Phi Brain – 18
“I think better when I sit on top of people I deem as inferior…Got a problem with that?”
Welcome to the ‘Gammon is a giant prick’ episode. I really need to stop hating all the characters in this show except for the villain. Ah well. Let’s go over just how much idiocy occurred in just 22 odd minutes of Phi Brain, shall we?
Guess how this episode begins? WITH KAITO SULKING OVER ROOK. Okay, no it doesn’t. Rewind a bit and it actually starts with Gammon and his little sister complimenting him on being more talented as a Giver than a Solver, as well as praising him for taking care of her since their parents aren’t around. That gives him a very dangerous idea…BACK TO KAITO SULKING. He’s not as depressed as usual, mind you, but still mellow enough to provoke Nonoha to break out the devil cosplay to cheer him up. Maybe it’s not as effective because none of the other phi brain kids dressed up or even came to sit with them at lunch. Hmm. Before they can get too suspicious, they hear an announcement on the PA telling them to report to the office. It’s a big surprise to hear the headmaster’s voice all of a sudden considering he was just kidnapped, so they hightail it out of there as fast as they can.
Derp, he’s still kidnapped. Jikugawa used a voice changer so the students wouldn’t wonder why their principal suddenly stopped doing his duties. He quickly explains that he’s being closely monitored and that they’ll have to be the ones to try and bring down the POG, which Kaito is all for. Kaito is fine as long as his friends are there! Too bad..they’re..not there. Ana and Cubic are now avoiding Kaito because he doesn’t acknowledge them as friends even after they’ve risked their lives for him. Gammon is even going as far as dropping in on Elena to see just how the life of a Giver is. A bit of praise from her is all it takes for him to start putting some full-time effort into creating puzzles to stump people.
Now THIS is how you do a *head desk*
Nonoha desperately tries to convince everyone to stand by Kaito’s side as he faces Rook, but no one takes the bait. Her last resort is Gammon, but he twists the situation into a showdown. He accuses Kaito of letting everyone near him get hurt by the POG, and orders Nonoha to stay away from him so she will be safe. The drama peaks when he challenges Kaito to solve his puzzle, which he was somehow able to set up within a day. IT’S ON!
Trap your opponent in a square and you win. All you have to do it hit two pillars on the field with your sword to draw a line. The catch is that your opponent is moving too, so you’re going to be doing a lot of dodging and weaving through the field of pillars. It’s a miracle Kaito can even lift the sword with his scrawny, chicken arms. The two of them begin to d-d-d-d-d-dd-d-duel (I couldn’t resist) and have fun chasing each other down. Halfway through, Gammon mentions that the loser will explode. JUST BY THE WAY, you know, not that it matters.
“Do I get extra points if the space I enclose you in is penis-shaped?” “GODDAMMIT KAITO, STOP IT”
Kaito starts to panic a bit as heir movements become faster and more desperate. Gammon eggs him on to activate the Orpheus armlet and try and beat him, all the while backing him into a corner. So…he uses his armlet and wins. <_< Unexpected victory, of course. He spares Gammon a highly combustible death and lets him live another day. Gammon leaves and decides to join the POG to obtain sufficient revenge.
Random Headcanon + KAITO KILLS THE MOOD:
Cool’s headcanon: Rook has a photo of Kaito embedded deeply in his afro at all times.
So how many points do I get if I smack you in the face and knock you out?
Also, how many times do I get to stab you if one of these sparks takes out my eyeball?
How about you just win NOT BLOWING UP as a prize for being quiet?!
End Thoughts:
Everyone in this show is an idiot. I know people make bad decisions when they’re emotional but every single choice a character made in this episode was enraging. Kaito is handling the news about his parents a lot better than I thought and is actually trying to save Rook instead of getting revenge. This is good. However, he still hasn’t shown much of an inclination towards being a good friend by trying to keep them away from dangerous puzzles or even simple things like acknowledging their existence. Ana and Cubic really waited a long time before coming to a breaking point. I would have stopped hanging out with him a long time ago if I knew it meant sticking my neck out time after time for someone who barely notices when I talk to them. However, they skipped one very important step before distancing themselves from Kaito: talking to him. If you are having a problem with a friend, it’s really a good idea to talk to them. If someone is acting in a way you don’t appreciate you say “Hey man, that’s not cool. You are doing x and I do not want you to do x because of y. I suggest you do z, but let’s talk about a solution together!” You do not just ditch them and passively hope they will figure out how to change by themselves. Can someone just tell Kaito what he needs to do? Gammon almost did that, but he pissed him off far too much for Kaito to ever take his words to heart.
Now for the worst part! OH NO, THIS RANT AIN’T OVER YET. I have barely even touched upon Gammon, who has become a traitor for the flimsiest of reasons. Once again, instead of sitting Kaito down and explaining things to him and maybe leaving him alone if he refused to change, Gammon lashes out with the tenderness of a frenzied mountain lion ripping into a bloody carcass. I understand going against Kaito as a rival, but I don’t see where the jump from “I need to beat him” to “I NEED TO MURDER HIM” arises. This is a serious crime! You do not become a mad bomber overnight! Why does he need to go so far to prove himself to Kaito and to protect Nonoha? In the end, he’s just doing the exact same thing the POG has been doing to Kaito and his friends. “You do not care about your friends falling prey to the deadly puzzles you solve emotionlessly so HERE IS ANOTHER DEADLY PUZZLE TO FIX YOUR CROOKED MENTALITY!” Yes. Wow. Solid logic there. I found this episode to be rather irritating due to all the stupid decisions. =_= It’s just…too..much…
In a poor attempt to save this from just being a rant (I hope you all had an adequate picture in your mind of me yelling and pacing around the room, fangs bared and fingers gripping at my hair) I will actually talk about some good parts of the episode, or at least some nice hints at things to come. For one, Gammon has a cute imouto! She seems to faint a lot in class so she might have the “nondescript anime disease” where Gammon needs money for her operation. Or maybe just anemia. Even if she doesn’t have anything severe, they live alone for whatever reason (parents are probably dead, but they might also just be away for their jobs) so Gammon needs money for them to live. Therefore, his seemingly random obsession with money may have a more sentimental root than first thought. This would be great if he wasn’t an asshole this episode URRRGHHH. Okay…calming down again. Secondly, Elena is back! I was never very fond of her, but Phi Brain gets dull sometimes and needs some extra characters to spice things up. Everything still isn’t wrapped up with her since she still appears to be as jaded as ever, so we’ll probably see even more of her. Lastly, the animation wasn’t as derp. Or at the very least, the sword fight had a lot of motion and very few shortcuts. NOT IN GENERAL, please remember I’m measuring things on the Phi Brain scale of things. Impressive movement for Phi Brain…not so much for Fate/Zero. So this episode wasn’t a total waste, but I’m still bitter… Whenever people are idiots you just want to fix them, you know? *sigh* BUT I CAN’T BECAUSE THEY AREN’T REAL AND CAN’T HEAR ME YELLING ADVICE! WHY CAN’T YOU LISTEN TO ME? >:/
Preview: Gammon tries to join the POG but it looks like he has to solve an entry puzzle first. Meanwhile, Kaito is…Jesus Christ, what the hell are you doing? Is your armlet emitting shadows? Oh great, “Dark Kaito” is on his way…
100% of his brain is being used for EVIL! …What do you mean “evil” isn’t a concrete category? SHUT UP!
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 338 comments
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Omg your rant me laughing more then High School Boys that I watching while reading this XD Oh those anime characters and never doing what you tell them too! My neighbors can hear me yelling, WHAT CAN’T THEY!! Actually Yaoi is the exception! I yell HUG HIM!! and it happens XD
Agreed! On all front, thou I think Gammon being a Giver is a pretty awesome twist. I love it when friends turn rivals are fighting it out XD (such a sadist) Look forward to Gammon in a motorcycle puzzle yahoo!!
Honsetly thou, what is up with everyone! I mean come on Cubic, Kaito is never going to love you if you keep those tears to yourself! I have no words for Anna he is just a mystery. Nonoha is right! by isolating Kaito they are doing exactly what the POG wants. What kinda hero’s are they!!! The heroes never do what the bad guy is actually planning!! Idiots!! <— famous last words.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
That’s quite a feat! I’m glad my rant was amusing even though you enjoyed the episode. I usually like when rivalries pop up, but only when they occur for adequate reasons. Gammon really doesn’t have a good reason. -_-
Ana and Cubic will probably change their minds at the last minute and save him :/ I bet you anything that happens.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
What a surprise development. I never thought Gammon could be a puzzle giver and he’s good at solving them. And he’s going to become a P.O.G giver?! This story’s getting twisted.
I believe that Gammon has good intentions for doing this. He’s training Kaito to not be consumed by the bracelet and the P.O.G. Gammon was talking to Kaito about resisting. And provoking him about Nonoha will make him have a stronger bond with her. Then by joining the P.O.G, Gammon could find out about the group’s moves and help Kaito. Hmm, it’s only a theory so far…
Nonoha looked hot in that cosplay costume. But what is she dressed up as? I was uninterested at the beginning but I’m glad that I kept following the show. There’s so much drama in it.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I have to admit I was impressed at him being smart enough to both create puzzles and solve them. Even Rook and Kaito only specialize in one. If only he used that intelligence for finding a good way to help Kaito. Shock therapy isn’t really the best type of therapy, especially if it involves DEATH if you fail. Good intentions are not enough :/
I have no idea what Nonoha was supposed to be. A devil? Bat? Demon? Darkstalkers generic cosplay? I wish she just wore that all the time and made weird sound effects XD
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 26 comments
I actually enjoyed this episode a lot! I loved the twist, and I think Gammon is not the superficial guy we thought he was. I bet there is something interesting behind all his actions. Maybe jealousy mixed with concern. Plus, Gammon in the POG could be pretty useful. We’ll see.
I honestly think Kaito deserves to be left alone. It’s OK to be worried about Rook, but he never seemed to care too much about his friends, and when someone is so stubborn he needs something strong to awaken him. I guess the three of them are worried about Kaito and the path he chose and just want him to react, which doesn’t mean they just suddenly hate him. Many people stand up for Kaito, others are on the opposite side; I personally think he has to go through something even bigger than before to connect with his deepest emotions and open his eyes. Or it could just be that this whole drama is only used to fill the season until the new one begins XD
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Good, that’s one less person experiencing the levels of frustration I did! Gammon will be useful in the POG if he acts as a double spy, but we all saw just how well that worked out for the Principal <_< If Ana and Cubic weren't willing to give him a second chance - I'd totally get that. He's been blind to their needs for almost the entire series. I don't know if he needs something 'big' to happen since he must already be incredibly unstable from everything that's happened so far...but he needs someone to make him truly see what he's doing to his friends and himself.
POWUH: iLurker with 3 comments
I found it kind of disturbing when Kaito said that Rook was ‘seperated’ from his parents. This could very well mean he was ‘donated’ to the POG or he was taken away. This may come into play later.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Huh, interesting point. What a chilling image, if it’s true the POG goes around taking genius children from their parents. Or maybe they just slink around orphanages. Still…creepy.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 323 comments
one word …weird
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Always.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
So true about Gammon! WHAT THE HELL? You are his rival and you want to kill him to protect Nanoha? Ahahahah that logic is so crazy!! But you are spot on he has a cute little sister <3 I think her voice actress is the same for Tsugmumi? Aka Azu-nyan from K-on!
You might be right about Gammon being obsessed with money for his sister she may need an operation, medicine and other random "anime disease" cause this is ANIME! IT NEEDS MORE CHEESE.
Poor Anna and Cubrick? WHAT THE HELL!? They even blew off Nanoha...she was trying to get them to actually talk to Kaito. I think she is the only sane one of the bunch, almost forgot that bat suit of hers <3 but Kaito is like Ichigo on Bleach = girls throwing themselves at them and they are both like I don't have time for Loveeeeee only puzzles and killing bad guys.
Swords are cool yo!
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Lots of WHAT THE HELLS, I see. I don’t blame you.
POWUH: iLurker with 8 comments
You know I have to admit everyone has to have idiotic prick disease. Except Nonoha.
Actually the odd illnesses keep piling up.
-Puzzle Addictions
-Idiotic prick syndrome
-Friend allergies
–
Kaito addiction, the hardness one to overcome.POWUH: iLurker with 8 comments
Actually now that I think about Cubic, Ana, and Gammon. Are just as socially awkward as Kaito for different reasons. They probably don’t have any friends other then each other. Which makes me really sad when this episode happen.
Nonoha is the only one that seems to socially adjusted. Even if she is an over achiever.
That’s not a bad thing, but I get worried she’ll wear herself out.POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
So many illnesses…I need to get to work on a proper vaccine…*rummages through dangerous chemical supply casually*
Good point…Instead of ignoring Kaito and hanging out with their other friends, they just locked themselves in a room all alone. :/ I guess they’re trying to show that geniuses are a bit weird since Nonoha is the only grounded one (she’s not really an all-around puzzle genius, although she does have a photographic memory)