he was talking about how some Givers immediately awaken to their powers while for others it takes a long time. Guess we’ll have to wait and see what becomes of that.
And while I feel like the emotional whiplash of Remlin going from crying to celebrating hit a little too hard, I can still resonate with the sentiment of not wanting to remain sad for Gob’s passing. Especially since he seemed like such a goofball. He would have wanted people to not cry over him for long. And in a way, it’s also celebrating the type of guy he was. Thinking about that, actually moved me to tears. You can take the time to mourn the passing of a loved one, but also remember and celebrate the goodness and joy you had with that person. At first I didn’t think it would hit me too hard because we hardly knew the guy, but alas, they did a wonderful job demonstrating that sentiment beautifully in that scene. The fact that it actually made me cry I think is a testament to them successfully getting those feelings across.
It then made me tear up more when it flashed to Rudo thinking back to his time with Regto. Especially when thinking about it, Rudo really hasn’t had the time to mourn his passing since he was immediately thrown into a mess. So I think this might give him the time and space to really let out his emotions in a healthy manner while also giving thanks to everything Regto did and gave to him during their time together. Because that man really did so much for him and Rudo probably wasn’t even able to truly tell him how grateful he is to him. Poor kid needs a good cry and just let his heart out. So if we get a good hearty cry from Rudo in the next episode, I might just lose it. Either way, the sentiment and emotions seemed to hit a cord with Rudo and I’m curious to hear his thoughts on the matter. Especially since that last shot of him was probably the softest we’ve ever seen of him.
While Rudo didn’t have too many lines in this episode, they did a fantastic job showing us his feelings and thoughts without him actually talking. At the beginning of the episode, it seemed like it was alluding to the weight of Regto not being there with him. Since he was always the one to help dress Rudo’s wounds. But now Rudo has to deal with the “burns” on his hands and arms on his own. And because of what happened to Regto, death seems to be a very triggering topic for Rudo. Especially since he seemingly couldn’t emotionally handle the weight of Gob’s death despite not really knowing the guy and looked like he was going to break down. From the look that he gave Remlin, he probably saw a bit of himself in them. Both ended up losing someone close to them at such a young age.
I feel like despite this episode feeling slightly filler-ish, I think it does a good job in essentially being the start of Rudo emotionally healing from the toll of Regto’s death. He’s surrounded by people who accept him now and seeing such a shining example of both mourning and celebrating someone dear to them, he definitely is in such a great place for him to grow emotionally and flourish. Allowing him to experience things that were seemingly restricted from him before. Especially with how this episode started out with Rudo being in the dark while in pain. Only for it to end with him being in the light of the fireworks with a look of awe and wonder in his eyes. This series is doing such a great job with Rudo’s emotional growth.