Black Bullet – 11
Good things always come in threes
Welcome back to the bug hunt! Well, this could have been a better episode, but it didn’t fail completely.
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Bugs and LOLis
Just a bit off the back and sides, please
In drama it’s not enough to have two opposing sides. The theory is that something is stable on two legs, much more stable on three. So the will they won’t they of romance, is made more complex with another potential love interest. Combat is made more complex by adding a third detail, a mole in the ranks, a platoon turning traitor…The idea is that the complexity, if payed off well, will make for a more satisfying, more fulfilling story. If it payed off well.
Spider LOLi PUNCH!
With that in mind, there was really no reason for things to go down like they did in the first act. What was stopping Rentarou reporting the flanking detachment? Even if they were reminded of orders to stay in camp (stupid orders anyway), the writers had determined that the adjuvant would make near easy work of it anyway. It would have caused a few more deaths perhaps, but hey, that’s scenery gorn for a show like this. So why? Well, to have an execution order handed down to Rentarou for leading his group away in violation of orders. DORAMA! Sigh. As a third leg, it makes more shakes than it stabilizes.
…despite this, no one here is revved up like a deuce…
But onto the fighting, the best part of the episode. As I stated above and as he stated as well, Ren’s adjuvant is one heck of a fighting force. They just naturally know how to watch each other’s back and play to their strengths. Plus you’ve got to love all the CQC bug squashing. I especially love how Kisara’s swordplay is close quarter, ranged, and burst, depending on the situation. And both Shouma’s and Tamaki’s style. Just keep punching, the LOLi’s got our backs. Humans draw the mobs, LOLi’s pepper them down from range.
But all is not cool in the battle. First the JASDF did well the first round, but suffered insane losses the second time. This unleashed a horde of bugs to the camp, leading to the above shaky leg situation. As if that wasn’t enough we have a new Big Bug in the form of Pleiades. Yet another definition defying Level Four that uses some kinda game ending weapon they are calling the Spear of Light. Later on, it is expressed that it is using mercury as a weapon, and was “throwing mercury around”. I know you can use that substance with a laser, but that seems far fetched here. But as I’ve stated before about this show, if they don’t bother to explain this stuff, I’m not gonna. It kills things dead either way, right?
A cup of water in the desert
Ren must love Cougar Town
In the aftermath of the fighting we get to perhaps one of the best parts of the show. Sumire-sensei always delivers great exposition, but during this episode she topped it. I love hearing her say she wanted to “cheer on the idiots who are trying to get out of the desert” I’ve always complained that this show has very little in the way of showing the effects of a post-apocalyptic world, but she talks a good talk about it. It speaks volumes of having hope, and about how much hope really needs help to make it come to light. “Take action Rentarou-kun, if you stop death will find you.” Oh, that feels like such delicious foreshadowing.
Report to General Jerkwad
…well, at least his Initiator is pretty awesome…
But we can’t escape this episode without talking about Gadou. What a tool! I swear, characters having samurai warlord pretenses bug the heck out of me. And that line about letting Aldebaran taking his leg, “I let ‘im have it”; what a joke. Dude, you fought hard, nothing wrong in admitting you got away with less than you would have liked. “Yeah, my left leg isn’t the dominant one anyway, you want it that baaaaaaad, I can gift wrap it for ya!” So it’s hardly surprising that he handed down some third rate BS decree. “You’re actions were equal to fleeing in the presence of an enemy”. Wait, what?! I would get that if they just booked it back home. But running into the jaws of another set of enemies is hardly desertion. But give the supporting character his due. He has to be the bearer of this nuttery in as much as he has to be the guy to say it’s impossible to kill Aldebaran; cause it regenerates. Way to bring down the party dude, do you even watch anime? MC finds a way.
It’s delicious to be bad
Admit it…you missed them
And yes, the return of Kagetane. As an aside how many of you are fired up for the return of Kiritsugu in both Fate/stay night and Ilya 2wei. I sure am. I don’t know if Kagetane watches anime, but I know he’s seen the original Star Wars prequel, cause he just uses the Dark Side playbook without missing a beat. He is unrelenting on getting Rentarou to the other side of his coin; because all it would take to make them a whole unit is the right flip. And he’s very giving. Yes, that way is the way to your goal, that BS taking down an unstoppable monster by yourself. Oh, we’re just going the same way as you….by coincidence. Oh, he’s a charmer!
Extra Clips
Well, when all is said and done, I really felt the episode was rushed. We could have had a lot more battle in this thing. Face it, cute girls doing cute things fighting bugs is what makes the show worth watching, and they’ve been doing that, more or less, right. I have read most of the available manga, and bits and pieces of the LN. The sources have tons more social interaction and construction and do it well, the adaptation hasn’t been. With two more episodes, I hope they focus on Bugs and LOLis, and the issues between Kagetane and Rentarou cause that is what keeps me interested.
Preview
Looking a the same goal, guys?
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 29 comments
I think I can pretty much guess at Gadou’s motivations but Kagetane’s the interesting one. Where do his allegiances lie and could he and Rentaro have more in common than they realize? Waiting to find out!
Pretty hyped about Fate/Stay Night – it’ll great to see the return of some old favorites!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
The Boss Lady has forbade me and anyone I even know from watching the original Fate/Stay Night. So I’m really hyped to see it after this site hyped it so much.
Kagetane’s allegiance is to himself, I think.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
For your sake, you’d better heed the Boss Lady’s warning or it’s the Death Perception for you.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…and for my kid…
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
hmm did i miss the Fate/Stay Night hype train? or am i just later to the party? lol
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Nope. After F/Z, I agree with Golden Pikachu’s statement in F/SN: The 5th Grail Wars are run by women and children.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I’ve been wanting to watch this series since a lot of people suggested it as being really good? However, I found out it is one in a series of series, though. Should I start with Fate/Stay Night or was their a prequel? Or will it even matter with the newer series coming out?
Strangely enough, it too has been suggested to me to wait for the new series. lol
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
I feel, it would be best to start with Fate/Zero, then the new new Fate/Stay Night, because you learn more about the characters in zero, and it might make it cooler to know before FSN. that’s just my opinion really, and that is what id do if it was me lol.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
>Good things always come in threes
>not four(one on each limb)
>leaving out Tina
Shame on you.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…Tina stinx.
LOL.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Absolutely loved this episode and I’m extremely happy at Kagetane and Kohina making a return. I love Rentaro and Enju, but Kagetane has to be my favorite character.
I can bet many of us, including myself, were just waiting for Kagetane and Rentaro to team up. Like Kagetane said, the two of them are really not all that different. Kagetane is simply what would happen to Rentaro if he ever got pushed past his breaking point. Their conversation at the end of this was my favorite part of the whole episode.
I love how Rentaro says that Kagetane “really is broken”, and the man simply returns with a figurative “duh.”
Kohina again is both cute and deadly and sounded as if she would have been genuinely sad if Enju had died. As for her dad, I actually like that Kagetane has a bit of characterization here, and I know I can’t be the only one who wanted to see his face. And I really liked his foreboding line about knowing for sure that Rentaro will one day join him.
By the way, you’re aren’t the only one who’s been seeing the Star Wars nod, Kage’s been doing the “Join me and together we will end this destructive conflict” since he met Rentaro. And I tell ya, if they do a “I am your father” moment, I will go nuts. 😛
As of this point, with all the really crappy humans we keep running into (lookin’ at you, Gado), I really wouldn’t blame Rentaro if he did go dark.
As for the rest of the episode, it was okay. The fight scene was cool, the Gastrea are definately in top form and at their deadliest. As a scientist, the egregious use of mercury for Pleiades’ weapon of the spear of light, made me huff a little and roll my eyes, but whatever. Yet, that being said, I’m wondering if our little blind, singing cursed child may be a part of this? I’ve heard a few people wonder if she is in fact, Pleiades, and I honestly, wouldn’t be surprised if it was.
Well, we have 2 more episodes, we’ll have to see what they do with them. However, with how good this show has been this season, I have high hopes.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I don’t think they will go the full “I am your father” routine, but they will pull heavy on the father figure thing.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Lolis with unholy eyes. Pedobear approves!
*runs away*
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…pedobear would get mauled badly…good.
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 29 comments
Quite honestly I am surprised I have stuck with the series this far. I love loli characters so that’s good but I feel Black Bullet should have focused on the apocalyptical world and on the dangers of Gastrea. It has only just started to with the Gastrea invasion but mostly in this episode and a one or two episodes back.
All this time the political and societal turmoil of the Cursed Children has been the focused while good some of the social interactions during those times can get quite tedious. If it wasn’t for Yuki Kaji’s (Rentaro) and Tomoyo Kurosawa’s (Tina) entertaining performances and some moments of actual story progression gold I would have said goodbye to Black Bullet.
One more episode to go and somehow still hope it can end somewhat with an ending that carries some impact.
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 29 comments
Just found out there are actually going to be 13 episodes for Black Bullet. 2 episodes to go but still cutting it close.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Oh, I had to do a sneaky after publish edit, cause I called this the “penultimate” episode in my intro.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Don’t be ashamed because apparently there are breakdowns in information. On MAL for Akuma no Riddle. At the start, it was said to have a total of 13 episodes and now all of a sudden, it’s now 12.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yep, it should have been All LOLi’s Kicking All The Ass All the Time with some other stuff added to give it a bit of spice.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
I totally Agree with this statement.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Well I’ve been lazy so sorry for the delay. There actually a lot of interesting background info, philosophical and political tones in the novels that sadly couldn’t be explored in the anime due to lolKadokawa.
– There actually 5 more hybrids (the combination of a CC and mechanical soldier) that Ayn Rand made and they all have similar or greater power to Tina. Tina is just the first one Ayn made.
– CC can actually give birth to a baby. Think abt that and then consider how Middle East countries treat womens. I won’t give the details, but the CC indeed are treated even worse overseas.
– They tone down a lot of the cynical dialogues of Sumire. And Rentaro
gosl is basically the same as Eren just replace “Titans” to “Stage V Gastreas”.
– They actually more to the “Nanahoshi village” part. There was a mistakenly uploaded Level 10 clearance video titled “Ardi file” on the list that was deleted. Sumire is able to extract and partly repair the video data. It shows a female figure that is basically William Birkin G virus form(s) but worser. The video contains the word “Devil Virus”. Sumire speculated that she is the first victim of Gastrea virus.
– The younger Katagiri silk gland is located at the tip of her fingers if any1 is wondering.
Its OK Rentarou, I too was wondering abt whether is her silk gland located at her assThere also the case where a Model Bird Initiator grow wings.– Gadou armour is a type of power suit made by Miori company.
– Be4 Rentaro parents die and all that stuff, apparently he is a pretty smart kid.
And that it for today. Hopefully Part 2 will come out after I’m done w/h the assignment.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Is this provided they have time to mature past any possible Corrosion?
I was very much wondering about where the silk gland was located. Awww, and Angel LOLi, or a Devil LOLi. Why not have both?!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
From the way its implied, I’d say its straight up child pregnancy.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
In the LNs (vol 1), Kagetane actually telephones Rentaro to tell him he’s still alive and well, and drops hints that old man Tendo hired him to cause trouble then.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Did I ever mention abt it, just wondering?
KADOKAWA!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
That Tendo is a righteous old dick, isn’t he.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Self righteous bastards really need a reality check.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Grandpa.. would you stop being a dick?”
“NO the day is mine! and I’m still young let me…act like a dick!”
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Good things always come in threes.
Not if it’s a buffet. I expect good things to come in multiples there. (^ ^)
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Indeed. Hopefully it also has a free bar and about a dozen chocolate fountains.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
free all you can eat? and I’ve never seen a chocolate fountain irl yet… one of the ‘on my list’ of things to see.
Also what about donuts? maybe you’ll just eat for a certain LOLi vampire that most of us if not all of us love.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
You do know that LOLi vampire can be picky, right? 😉
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I have to say that the execution order was a stupid plot device whose purpose was to show that Gadou is an asshole and to have Rentarou go off on his own. Also a stupid plot device was Rentarou leading off his adjuvant without sending word to the immediate commander of what he was doing and why. Sometimes in a fast moving military situation you have to disobey orders, but you damn well better inform your immediate superior of what you’re doing and why. His neglect to do so was to give Gadou an excuse for the execution order.
Really, the whole thing to get Rentarou to go off on his own could have been done better. I chalk it up to lazy writing.
I have other quibbles with the writing in this episode, but the battles were good. And best was the return of Kagetane and Kohine. But we all knew they were going to return at a critical juncture.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…so was the return, though telegraphed like months in advance, satisfying?
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
My feelings were more like, “Finally!”
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
How naïve Rentaro and friends are at the start. The battle against 2000 Gastrea has begun in earnest. Given what they already know about their enemy, it’s simply foolish to think the JASDF would have everything under control and quickly dealt with. Casualties are unavoidable. If it was that easy, there wouldn’t have been any need of the mass panic from the population that preceded it.
Why is it always the assholes who are the ones put in charge of whatever operation? Seriously, there’s simply no shortage of them. Rentaro may have disobeyed orders but he wasn’t totally in the wrong. Gadou is just trying to make an example of him.
As I thought,
JokerKagetane survived with his psychotic offspring in tow. He keeps saying Rentaro will end up like him but I’d like to know exactly what happened to him that makes him so sure of his assumption. His speech somewhat indicates that he lives in despair. All there is to know right now is that both were in the same program to advance humanity.POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
As I said in the last post, the assholes have the Imitators/Promoters in the place they want them.
Assholes are often the necessary evil you just might need…
I think Ren will end up like himself, but with some bits of Kagetane in…
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Assholes are placed in anime to make you hate them! so you see.. Kagetane is not an asshole, he’s just above them.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Well, some are serving that purpose too well at times. And Kagetane is just ahead of the curve.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
You know what’s so funny is, a few episodes ago, I complained about the fact that the civil officers are not a militarized faction, which would make giving orders much easier and efficient. Especially since it seems like the government has to wait till these guys volunteer or are paid enough as incentive for them to do a job. So, in this world, the civil officers are more like a mix of policemen, mercenaries, and bounty hunters, rather than any form of soldier.
Yet, in this episode, despite the fact that they’ve shown the civil officers to be all independent agents that the government has called in to work together in teams to stop this ultimate threat, they decide to apply military rules to Rentaro and his team by issuing him “capital punishment” for supposedly going AWOL (which I think is harsh even by military standards) and then disbanding the team the Rentaro had to put together himself and all the members volunteered for. And in all fairness, isn’t white-haired princess the one who asked him to make the team in the first place? Doesn’t she kind of outrank mister “I gave them my leg on purpose!” ?
They really don’t know what kind of rules they want to employ here anymore.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Thanks Irenesharda. I had wanted to put this in my post, but I was like….”Wow, my top is blowing already, better not say anything…”. So, yeah.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hahaha!! You were overheating, weren’t you?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
The show is no as well written as it should be…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Just more examples of bad writing and being inconsistent to the story’s internal logic.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
I’m pretty sure this is another case of the anime rushing through things again. But if LN readers can prove me otherwise since I don’t read into that much things like some of you, feel free to do so.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I’m more worried about the show’s pacing. I haven’t read the LN but I can feel that a lot of things were left out.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
The LN’s is said to have much more social strata explored, the manga glances over it. The anime, however, just paints in intense broad strokes.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Well late to the party but that’s nothing new! This episode wasn’t too bad, I enjoyed most of it, till the bit with Rentaro and Gadou. Ya I know, making an example out of Rentaro, but still i found it kinda dumb. But hey I guess the writer needed some way for Rentaro to meet Kagetane and his crazy daughter alone so they could actually talk without the LoLi driving them crazy, Yes Enju and Kohine, let the adults talk it out!
But Yes I was happy, excited even when Kagetane showed up again, However who didn’t see that coming? Like most shows that have a killing, if no body then they are still alive somewhere!. But ya good to see them back, and what a pair they are together, I enjoyed the back and forth between them, and that last bit..”I’m just happen to be going this way.” Oh Kagetane, you can tell hes happy to see Rentaro again, Such a fatherly figure, and thats what me and fosh said. “wouldn’t it be funny if this turned out to be true.. haha” Though I highly doubt it.
Final bits,
LOLi fighting all the things and doing all the cute things while killing all the things, that will never get old.
Tina Would you stop being soo darn cute most of the time, It’s not like your may or may die yet or anything..
Enju, you can be my nurse anytime, just hold my hand would be enough to cure my hhhnnnggg heart! so adorable lol, if only Tina had a hat.. but hey she did sorta wear an apron, she just didn’t ask Rentaro if he wanted a bath or dinner first..
Pew Pew Spear of Light, Really? I just thought this was just added to make it sound cool, and show some type of threat..but it’s not working for me.. sorry..no
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
The girls with the little nurses’ hats were cute, though, for some reason, when I saw them, all I could think was, “Do nurses even wear those hats anymore? Especially those that work in a warzone?”
But it was done in the name of cuteness, so whatever. It succeeded.
However, I do wonder about Enju’s mental health. They glance over it with the lady doctor ( who is a psychologist now too) says that she should be okay and that she is more stalwart than most kids. However, I really wish they had shown Enju and/or Tina still being upset or somehow affected by their schoolmates deaths in some way, instead of skipping over it like it barely happened.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Like you said, they’re in a warzone so they have to move forward and can’t afford to be distracted in an environment where lives can be lost at any moment. Even if it’s a painful and personal loss. As long as it’s like that, a soldier’s mentality must be maintained.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, Sensei might probably be dropping the first of a two part punch. Perhaps her warning will see a challenge next episode…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…we didn’t even get an “Imma firin’ mah lazzoooor” build up type thing did we?
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I had to share this because I found it a kind of profound look into the latest episode of the show. This is from the anime blog site Yaranakya, written by Cytrus:
If you’re interested in reading the whole thing, you can read it here. I just though it was a nice piece of commentary to share.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Thanks, ‘rene, for sharing this. It’s a good take on this very pivotal meeting.