Galilei Donna 02-03
Estranged sisters make for awkward family photos.
Every season, there are always a handful of shows that, thanks to a solid and interesting premise, start off in a very promising way, but then quickly fade after a couple of episodes because the execution fails to live up to the expectations set by the premiere. Galilei Donna so far seems to have flipped the script with a weak premise but promising execution so far.
Galileo Donna’s premise three episodes in is still too incomplete to consider as anywhere close to solid. The main problem is that the series still hasn’t addressed why all these factions are fighting tooth and nail over a treasure whose identity is almost completely unknown. For example, the sky pirates from the Black Ganymede are looking for Galileo’s treasure without knowing anything about it – and we all know how nearly impossible it is to look for something when you don’t even know what it is you’re looking for. Along the same vein, Franchesco Materazzi, the CEO of the Adnimoon Company, has dedicated considerable resources to finding the treasure based solely on a whim/gut feeling of, “Since everyone is looking for it, so must I.” The stakes to finding the treasure are extremely high but the reasons are completely vague, which can make it harder and harder for some viewers to remain interested.
Much of the weakness in the premise is due to the significant lack of any urgency whatsoever. The implications of the treasure being found remain almost completely unknown, other than the imminent danger facing the Galileo gals. For all we know, the treasure could turn out to be something inconsequential, like a scientific discovery made obsolete by centuries of advances, or something of the utmost importance, such as a discovery that threatens the entire world or reveals a new energy source to wean the world off of methane hydrate. Even the aspect of Adnimoon creating a monopoly by bankrolling sky pirates doesn’t seem very menacing, probably because there are still at least 100 years of energy reserves left. This lack of urgency has the effect of making an emotional investment in the world of Galilei Donna difficult.
Such a weak premise could very well possibly be an intentional decision by the showrunners, as it shifts the focus of the story onto the plight of the Ferrari daughters instead and makes them easier to become emotionally invested in. On this front, the execution has been a bright spot in the series thus far. Although many of the Ferrari girls’ personalities and backstories are nothing new, the bits and pieces we have learned are pretty compelling and were delivered quite well.
Hozuki’s wish for her family to get back together was handled in a refreshing manner, with the reveal coming from her sister Hazuki’s observations around the Galileo instead of being expressly stated as is commonplace. The youngest Ferrari daughter appears as a character who speaks through her actions rather than her words, which is unusual when so many characters do just the opposite. In any case, it will be interesting finding out how the family became separated as well as how they will get back together, a task made even more difficult because of Sylvia’s (strangely convenient for Adnimoon) amnesia.
Kazuki’s story as the girl who wants nothing to do with adventure and only wants the comforts of home actually doesn’t come off as spoiled but as realistic instead. She doesn’t have the calm temperament of Hozuki or the cheerful demeanor of Hazuki, but Kazuki is how I envision many people would behave in her situation. Her desire to go home makes even more sense with revelation of her inferiority complex whenever she is around Hazuki, and definitely understandable/relatable. Kazuki’s eventual development as the reluctant hero adds an intriguing ingredient to what is shaping up to be a well-rounded cast of characters.
All in all, what’s promising about this series is that there is a clear path laid out for its characters, which is a lot more than can be said about the story itself. Like the best adventure shows, Galilei Donna seems to understand very well that the journeys made on the inside are just as important as the ones made on the outside.
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I like writing about anime, long walks on the beach, and clichés. Oh and being mysterious too...
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
My biggest annoyance with this series is a petty one: I find the names confusing. Hazuki, Kazuki, and Hozuki make it hard to instantly differentiate. And on top of that, did they really need to pick Ferrari? I realize it’s a top 3 family name in Italy, but that just seems a little bit of rubbing it in with name dropping.
Aside from that, I really like Kazuki’s reluctance to the whole enterprise. She’s a teenager, she already feels like she’s not special, she misses her boyfriend, and now she’s stuck with her sisters, who she hasn’t been living with, and on the run from all sorts of dangerous crap that nobody has any clue about, but they’re willing to kill her. How the hell is anyone supposed to deal with that?
I do hope that Hazuki will stop trying to invoke the threat of a lawsuit or prosecution sometime soon. It’s increasingly farcical as we see that these guys they’re against are above the law. I guess it would make a fun “ha HA!” at the end if they all end up in jail after being prosecuted, but it’s already wearing thin as a schtick.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Since I love this show so much, I made it a thing to get the names right. Hozuki is the most important to me, so I got her right of the bat. Hazaki is the eldest, Kazaki is the middle sister.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Like Highway said, the names of the girls are confusing. They’re far too similar and easy to mix up which it makes it hard to memorize when you’re mentioning anything they’re doing.
It’s still amazing that a kid as frail looking as Hozuki was able to create something as impressive as her ship with all the technology and accomidations by herself, and in secret no less. Well, it was fate that she did looking at what the sisters currently have to deal with. Imagine how valuable she’ll become when she gets older.
Kazuki is too naïve to think that if you give people what they want, everything will be okay. Up until recently, you can say she was living in nothing more than a priviliged fantasy and yes, she has some issues but she’s in the real world now and you’re good as dead if you give up the only bargaining chip that assures your survival. It put me off a bit that everyone else except her was able to pick up on that guy’s murderous intent.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think you’re too hard on Kazuki. The ‘real world’ is the one where most people, if you do what they want, stop bugging you and go away. The world of international espionage and murders isn’t really ‘real’, it’s extraordinary, and probably completely overwhelming. Especially when one of the people advocating running / fighting is her adventurous flake / failure of an older sister, who history has shown you don’t really want to go along with.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I think Kazuki is being a bit naive, but I can also understand why she acting the way she is. She’s living in a split home, and usually lived alone with her mother. She’s used to going to school, coming home, not having to deal with all this and living the life of a normal teen. She obviously has a little bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to her sisters, one strong enough to be out on her own, and the other a child genius. It’s probably not helped by the fact that she lives with her mother and thus constantly hearing about upholding the Galilei legacy.
Now she’s stuck with the two sisters that she really hasn’t spent much time with, and a lot of her ire is mostly aimed at the youngest, since you expect to look up to your older siblings, but when the younger tend to outdo you, sharpened jealously ensues.
Also, probably living with her mom, she’s used to the finer things in life, and I can understand her frustration as everything seems to be going wrong from the attack at the school, to being arrested, to not having clean clothes to put on after a shower. I think the Adnimoon guy’s attack was the last straw, and she just began unraveling.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I’m am really loving this series. My second favorite of the season. I love all three girls and how all three have their problems but all are likable in a way. I love the youngest, however I can understand how the middle one feels overshadowed by her siblings. She probably doesn’t know that her little sister probably looks up to her and that she has her own talent in her own way.
I also like how the sisters act more western than the normal Japanese MCs we usually get, like the whole shower scene. If I had a sister, I would NOT be comfortable if she walked in on me in the shower, and I too would yell at her to get out. Most Westerners, and especially Americans, are not comfortable with the whole public bath thing, even if it is with other members of the same sex. So, it was nice having a show show what a Western girl’s response would be.
I’m glad neither parent is dead, but one has amnesia and the other is on the run. And the bad guys are your stock really over the top evil. In fact, I almost expected at the end of the CEO tycoon’s speech in the beginning for everyone to start shouting “Sieg Heil!” and such, since that’s where it seemed to be building.
I’m expecting for the girls to join up with the pirates eventually since, they seem to be the anti-heroes of this story. I’ll be looking forward to it.
I give this an 8/10.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I’m loving everything about this show so far. My only concern is that it will not avoid the Dan Brown/DaVinci Code BS. When dealing with this sort of secret past, it’s a stick trap to avoid some sort of Alien Beethoven scenario.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Wow. This is late in the game for me, but I should have seen it early. Missed opportunity for Galileo Galilei to not have done and OP or ED for this series….
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I mean they rocked it for Gundam Age with Asu e.