Plastic Memories – 07
Holy Crap, this is as cute as all get out….
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Given some of the heaviness of the past two episodes, and indeed, the implied version oncoming, it’s nice to have an episode that wants to take the time to explore this developing relationship. |
One First Date
Dude, you aren’t supposed to be this posssesive…
We begin with Tsukasa’s determination to ask Isla out on a date. This is probably the biggest hang-up I have about the episode and the handling of his character to date. I’ve broadly agreed that it was a good narrative thrust to have the newbie aspect of his character from the beginning, as it gave us our “in” to the world. There is call and answer, to storytelling, but this might be answering a bit too much.
At seven episodes in, I feel that the clumsiness Tsukasa exhibits here could have or should have been dealt with more than a few episodes ago. It’s cute up to a point, and it still is rather cute, but I find myself wanting this story to have a fresher viewpoint character. Isla never stops bringing the cute, but she also never stops bring the better character development, along with the clumsiness. It’s a bit much for both of them to exhibit the same levels of that. But for all the bluster, I love her part of the “underwear exchange” during one of this show’s few cold opens. A bit embarrassed but determined.
Two people in need of navigation!
The rest of the episode went quite as expected, with characters living up to the tropes they’ve been given. All of them are eager to give advice to the “newly date-able”, and so all of them follow suit. I’m kinda thankful they didn’t use the balance of the episodes time on this sort of back and forth; just enough to give the proceedings a sense of urgency, heightening the actual date itself. I have to say Zack’s rather smug exchange with Eru was a bit of a treat, as he just had “life troll” stamped all over him from the get go.
The cutest amusement park mascot, evar!
But as for the date, it was, as expected, the best part of the episode. That amusement part has a great deal of exchequer in Isla’s emotional life. She was happy there once upon a time, until the final moments of her partnership with Kazaki. After that it became a place, I think, she would return to hoping to find that lost thread, or a touchstone quietly wating for gold. With Tsukasa she has that opportunity, and it’s a very important one. As she gets closer to the end of her life cycle, no matter how artificial we feel it might be on a number of levels, her need for happier memories becomes much more needful. We could look back on what we learned with both Shouta and Marcia to provide a contrast, but I think they want to lead us in a different direction.
I smelled over-cooked plot twist…
A few more amusement park rides
Four guys who can’t get a date?
Cooked with a dash too much tsun?
<meme insert>
Is a blank set of pages symbolic?
I don’t know how an exercise such as this will ever come in useful….
So we are left with a question or two. Is Tsukasa’s fatigue just the regular work-a-day kind that anyone can get if they push themselves to hard, or is it a bait-and-switch style tactic? I felt it was a pretty clumsy insert for all that was already going on, and has come since. It did provide a nice bit of reversal at the end there, with Isla staying by his side as he did hers just an episode ago. For that it can earn some forgiveness.
But it does rather heighten the mood in an awkward manner, and perhaps ask questions where we shouldn’t be, or where the show shouldn’t be. I’ve made some comparisons to Blade Runner in the past, so with that movie in mind, are we looking at possible “Deckard-Replicant/Tsukasa-Giftia” angle here? I hope not, as that would be so far off the rails, and somewhat predictable. I feel the show does itself best when it tugs on the heartstrings, and in that regard, the very simple date the two of them shared was quite priceless.
At this point, Isla has about five or so weeks left on her lifespan; which is how long the show has to run as well. I loved how they both shared that knowledge, as it is precious to both of them, even if the consequence are dire. It’s shared, and that is the point of it. As far as the rest of the plot goes, there is still plenty of time to assert new pardigms into the mix and come up with something different. Will they patch the holes in the sci-fi canon? I guess time will tell…Isla is still perusing her Giftia exercises, even though they’ve been explained to be patently useless to prolonging an android’s life. Is it just to make what life is left to live that much more fruitful, or are Eru and the Old Man up to something?
Don’t stop being cute, Isla. OMG you’re messing me up….
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 PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
I can’t call Isla cute cause then ill get attached before the NOOOOOOOOOOO! ending…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
::squeels:: I knooooooow!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Call her cute regardless because you know she is.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Until she “dies” then you will cry! It’s like giving a name to an animal on a farm that you will eventually eat because it will end in tears…calling her cute when we KNOW she is going to go away makes it more painful…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Yes, I can see it will be painful but the analogy you just pulled, man! That directly reminded me of Silver Spoon’s Hachiken and Pork Bowl. I’m trying to hold the tears back.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…but Pork Bowl was delicious bacon…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Speaking of which, where is our emergency supply of pork this season?
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Nope. Put her in sweet lolita fashion and then her cuteness level will rocket!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I prefer Elegant to Sweet, but prefer comfortable and casual over that…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Wa-RORi.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 105 comments
The humor wasn’t as offensive as it was in past episodes, plus there was less of it. I wasn’t displeased with this one, but it leaves me a bit confused on where the show will go. I can’t tell if this show is more of a love story or a societal commentary show. I want the latter, but my money is on the former.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
All the buzz I’ve heard puts it into the “love story” column. With a bit of sci-fi from column B, well it’s from whatever column that states, “Dying…cause reasons” so there might be some social commentary in there…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
It certainly won’t be a “happily ever after” love story. So now it’s treading close to a kimiuso inevitability thing. Hopefully they don’t make it so focused on that, but they also aren’t trying to stretch it out for another 11episodes. And we now have it all out in the open. So I think that the show can explore that end-of-life question and how repo pole deal with it.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I do not know if they will go for the KimiUso ending. It’s right there in the cards. But they’ve not been totally up front about the Giftia, so I suspect a moving of goalposts, such as that is.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
An alright and semi-eventful episode. As you said, the amusement park segment was the best. In the end, the happy moments had between Tsukasa and Isla will only serve to amp up the anxiety as the deadline draws closer. Already a given the remaining episodes will focus more on the two instead of delving into the idea of Giftias in general.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yep. Giftia are human for….reasons. I like the meta-fiction to that, that they are human for all intents, just wish it was more than a narrative device…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
*orders a skylolion griftia.*
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I get a little tired of the “oh I collapsed miles away how did I get here?” thing. Show us the struggle to get someone home. That would indicate the worry more than sitting next to someone. But it isn’t as blank slate for message, I guess.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…Tsukasa would have recovered quicker, but for being drug back home by a deeply worried Isla…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
COMPLETELY off topic but this should be of interest to someone: :3
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Oh, the boring one… 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
skylion get kiss-shotted 😛
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Speaking of which….That fig hit’s retail around November, and a English translation of Kizumonogatari also comes out in November…published by Vertical Press, to be followed by the rest of the novels. Life does have it’s coincidences…but I also know a person that knows a person(s)…