Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de – 08
System of a Down?
Welcome back to Fuyuki City Academy City This Nondescript Japanese town, as we take a hard look into the Fairy Grail War Sister’s Noise Program….uh, heck, I really don’t have any idea what is going on anymore! Nah, not really, but this was a fun one to watch.
Not so everyday battle?
Who’s pushing who?
Hey we get an origin story of sorts, and a flashback to tie it all in. About the only thing I think I can complain about is the now perhaps tedious overuse of the whole, Contract+Battle+Suffering (in this case amnesia)=Wishing Happily Ever After, trope. The wish is never as easy as it comes, we all know that for a fact; and in the end, it’s never about the wish in the first place, is it? So now that I have that gripe out of the way, I can get to the Nth Fairy War (it has been outright said there has been a second one).
Phoning the trope in, dial-er connects to episode three…
So this whole thing could boil down to, “I’m bored…let’s make these guys fight and we’ll bet on the outcome”. They even set up a War Commitee for the affair. But it does feel much more complex than that. I like the fact they added the “someone in authority doesn’t approve of this” wrinkle into the proceedings, as it gives such a simplistic plot point a bit more depth. How much depth is something that I hope they explore, as the larger workings of the meta game look to have some parallels to the “everyday battles”. As it stands, it made this episode go back and forth in terms of who was controlling the actions of who and for what reason. Hajime’s group, Fallen Black, looks to be the big contenders on the block, and set up to win the Wish. But we know that has to be a blind right? What can be given by the Faerie’s might be taken away at any time. And since a faction, F, is looking to end the War, this might be truer than expected. And with someone like Litia playing the sides…I wonder what she gets out of the deal?
System
Paper beats Rock <—clickable
So it looks like F, wants to spoil it for everyone, and Hajime will not stand for it. And it’s not like he has any wish he wants fulflilled. Given how crazy he thinks most of the time, he probably realizes it’s a mugs game from the start. He just wants to have fun. What the rest want is probably a mix of both. Thou we can probably expect for Hitomi, it’s to get Hajime to look her way. But then, am I justified in treating Hajime like a Magnificent Bastard, or is he just really lucky along with being really chuuni. He talks all the talk, and has his sister and Andou thinking he’s just a major case of it. But more on that role in a bit.
LOLI Defender’s Rule #2, A LOli is neither late nor early, a LOLi arrives exactly when she means to…
Well, I guess this is where I count on some LN readers to fill in some of the (warning Spoiler) score. But some of my scratching around bore some fruit. System has a power “on par with God”. Which, really, for anime seems the typical thing to give a LOLi, right? But her activation is like Rock-Paper-Scissors, or JanKenPon. She has a 1/3 a chance of being beaten in the game and getting a power lower than your ability, a 1/3 chance of an equal, and a 1/3 chance of a better power. All in all, a 2/3 shot in kicking your ass one way or another.
Leave it to Hajime to cut the Gordian Knot by offering candy and friendship. No….don’t got there. It is what it is. But seeing as how this was F’s trump card, I guess it was really time for Luci First to step in and take on the biggest gun in town. I’m guessing he has some form of super strength in addition to Abyss Point? But regardless, he is looking more the Magnificent Bastard as the episode goes on. He leaves the easy work to his cadre and packs it in to lick his wounds. Well, I wonder how badly he was hurt, cause then….
Back to the other everyday life…
Way-oo Way-00 oo oo oo Way-ooo. Walk Like and Egyptian! <—-clicky clicky
So, maybe Hajime isn’t all that Magnificent, or at least he’s shortsighted. Not having a healer on the team?! Maybe the draft pool was shy that round, but whatever, right? It does rather lead him back to his sister’s friends. Namely getting Sayumi to heal him. And no, not the wound he has in the System scene. But his stupid contact lens wigging eye! And yeah, that affair was pulled off well! So, what does he gain by having them obscured from the rest of the Faery War? I mean he wants to protect his sister, Tomoyo, but why the rest? Now that they’ve let the cover off, we have got to see what more comes in the box. With Sayumi awakening her next power level that does ask the question. Who else in both F and Fallen Black have done the same? For the purpose, I like how Route of Origin played out the level up. By the book, and by her friends. Who’s missing? Oh, well, let’s get ’em back!
He probably sits on them…
So now with Hatoko back, the group can resume normal functions. No, not LitClub stuff, the other stuff. But first, the apology. I rather liked how Andou could admit his fault, and apologize for them, and for maybe even continuing to use his chuuni play in the future, to a degree. But with Tomoyo quick to let her previous LN writing secret go, that starts the chain reaction of sublime jealousy that most of the girls have going on. Well, Chifuyu’s innocent approach that is….
Nice Cliffhanger!
Well, we’ve been waiting for Dark and Dark to express it’s full power! So what set it off? The evidence so far: the unwillingness to be beaten by a typical bag of chips, how he fully expressed himself to Hatoko, or other.
Chuunibyou and other Cosplays
Well, I’ve said quite a bit already, so no need to drag it out here. It looks like we are set up for a the Summer Break/Swimsuit episode next time, so I will call that the breather/cliffhanger/dodge the Dark and Dark to the End for another time episode until they hit the gas for the finale. Alright, now you tell me things.
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: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Kirito that lecherous pervert. Doesn’t know when to stop or care about series boundaries. 😛
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, Fosh and I did discuss a Trigger/KyoAni Chuuni Xover. There would have to be an H Ova before anything else though…
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
DUDEEEE this episode! Fairies? Wut is going on? I guess the origin of the powers must be magic related after all? I sure hope we figure out who gave the powers to these characters and speaking of powers I want to see what this new team can actually do and we should note both teams have OP LOLi characters.
Wow I didn’t even realize the amount of JOJO references found in this episode damn so good! Also those cosplay shots very nice especially Red Tail, Kantai Collection, Chaika and Akame ga kill.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
The Faerie’s are like the Livlasters? Super Intelligent Beings that take on the form of
gunsfaerie folk…POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
At the start of the episode: what? what’s happening? who are these guys?
At the end: ARE YOU FUC*ING SERIOUS?
So, yeah. Weird but awesome episode. Trigger is a really amazing studio. But I really thought things were going down the wrong way, with Hatoko being kidnapped last episode, and all this infodump. When System appeared with those eyes taken straight from creepypasta stuff like this I REALLY THOUGHT THINGS WERE WRONG.
Aaaaand turns out it was some harmless infodump with a harmless kidnapping because of some stupid inou-bearer who doesn’t know that you should not sleep with contact lenses on. Awesome.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Also, skylion, I’d rather you change your avatar soon. I don’t want to be reminded of System-chan every time I see your comments x.x’
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…give us candy…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Hamime has a really whacked out head. He can do plans within plans, but forgets his lame contacts. Has a girl sending all the signals….
This was, IMO, exposition and infodump done rather well. Could have had more info, as I had to actually look around for what System’s power is, and I still don’t exactly get the particulars…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
So now we know from whence their powers come. I guess we had to be told sometime. Even though the war is fought without permanent casualties I don’t think the Fairies are the nicest people getting humans to battle for their amusement.
I’m glad the air got cleared between Andou, Hatako and Tomoyo. And it does look like the Andou x Hatako ship may be launched after all. At least the keel may have been laid. We’ll see if construction continues.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I actually kinda like it when fantasy does the “faeries aren’t nice” approach. I’m reminded of Pterry’s Lords and Ladies.
Well, was Andou confessing love or friendship. We will have to see what shenanigans they come up with next time!
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
If “faeries aren’t nice” is the topic, you’ve gotta include Humanity has Declined, as well… Though the faeries in here don’t have even a drop of innocence.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I would guess Hatako would think it was love, or at least close friendship that might become love.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…you lay that keel…
As for me, I’m on the Chuuni Duo ship!
POWUH: iLurker with 9 comments
At the end of the day, Hajime might look cool but he is still leeching off his parents money, shame shame.
Joke aside, i am pretty ok with this eps and like how things were resolved. It was pretty much as i expected.
There are people who watches the anime till this point and still expect some shounen battles in it, and then proceed to bash the anime to no end cause they didn’t get what they want. Did they really watch at all? Or they forgot their brains somewhere.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yeah, I know what you mean. Baring some incredible WHAM, most shows tell you in broad stokes how they will handle their plot by the end of the first episode. I think expectations, either false or inflated, get in the way.