Code:Breaker – 02
“Talk to the hand, woman.”
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And with today, midterms are over for me! …Not that I had very many. Anyways, I’m rather happy with how Code:Breaker is progressing. It’s hitting the right emotions and the story is going places. Though I think most of my enjoyment here is that I’m actually seeing an adaption going well as opposed to what happened with one of my favourite games last season… |
I was expecting a boring episode of Sakura fearing Rei and making a spectacle of herself because of that, but it turned out better than just that. They played the tension just right and they had me hooked. Even Sakura’s character, which annoyed me in the manga for the first couple of chapters, seemed more justified. They’ve made Rei seem like more like someone evil, so of course Sakura’s actions in trying to stop him make sense. In the manga, I always took Rei as someone who thought of himself as evil, but in the end, all of his actions were justified and it was just Sakura misunderstanding. Here, Oogami Rei seems to be a devious bastard. I like it. Maybe I just misinterpreted the manga (or have gotten confused from the events of the recent chapters), but for now, Rei seems to fit the evil for evil perfectly.
Speaking of evil for evil, I really, really like the concept. Society can get pretty corrupt and there are just some people that the law can’t or won’t judge. So what is humanity to do? Rei is the answer the government came up with. It’s not often that anime presents us with a villainous hero and even if we don’t get into his mind like we do Sakura’s, I think he’s a rather unique character. Rei kind of represents the pessimistic look on society where the belief is that humanity is corrupt and only completely getting rid of that corruption can solve anything. It’s like stopping violence with more violence. On the other hand, Sakura has the more positive outlook on humanity where all life has value and people can be reformed no matter their level of corruption. I told you they were excellent character foils.
Moonbucks was never quite the same after ‘the incident’. Sunbucks across the street was fine though.
So it’s not that Rei didn’t try to burn Sakura the last episode, it was that he couldn’t. I don’t know if it was expressed clearly this episode, but she’s pretty much the only person immune to his flames. Sure there are TONS of other ways to kill people other than burning them to death, but it’s because she’s immune that he decided not to. …Seeing how he’s not above taking out witnesses, I look back at this chapter in the manga and really wonder why he never just outright killed Sakura instead of bringing her home (…though in the manga, he did just kind of leave her there in the park alone and unconscious). In the end, I’m just going to assume that her level of ‘pureness’/ the fact that she has absolutely no evil in her to speak of prevented him on some psychological level. …Yeah, I don’t know.
So I’m not entirely sure what Yuuki is doing in there since he first appears around volume 3, and the plot is still in volume 1, but at least his appearance made it look like plot actually happened this episode. It would have been rather boring (like the manga was) if it was just an entire episode dedicated to Sakura being suspicious of Rei. Sure, it was just a lengthy character introduction about a guy with an obsession with a fictional cat, but it was a change of pace and a great introduction to another Code:Breaker. …Even if he was introduced before they even explained what a Code:Breaker actually was. Sure, it might have decreased the tension levels a bit and seemed random, but I honestly think the original needed something like this. Without it, the plot of the main arc wouldn’t have started for a loooong time. …Now if only Toki would make his official appearance.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and the requiem of fury for evil.
I’m more satisfied with Yuuki’s seiyuu than Sakura’s and Rei’s. Toyonaga Toshiyuki’s voice seems to fit Yuuki really well and it’s a world of difference from his other role this season as Zetsuen’s Mahiro. Though that being said, Hikasa’s deep voice seemed more appropriate for Sakura this episode and Okamoto isn’t using his Rin voice, which helps distinguish between his two roles (or at least I’m not connecting between the voices; though it been a while since Ao for me). I guess I’m just getting used to the voices as this series progresses. Sakura’s mother and father turned out pretty damn awesome as well for the little screentime they had. As for the rest of the production, Rei’s glass breaking scene was great. The slow motion and the sound effects were perfect for that part. I quite liked how they showed Yuuki’s power as well. I’m not going to spoil what it is yet if you haven’t already guessed, but I figured it would be hard to animate. They did really well with it though. Again, I’m looking forward to seeing the shadow user later in the series.
End Thoughts:
I’m impressed. They took a chapter that I thought was going to be really boring, messed around with the chronological order of things and somehow, it actually worked. Now, I almost always believe that the original material is better than the adaption with any manga/game/whatever to anime. With Code:Breaker though, I’m almost thinking that this anime is turning out better than the beginning of the manga did. …Though of course, I’d have to see more of the series before claiming that. It’s so far so good though. I was so impressed, that I looked up the director and HOLY CRAP, it’s Yasuhiro Irie, the guy who did FMA Brotherhood. Even without that name behind it though, this is turning out better than expected in the music and animation departments. I really do hope that this lasts past 13 episodes now, just to see what else they can do.
Preview:
More arson? More fun!
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.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
I actually watched a segment on NHK World called Imagine-nation and it featured this. They said there that since magnetism and sound can’t normally be seen, they took the liberty to add some effects so that it can be more distinguished. Toki kind of demonstrated it already in the OP but we’ll see it once he makes a proper appearance. Same with Yuuki’s.
As for Yuuki appearing, yeah I’m surprised as well. Especially now that he is confronting Hitomi already. So not in the manga but I’m okay with it. It doesn’t hurt the overall plot. Plus the OP does seem to say that they want all of them to show up already. I’m okay with his voice too. Just that [sage] translated Nyanmaru as Mewton. Just…wtf.
And about why Rei didn’t kill Sakura because she’s a witness, isn’t it because she can’t be burned that he didn’t do her in. I thought that was simple to understand. She’s a special one and needs to be observed so she was spared. She’s rather annoying though. Should have killed her regardless 😛
Still not used to Sakura’s eyes but I’m getting used to her voice.
Good episode overall and what I liked in the first volumes. This pace is perfect so that it won’t go to the latter parts where it dropped in quality.
I want to see Heike already. He looks so fabulous in the OP.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Oh really? I’m really excited to see how they handle some parts of the magnetism. Like Toki’s mercury attack.
Agreed. It doesn’t hurt anything, so why not? I’m thinking they’ll throw Prince in there too since she already appears in the OP with everyone else. LOL I had those subs too. …I …I don’t know.
That’s what I was thinking too. Especially in the cases like the illegal organ selling where she just straight up got in Rei’s way. I would have done her in then, Rare Kind or not.
LOL yeah I want to see Heike as well ! I also want to see if they bother censoring his reading material. God he’s fabulous.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Rei is really cold for a protagonist. And here I thought Sasuke Uchiha had issues. The way he glares at Sakura while explaining himself, he’s certainly evil to the point that he should be the villain. Sakura has her work cut out for her if she intends to continue crossing his path.
But at the same time, Rei is right with his views on the world. There’s hardly anything around that isn’t corrupt and so it makes his tactics seem like the right course of action even if it means compromising your morality. It sounds just like The League of Shadows from Batman Begins where they thought Gotham was beyond saving and needed to be destroyed.
I wonder what Sakura is exactly that she can resist his flames. I’m guessing it’s someething in her bloodline that makes her valuable otherwise Rei would have killed her on the spot.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Ahahaha a guy who burns people to death being called cold. I wonder if the author knew the irony when she planned out his character. Anyways, yep. It’s basically Rei vs. evil and Sakura trying to stop him.
I always sided with Rei’s argument as well, though this anime is really putting emphasis on his evil-ness. …I never watched the Batman movies. Any of them.
Er, I’m not going to go into details, but you’re correct. I’m still not entirely sure why she was kept alive since Rei isn’t exactly a whimsical guy who does things on impulse, but I’ll go with it.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I want to know what happened with Rei when he was a kid (pan to that massacre), that he’s so oblivious. Also, what’s so special about Sakura that she won’t burn? I knew it that it wasn’t out of Rei’s goodness of heart that he didn’t try.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Oh that wasn’t Rei, that was Sakura. It did look quite like Rei though, so there was probably some confusion there. As for Sakura… even the manga hasn’t covered exactly why (the explanation thus far is that she was just born that way), but in any case, she’s special.
POWUH: 600-699 and Wingman with 655 comments
eye for an eye huh, i guess this comes from ancient times, such as the Hammurabi’s code, but i still don’t like the idea that much. i guess i still believe in the human goodness existing in the massive human evil 😛