Jormungand – 10
The power of Koko compels you
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So normally, I dislike shoving two episodes in one post, but Hyouka 7 and 8 are going to be joined together since it’s part of the same arc. Anyways, for those of you who are here for Jormungand, YES! It’s time for some more explosions and action. That asshole should have known better then to mess with Koko. |
So this episode was mostly people dying and more confirmation that Koko and team are the most badass people around. There wasn’t much for characterization this time, but Koko did get some great lines in the episode (the one with the dragon being what stood out the most, though I’m sure that was the point in the first place). I wasn’t (and at the same time was) expecting her to go back for the missing doctor. We know that she doesn’t sell weapons for profit, but at the same time, this whole doctor thing didn’t have much to do with selling weapons. She could have easily just left him behind and had the FBI deal with Dragon, or just, you know, left him, but her team picked him up personally. Despite all of the illegal stuff she does, Koko does seem like a good person at heart (world peace, yo). …Though there’s always that fine line, but that’s what makes her appealing as a character in my eyes.
He’s committed so many crimes against humanity, they had to make a new term for it.
Now for the Dragon guy. His plan was to torture a doctor (who was there to help people) in front of a camera and then broadcast it? …How was this guy a national hero again? No, really. They didn’t exactly do a great job explaining wtf was going on in the country. …Hell, I don’t even know where this anime takes place/where the team is half the time. Dragon fell into the EXTREME asshole category of villains here, which seems a bit odd since normally Jormungand adds in something redeeming about it’s antagonists. …Though she basically sold him off at the end, and if he had anything redeeming to him, it would kind of be counter productive to the image she built herself by saving the doctor. Long story short, everything Koko’s team did against him felt like some sort of retribution.
Schokolade’s interactions with Koko were enjoyable to watch, as always (Schokolade could totally have her own spinoff show. She’s just the right mix of ditzy). Also, due to her and Koko (well, mostly Koko toying with him), he doesn’t seem like such a bad guy anymore. Sure, he’s still a complete asshole, but now I find his behaviour with Koko funny on some level. It’s hard to stay mad at the guy when Koko totally has him dancing on the palm of her hand. …Though I really wonder how and why Schokolade managed to make it in the FBI and what her job actually is. Scarecrow catches criminals. …She doesn’t seem to do much.
End Thoughts:
So apparently the single for the ED (Ambivalentidea) is out already. …Yay! Just waiting on that OST now. As for the actual episode, this was just another episode of gunfights and a convoluted mess of action sequences, so it’s hard to really comment on much. Don’t get me wrong, this is extremely fun to watch, but I’m not that big of a gun otaku, so my mind doesn’t really wander past “oh look, this person is shooting that person” during Jormungand. If you haven’t picked up on this yet, I enjoy watching violent anime and it the fighting IS fun to watch. However, I think my main enjoyment from this comes from the character interactions in this show (which is why I can get by without understanding half of the plot). I swear, half of what I write in these is a Koko and Jonah appreciation post. So if you don’t hear me talk much about the action sequences, it’s not because I don’t like them, but it’s just because they don’t require much thinking.
I don’t know how many of you were expecting Mao to die after talking about his family like that, but I was never particularly worried because I spoiled myself with a bit of the manga. Speaking of family, Koko’s father had something to do with the whole thing. Seeing how Kasper and Koko get along fairly well, I assume the same extends to their father and there had to have been some level of trust between Koko and her father if he knew she was going to sort it all out for him. Or maybe Koko just makes for a really reliable pawn. …Since the siblings are extremely influential/ powerful/ borderline insane, I can only imagine how their father is. Their parents are most likely their influences since Koko and Kasper are so similar in personality (…assuming that their mother is still alive. I don’t think they’ve said differently but there still hasn’t really been a mention).
Preview: So we’re entering the final arc of the first part of the anime! …Let’s see how that goes.
About Karakuri
University student and the one at Metanorn who's known for wearing glasses. Likes blood, insanity and plot twists, but also plays otome games and adores cute romance anime. It balances out... somehow.
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The ED is out? OK but I’m more interested in the OP. Can’t wait. Beware of Koko and Jonah. Jonah risks turning girls into shotacons and Koko turning both men and women into masochists. I really enjoyed the combat scenes in this episode, some of the best I’ve seen in Jormungand so far. It’s a shame the first half is almost over. Well, at least we’ll have the second half of Rinne no Lagrange to keep us occupied until the second Jormungand half comes.
You know the scariest thing about people like Koko, its nearly impossible to make them lose it but when they do… well I guess it all depends on their insanity level. It seems she’s on more bitter terms with her father than her brother Kaspar. If so, I wonder why she’s following his line of work.
LOL at the Dragon guy and Scarecrow getting owned by Koko. Koko has once again shown us just how magnificent she can be. They were both assholes that needed to be put in their places.
Ever since Jonah said that Koko’s smiles are a way of hiding what she’s really feeling, I’ve tried to guess what’s behind the smiles. Because if she’s grinning, especially when the situation is serious, she probably isn’t actually happy. I think Koko might have been about a second away from killing that female doctor when she was told, “You’re a dragon too.” You notice how she pauses a second and then starts grinning and laughing and waving her hands.
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The opening has been out for a couple weeks. Enjoy it as I have been. 🙂
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High Five!! Thanks for the link, Jrow!! You’re awesome. I’ll be downloading the OP right away. I was surprised to find out the singer was Kawada Mami, the same person who sang both OPs for both of the Toaru Majutsu no Index seasons.
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OTL Jrow beat me to it.
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LOL. Don’t worry. You’ll win the next time. Everyone gets their moment.
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Ahaha it seems like everyone agrees that the action in this episode was one of the best. …I don’t know if Lagrange will be able to fill the void Jormungand’s season long departure will leave me, but it can try.
…I don’t even think we’ve seen Koko completely lose it yet. If the next arc is what I think it’s going to be, THEN we’ll see Koko go seriously loco. Hmm, I don’t think that she’s on bad terms with her father per se, but she was definitely manipulated by him on some level and knew about it. I think she was just playing along since it served her interests. That’s the kind of family I think they are.
I thought she was going to snap too to be honest. Then again, Koko and laughing like that after pausing is probably scarier then her killing the doctor. What is going on in that head of hers?
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Lagrange might not be able to fill the void but maybe it can ease our impatience. I always get anxious to see good shows playing and get bummed when it comes to an end.
We’ve already seen how sadistic Koko can be when a situation turns bad and even then, it seems she’s holding it in. In my opinion, she’s a ticking time bomb. To me, she has a combination of Integra Hellsing’s authority and Kanade Suzutsuki’s playful sadism. It’s clear to see she doesn’t like manipulation unless it’s her doing the manipulating. Regardless of her reasons family wise, she’s an awesome business woman.
I didn’t know how she’d react after hearing the doctor call her a dragon. She doesn’t realize that the team and herself form one dragon themselves. There’s no way she would deny the title of “dragon”, because it’s the truth, and we’ve seen since the start of the series that Koko doesn’t try to disguise who she is and the work that she does at that point in time. I see it as her having pride in what she does.
I love the way this episode was ended. Koko is richer, she makes a fool out of Scarecrow, the bad guy is locked up and the docs get a safe flight out of it.
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Koko is showing herself over and over to be the friendliest arms dealer around. Of course that’s still far, far less friendly than the average person, but at least she can be counted on to get the job done no matter what. She does a good job promoting her business through this series, that’s for sure.
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Maybe that’s why she does it? Koko does get a ton of business despite being pretty much insane. She’s proven time and time again that she’s reliable and even though she’s crazy, she won’t go around acting violent at random unless provoked.
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I was wondering a lot where this episode takes place. I thought it was taking place in Serbia or Albania, but based on the context of the civil warfare and criminal activity I thought it was taking place in Bosnia.
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I… honestly can’t follow where they are half the time unless the show specifically tells me. I’m just going by continent at this point. First couple episodes was Europe and now they’re somewhere around Africa (maybe). Geography is definitely not one of my strengths.