Tegami Bachi REVERSE – 17
Why do all the intense showdowns involve cross-dressing?
I’m a bit later than usual with this post thanks to my friends. Godammned friends, coming over and playing video games with me. The nerve of those people. One of them even got me sick somehow, so I’m not feeling too hot either. Maybe he sneezed on my controller to spite me, or just breathed really hard in my general direction. I’m more bleh sick than BLEEGGGHHHHHH sick, so that’s not a very good excuse. But…it’s still part of my excuse. <_<
I like to imagine that Niche and Steak stood there from last episode until this episode aired (a week) without flinching, until the story resumed…Anyways, Lag still doesn’t believe Niche and Sarah still doesn’t know that the dingo she took in was Roda. Then a carriage decides to suddenly whizz by out of nowhere, showing Garrard and his dingo on their way to the Bee Hive.
Lag goes to the Bee Hive and sees them turning Dr. Thunderland’s lab upside down to search for Gauche. And by turning upside down, I mean flipping 2 tables over and calling it a thorough search. Since Gauche isn’t under a table, Garrard settles for confiscating medical records and then promptly leaving to question Sylvette about Gauche’s location. Aria tries to stop them by standing in the middle of the hallway, which somehow ends in her boobs showing.
Niche really is learning a lot of new..um..skills.
Niche quite literally slingshots them into Sylvette’s bedroom to protect her from Garrard and his dingo. If they would shove Aria to the side, who knows what they’d do with her. As the good little trap that he is (he should watch Hourou Musuko), he dresses up as Sylvette. She hides on the balconey, where everyone else outside can see her in her underwear…I guess it works out in the end, because Lag gets kidnapped as “Gauche bait.”
Garrard and his dingo seem to know where Gauche actually is, so Lag isn’t quite “bait.” It turns out that Gauche and Roda piggybacked their way to Lawrence’s room. There’s a small flashback of Lawrence punching a mirror after seeing the scar on his face, and then the Marauders bust in. They have orders to kill Gauche, and then his sister. So really, they just wanted to use her to make it easier to kill him. So much for bait.
CRAWWWWLING INNN MY SKIIIIN
Meanwhile, Largo gets a very important new piece of information: Noir isn’t the only Marauder. Finally, someone in the show knows the truth about them! He tells the others (the others being Sylvette and Aria) and sends Jiggy to deliver himself to Lag. I wish someone would deliver a Jiggy Pepper to me. Hurr hurr hurr~
Jiggy Figgy bo biggy. Fi fi fo figgy. Jiggy~ Biggy~
Lag pipes up at the wrong moment, revealing that he is not crippled or a girl. Using the element of surprise, Niche covers him as he throws Gauche’s gun towards Gauche. He stares at it apprehensively, and ignores Lag’s cries for him to come back. Niche has everything under control until Garrard’s dingo taunts her to chase after him. She happens to step on a switch the size on the ball of her foot EXACTLY and triggers a cage that falls on her. Exactly. Oh, and it’s an anti-Maka cage since it’s made of Gaichuu, which you can’t break but we somehow managed to shape into a cage. TEEHEE.
Gauche sends Lag into a fit of tears when he coldly tells him that he’s just been acting this entire time. As Lag is snivelling, Gauche asks for a weapon to kill Lag with to prove his loyalty to Reverse. He would’ve shot Lag if he wasn’t moved away by Niche’s hair. Hmm, maybe they shold’ve designed a cage without slots big enough for her hair to get through. Poor engineering aside, Gauche misses every single shot and ends up just bringing the roof down and freeing Niche. Add in a shot from Jiggy through the window and there’s enough chaos for the Marauders to want to scadaddle outta there.
Jiggy makes his way inside, but Gauche blocks his path by shooting the ceiling again. Very conservative, isn’t he? This doesn’t prevent Jiggy from picking up Lag and Niche from the rubble and bringing them home though. Lag feels pretty dejected, but Jiggy is almost convinced that Gauche still has heart. Gauche even says to Roda that he doesn’t care whether he’s called Noir or Gauche. I guess we’ll find out who he really is in due time.
LOL poor Connor still hasn’t returned
Bonus Screenshots:
…Aaaaand this is why Niche is more manly than Lag, the damsel in distress.
…I…I think I want to make an express delivery now.
GODDAMMIT, IF HE’S NOT UNDER THESE TWO TABLES, WHERE COULD HE BE?!
In fanfics, does Roda hump Gauche’s leg? If not, someone needs to get on that.
End Thoughts: Half of me likes this episode and half of me isn’t very impressed at all. The good thing about this episode is that the anime hasn’t screwed up their original plot yet. Having Lag kidnapped, getting Jiggy involved and the whole face-off in general was a great idea. Revealing the all-too-obvious fact that Garrard and his dingo were also Marauders was good timing too. I like how the anime is revealing more than the manga at this point instead of leaving you in the dark for so long.
What I didn’t like. Hmm. How it was done. It all seemed very rushed and slapped together. Characters kept darting about from one place to another so fast that I couldn’t really get into any one scene except for the one showdown at the end. It didn’t help that some of the animation effects seemed cheap with all the still images, and that is usually something I’m usually very slow at noticing. <_< The sudden addition of fanservice was VERY out of place, as even a modest flash of cleavage is far too flashy for a show like this.
At first it was “They’re lying, his heart can’t really be back! He’s pretending to trick Lag!” and now it’s “They’re lying, his heart must really be back! He’s pretending to trick the bad guys!” It’d be great and all if his heart was really back and as Jiggy thoroughly hinted at – that his heart really returned. He’s probably just trying to keep Sylvette and Lag out of danger. Really, he dropped so many hints (especially to Roda) that his heart is perfectly fine that I’m wondering if it’s a giant red herring…Shooting Niche’s cave, avoiding shindanjuu, trying not to shoot Jiggy directly…But I’m thinking too hard, aren’t I? It’s probably just typical “lulz, my heart was actually back all along!” Well, I think Gauche has his heart back to an extent…more than he lets on in this episode. Is it 100% back? No. He can only regain so much, so he’s more like an altered Noir. But he DOES feel for Lag and Sylvette and would not want them killed. At least, that’s my take on it.
Roda seems to have lost her cool, by the way. She seemed shocked at all of Gauche’s actions. I get the feeling she’s going to help Lag in some way. As for Largo, hopefully he uses the information about the Marauders to good use and actually reports them/goes after them. <_<
Preview: CRAZY WOLFMAN THING! ZAJI (MY LOVE)! LAWRENCE! LAG’S SHINDANJUU WON’T FIRE! THANK GOD IT’S NOT FILLER!
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
WOOT!! It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Tegami Bachi post xD Good work OC, another awesome post. Although, I have to say that honestly, I ain’t such a big fan over Steaky, I just think his cute :] I don’t really have a fav I fanboy over in tegami but that doesn’t stop me from watching it!!
Aria’s clothes being ripped up reminded me of H.O.T.D in a split second (like a reflex) which was a tad bit disturbing since it’s Reverse we’re talking about. Another fan service?
Well it doesn’t really matter cause Lag’s cross dressing again!!! YAY!!! (really? … not really…) But he sure fooled them xD The guy with the hat and glasses and his dingo have just earned themselves a worst spot up the rank personally… I don’t like them but the dingo’s got some funny parts to him so his not as bad as the other dude although I actually thought that when he gave the real gun to Noir that Noir would shoot him instead but I guess I was wrong… then then… JIGGY PEPPER!!!!! xDD HIS SO COOL!!!!
Bring on the next episode!!! xD
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Yeah, I was a few days late *sweatdrop* But thanks XD And it’s like how people think Pikachu is cute, but don’t fangirl/boy over it…well…I guess it depends actually <_< It reminded me of HOTD or Freezing, but a lot more tame lol. But yes, Lag's cross-dressing ONCE AGAIN saved the day. I hate Garrard too <_< He's a jerk. I think Noir is going to play the bad guy a little longer to keep Lag and Sylvette safe. JIGGY PEPPER YESSSSS