Gatchaman Crowds – 07
The time for fun and games is over
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There are two shows this season that make me really happy whenever I watch them: Gatchaman Crowds and Tamayura. I would peg Tamayura as more of a relaxing show, whereas Gatchaman Crowds is a perfect pick-me-up. Tamayura is herbal tea while Gatchaman Crowds is a strong cup of coffee. Episode 7 doesn’t skimp out on the caffeine at all. |
Piece by piece, everything is clicking into place. While everything is still ultimately a mystery, we have been given some hints that are likely to foreshadow some grave events in the future. It’s enough to put you on pins and needles, but not enough to warn you what’s coming. OD’s ominous words about the world ending and being forbidden from using his own Gatchaman powers will likely come up again in later episodes. Why won’t Paiman let him use his powers? What kind of consequence is so bad that he cannot use it against their fiercest enemy? And how strong is it that he’d go alone to a fight against someone supposedly stronger than “all the Gatchaman combined?”
Rui is the catalyst for this massive fight that ends up sucking in Jou and a few other Gatchaman onlookers. I’m not sure how he thought he could win against Berg Katze when he was the one who gave him this power, but it’s a noble attempt for a very frustrated vigilante. I’m glad things came full circle and Rui went from shunning the Gatchaman to relying on them as makeshift allies. The pacing is lightning quick, as always, but I felt like it wouldn’t make sense for Rui to drag out such an inconvenient rivalry for too long. Gatchaman and Galax go together like peanut butter and jelly…two things I do not actually like together, but you get what I mean.
After Rui gets viciously ripped to shreds by Berg Katze in a terribly one-sided showdown, I’m glad it was Sugane who rescued him instead of Hajime. For the record, I still really love the girl, but it’s high time we got to learn about the rest of the cast. This episode really showcased the other Gatchaman members without leaving out Hajime from the fun in the slightest. Now I don’t see Sugane as purely a straight-laced accessory to balance out Hajime’s whackiness. Now I can understand him as a person with his own motives. His own methods. His own feelings. Unlike Hajime, he doesn’t rely on razor-sharp intuition to get to know people. He needs cold evidence. He doesn’t believe Hajime is actually doing things on purpose until specifically told so – and then he just accepts it. Upon hearing Rui’s story, he decides to change his opinion and trust him. While Hajime relies on body language and gut feelings, Sugane needs more concrete, logical proof before he believes something. It’s not that he doesn’t use intuition at all – he just needs some extra confirmation before forming a complete impression of someone.
Sugane has grown to the point where he can make his own decisions without relying on authority to tell him what to do. When Paiman doesn’t give him permission, he says “screw it” and saves Rui anyways. Much like Jou, he has a strong sense of justice and doesn’t care about strict rules. That little glimpse of Jou piggybacking Sugane hints at a much more tender relationship between the two than just Sugane idolizing a cool, macho guy from afar. It’s amazing how a few seconds of footage can add so much depth. What else is there to learn about Jou, who isn’t quite as suave and carefree as he seems? What drove him to want to kill himself? Again, I found Jou to be cool but a little two-dimensional until seeing his weaker side revealed by Berg Katze.
As a villain, Berg Katze is great. He hits where it hurts most, and exploits people from any angle he can. The fact that he’s destroying the world by simply turning humans against themselves is also a cruelly ironic way for a planet to be destroyed. Even more fearsome is the fact that when he transforms, he cannot be seen. He claims that he should be visible when speaking to Hajime, but all we can see is a volley of flesh-shredding chains whizzing through the air. I found those chains mixed with his taunting, disembodied voice to be oddly creepy. Another thing I love about him is that he never stops attacking. I hate when villains dramatically hold up their prey, laugh dramatically, and then just wait for a Deus Ex Machina to jump in and save the good guy. No. Berg Katze doesn’t care about mercy, and he doesn’t waste a heartbeat in his assault on Rui.
Uh, you want a band-aid or something?
Other than that, the way he copies his enemy’s speech pattern and attack names is actually pretty funny. I’m sure it’s supposed to just be an annoying taunt, but I couldn’t help but laugh at him repeating those ridiculously bombastic attack names in a mocking voice that was just dripping with sarcasm. Amazing how fast he can switch from threatening to comedic, isn’t it? It works well mostly because Mamoru Miyano is such an excellent seiyuu. The way he mimicked Jou’s voice was so spot on I thought it was actually him for a bit. Much like the MESS (are those going to ever be important again?), Berg Katze likes to copy humans. He copies their shapes, speech patterns, and even parrots back phrases with glee. My favourite part was probably his conversation with Hajime, where he adopts her super casual, borderline peasant-like way of speaking for almost the entire conversation.
His conversation with Hajime is especially interesting, because I honestly did not expect her to try and communicate with the one supervillain out to destroy the world. I know that’s her schtick and all, but how do you expect something like that to just sit and listen? Apparently, there was no harm done in casually chatting with Berg Katze, and he didn’t even try to attack her. I know it’s supposed to show the benefits of reaching out to others and trying to understand them before blindly attacking, but it’s a little unrealistic to assume that to be a safe course of action. That approach won’t work in every situation like it does for Hajime. Anyways, skepticism aside, Hajime manages to have a civil conversation with Berg Katze. While Hajime is a chaotic do-gooder, Berg Katze is a chaotic DESTROYER OF PLANETS…it makes for really interesting chemistry, I must say.
Something warm and fluffy after all of that blood~
Although Hajime successfully talks with Berg Katze without getting skewered, she does not succeed in persuading him to be a good guy. He is still a monster who wants to see the world burn, and Hajime is sad that despite the fact the two can talk – they don’t see eye to eye at all. Berg Katze cannot be talked out of his malevolent desires. Hajime is left with just one riddle left to tide her over: What’s something sweet and delicious that everyone loves to eat? Although we see her devouring tons of candy afterwards, I somehow doubt she’s limiting herself to thinking of just food. She’s got to find a way to either convince Berg Katze that the world is not worth destroying, or find a way to stop humanity from destroying itself. And let’s face it – getting Berg Katze to stop loving destruction is like trying to stop a runaway train with your bare hands.
Bonus Thoughts/Screencaps:Show ▼
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 with 1692 comments
I think Hajime talking to Berg Katze is going to be key to stopping the world’s destruction. And I think solving his riddle is what’s going to do it. Either solving it provides a clue to defeating him or it gets him to stop. As for why he’d just stop… While Berg Katze loves destruction, he also seems to be dedicated to having fun. It’s just that so far he finds destruction to be the best fun. But if Hajime can solve his riddle, could he decide that a planet that can produce someone like her might be more fun if it wasn’t destroyed? Or she’s too fun to destroy, which would happen if the world’s destroyed? Or he rewards her for solving the riddle by granting a wish and she wishes for the world to be spared? There can be a number of ways to play upon solving the riddle saves the world.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I don’t know, I kinda don’t want Hajime to be the one to stop BK. One of my biggest problems with her character is that they make her too “perfect”. Everything she does and says is right, even if they don’t make sense at the time. And it kind of leaves her teammates on the sidelines and makes her boring at times.
I really want it to be a team collaborative effort to take BK down, between Rui and the Gatchamen. The title is supposed to include all the Gatchaman and not just Hajime.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Well, if solving the riddle gives the clue of how to beat him, they still have to beat him. And that gives a chance for the rest of them to shine, from the other Gatchaman to Rui and GALAX.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I also think Hajime will be the key to stopping him, although I’m not sure if she can change BK’s mind. No matter what, he’s going to love destruction. I feel like she’ll find out exactly what it is he’s trying to do (via the riddle) and then convince the people not to kill each other instead. If she can’t target BK, she can always just make it so humanity doesn’t collapse on itself. Not easy, but it’s another option.
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
I think that the key with Hajime here is that she immediately realized that she couldn’t do squat against Berg Katze if she tried to fight against him. So she went to the next thing she could think of – talking in order to buy time and in order to learn something about him. Fortunately for Hajime, she caught Berg Katze in a good mood after he had already beaten Rui and Joe to pulps. (Since Sugane was already unconscious there was no fun for Berg Katze to continue to go after him. )
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It is one of the times when her risks pay off very handsomely. Too round out the character, I hope they show a failure or two. Lots of folks have been complaining about her Mary-Sueage tendencies.
Welcome to Metanorn, Dave.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
One thing I thought interesting, was that this is the first time Hajime was actually shaken. It’s not immediately apparent at first, and I didn’t notice it until another viewer pointed it out, but around the time that Hajime asks BK if “He’s having fun right now?”
When he practically answers that he’s having the time of his life and that he’s not done yet, you can see her face shift and her eyes and mouth widen. It was at this moment that Hajime realizes what sort of person she’s dealing with here.
That this is a person who enjoys the destruction of others and have no remorse about it. It’s something she can’t quite understand, and why she says to Utsutsu afterward that she’s sad. This is a phenomenal change since I don’t think she’s ever expressed actual sadness this entire show until this moment.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I’m not sure Hajime has ever been sad in her entire life up to that point.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
With the way she was presented at the beginning, it’s doubtful she’s ever experienced any kind of negativity. During the life lessons she keeps handing out, Hajime’s never mentioned a single bad memory one would think would be used as an example.
POWUH: iLurker with 19 comments
Well, “sad” isn’t an entirely accurate translation. Hajime actually said “lonely”. Don’t know what that means in the context of her little chat with Berg, since I don’t think she was shaken just because Berg doesn’t exactly fits into her world view. She isn’t that naive.
I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
For her to say “lonely”, is a little confusing, at least in the context of the situation. Why is she lonely? What brought that up?
I don’t know, her saying “super sad” makes more sense to me. Maybe it’s one of those “lost in translation” things.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I went back to listen to the scene again and the more direct translation is indeed lonely instead of sad. It’s only a slight difference between the two though. I suppose she’s sad she couldn’t connect to BK and that the world is so disjointed that it’s tearing itself apart. I don’t thin she’s naive enough to think convincing a supervillain is that easy, but she seemed shaken at just how terribly evil he was and how easily he was pushing people to do horrible things.
Still, it’s a big issue that Hajime is upset for the first time (that we’ve seen). I wonder if we’ll see sad Hajime again in the future. I hope so, because you know shit is serious when Hajime is actually sad. =w=
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Wow, this episode was something else. Expect for the parts with Hajime (yeah, I don’t think I will ever like her character), this episode was awesome. It was my favorite of the week and I’ve already watched it multiple times.
I love Berg and he is the most hax opponent in this show. When he was playing with Jou’s mind, that was the most creepy, yet sensual scene I’ve ever seen. I know the “Some men just want to see the world burn.” line has been done to death, but tell me you don’t think the Japanese version of “The Joker” when you see this guy? In fact, I would even say a mix of Joker and Riddler paired with some amazing powers.
This show seems to balance the ridiculous, with brutal seriousness all at the same time. OD has become one of my favorite characters of this show, alongside Berg and Jou. That guy may look like your typical over-the-top anime sexually ambiguous male, however we’ve seen several times that that’s actually a facade and that he’s quite a shrewd, serious fellow beneath that neon lipstick. His serious scenes here are some of his best, and I cannot wait to see when he transforms.
Interestingly, I had a thought. When I saw Berg spinning on his heels, his red eyes, and then considered how powerful he must be, I thought to myself, what if he is from the same world or is even related to OD?
They both are very powerful, dress effeminately, wear lipstick and nail polish that matches, and both have crimson eyes and act over the top. It could be a coincidence, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be true.
Anyway, OD and Pai-Pai weren’t joking when they warned about Berg. That guy is ridiculously unstoppable. He does whatever he wants, kills who he wants, and no one can stop him. And he does it for fun. He’s a true psychopath, and I just find that weirdly awesome.
Poor Rui, you knew you had it coming didn’t you? You are way too naive and idealistic, dismiss anyone who doesn’t agree with your views, and then try to take on the very person who gave you your powers in the first place? Yeah, you’re going to get your butt kicked. Not only did you get 98% of your forces killed, but Berg Katze wiped the floor with you. In fact, Berg was acting like he was disciplining a disobedient child, and in a way Rui walking right into it. I’m not a mean person, but I kind of enjoyed seeing poor Rui get tortured. I don’t know if it’s simply his character or not, but I just love it when BK torments the guy both mentally an physically.
That poor guy’s got to be scared out of his mind. The guy who almost beat you to death, knows exactly where you live and can come and go whenever he pleases. Maybe it’s time you moved, Rui. Though I’m not sure if that will stop BK, since you still hold the powers that he gave to you. Also, he was the one who pulled the NOTE from you. Who knows what kind of repercussions that will bring?
I’m glad to see he learned the error of his ways, at least a little, in that the world needs heroes and you can’t head unprepared into a situation with only your ideals as your guide, even if it was a harsh lesson to learn. But sometimes you just need the crap beat out of you. However, I’m concerned that that computer AI of his will draw him back in again. I’m suspicious of Sousei X and will continue to be until proven otherwise.
Pai-pai transformed this time, but he still did nothing really of merit. Utsutsu seems to be a walking deus ex machina and she and Hajime come in just at the right time to save both a beaten Sugane and a practically mortally wounded Jou.
Berg Katze talks with Hajime and the two seem to both be crazy enough to be on the same wavelength. Yet, somehow I like Berg infinitely more than Hajime? But that may just be because he’s a villain.
So, all in all, this episode was great, with awesome fights, mayhem, destruction, a bit of character development, and a great villain. Sugane seems to be okay, but how is Jou? Their NOTEs are supposedly the manifestation of their souls and Jou had his destroyed. I don’t think he’s dead, but perhaps in a coma? And I have a feeling that he won’t be able to transform into a Gatchaman for some time, if ever. We’ll just have to see.
I give this a 8.9/10.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hahaha, a couple of episodes back, I, myself used a bunch of quotes from The Joker. One of my favorites that I used was: Introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order and everything becomes chaos. Whenever I see Berg Katze and what he intends to do to the planet, my mind immediately runs to Mr. J. Even the suit he wears is pretty close to purple.
POWUH: iLurker with 19 comments
I wonder if it’s that simple. There are hints that he was a Gatchaman in the past, so maybe there’s more to him than meets the eye. Maybe he was someone like Rui or Hajime, full of idealism and empathy, but when he saw that people didn’t meet his expectation, he started to believe they’re trash and turned into what he is now. Maybe his “I’m just doing it for the lulz” attitude is just a facade, and he actually destroy worlds out of hate and resentment.
Just a thought. It’s too early to tell either way.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I don’t know, he doesn’t look like he’s faking it, he seems like he’s truly having fun killing people and destroying their minds. However, it’s quite possible that what you say is true and that he used to be like Hajime and Rui and was a very quirky, altruistic, naive person. However, something happened that destroyed him and broke his mind, causing him to go insane. And now, he destroys worlds for fun because to him, perhaps, that’s the only way to help them?
Well, who knows, I do hope they go into backstory, but they might just leave it as “that’s just the way he is” and just go with it.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
A Gatchaman gone bad…that would be pretty cool! I can definitely see that happening. As long as they don’t try to make him a tragic character. I really don’t want to feel sorry about him just because he had some difficulties in the past. I prefer him as a killing machine you love to hate.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
It’s amazing how all the blood and psychedelic rainbows still work together in the same episode. It really is an eclectic mix, but it somehow works.
I was wondering about OD and BK being somehow related too. They already have a history together and OD is hiding some sort of forbidden power…it’s very sketchy. I’d love for all the flamboyant guys to be the powerhouses of the show too.
Rui learned a hard lesson that night. He should have known better though…seriously. Anyways, it’ll be interesting to see where he picks up from here without his 100 Crowd members. All he has left is GALAX, and if this “bad things happen to Rui” thing keeps up then that will go sour too.
Jou should be alive thanks to Utsutsu-chan. A bit of a cop out, but at least we get to know more about him now.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Whoa! Am I still watching the same show? Things got brutal and merciless in a flash. Berg Katze is nuts and a first class sadist. I really felt it seeing Rui being thrased around, hung up and whiplashed like a piece of meat. Ouch! I’m sure he was being laughed at in the face the moment he got the ability to created the CROWDS. If they’re linked to the consciousness of human beings and they’re put into a comatose state when destroyed, it’s another aspect for him to despair over if he can’t realize his ideal. That lives were lost in the end for something that couldn’t be achieved.
And it wasn’t a picnic for Joe either being overpowered and ridiculed. It’s amazing how he managed to avoid another death flag. He must be a cat with nine lives. Having his NOTE ripped out while transformed is a sign of ill tidings. Already it’s supposed to be a physical manifestation of the person’s soul so that could mean he’s damaged mentally as well as physically.
I should have known not to get excited when Pai Pai decided to fight. And here I was thinking he had redeemed his cowardly self and finally started making decision on his own. But it was funny how he was gung-ho until the thought of fighting Katze finally sunk in. Dude, you are such a disappointment.
Hajime’s conversation with Berg Katze during a fight was crazy, out of the way and dangerous but interesting in itself. Personally, they’re alike but one accepts things as they are and other one just loves destruction. As for the riddle, it probably has humans loving violence or something like that in it.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Yeah, I’m always surprised when this show has blood. Things have become so serious now!
I look forward to seeing what state Jou is in. He’s been manipulated by BK, had his NOTE ripped out, and nearly died. I’m sure he’ll be in the worst of psychological states when he awakens.
I was excited when Paiman was about to fight too. I thought it was his time to shine! ….Guess not.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It’s like Cormac McCarthey is writing a romance LN being published by MAD magazine…
Yeah, they let Hajime get away with anything don’t they?
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Not familiar with Mr. McCarthy, but it certainly is a bizarre mixture.
Hajime is protected by the holy, mary sue plot shield, and therefore can never die or do any wrong.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I still love Hajime in this show. She’s by far the best thing about it for me. The best part about her conversation with BK was that she never for a second had a thought that he wouldn’t talk to her. And part of what’s great about Hajime is that she listens. Heck, BK even said so: She actually listened to what he said, not just ‘ah, it’s some madman ranting’ like everyone else did. Listening is far harder than talking.
And Paiman was atrocious. Way to bail, little dude.
POWUH: 700-799 and Parkouring Fanboy with 776 comments
What a fucking coward Paiman is. After all that yelling, berating Hajime and others about the rules, when it’s time to step up, he just bails and runs. His ONE JOB was to transport them there, and he couldn’t even finish that. Someone that willing to let his teammates hang out to dry has no place on a Little a League team, much less a world saving team of superheros.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yeah, he is playing that role rather well. I think we are supposed to either hate or strongly dislike the roomba riding little snail trail. Gatcha is running pretty heavy on the meta-plot, so a Peter Principle character like him is valuable to make the rest of the team think beyond the rules box….
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
It probably is on purpose…and man oh man does it make me hate him. If Hajime does everything right, this dude does everything wrong. What a jerk.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I also love Hajime. Without her this would just be another run-of-the-mill secret-organization-fighting-aliens anime.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It’s unbelievable that JJ would appoint a coward like him as a leader. A leader’s role is to be the example to motivate the team, be a source of wisdom and be there to take swift action the moment a situation shows up. So far, Paiman has done nothing but the total opposite. The sheer fact of that makes me cringe.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I don’t know, JJ has been one of the most strange and yet mostly absent characters in this entire thing. No one knows what the space vampire’s deal is and he’s never been straight forward on anything, even when he does talk.
JJ knew what was going to happen to Jou, and he obviously knows about Berg, so why doesn’t he act like a leader should? Is he just waiting for everyone to somehow get the answers on their own? Or does he even really care? Has he simply given up on Earth?
I can understand a leader wanting his subordinates to think on their own and thus will let them experience and find out things on their own. However, when trying to let them have that “experience”, leads to civilians and your own men getting killed, I think it’s time to take up the reigns and be the leader you supposedly say you are.
Everyone calls Pai-Pai a coward, but I can understand his fear and understand that he’s seen things that a majority of the Gatchaman and the audience haven’t seen. Even OD thought it was folly for him to go out there, probably because he knew that none of the Gatchamen stood a chance except him. Unfortunately, his powers seem to only grant Pyrrhic victories.
The one I blame more is JJ rather than Paiman, for simply sitting there and not even giving them a bit of guidance despite the fact that his people are dying out there.
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
I’m not certain that JJ is the “leader” in the sense that we are expecting. Instead he appears more to be a mystic who Paiman is trying to interpret.
I also suspect that Paiman only thinks that he is the “2inC” because the real leader(s) were destroyed some time ago, perhaps in an earlier encounter with Berg Katze, so Paiman took over for the lack of any other “official” leader.
To me there is one main question at this time:
– Why is Berg Katze so many orders of magnitude more powerful than the other Gatchamen
Until the audience and the other Gatchamen know the answer to this there is no obvious solution to the problem that Berg Katze poses.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I’m going to guess one of two things:
1) His Master is much more powerful than JJ, or
2) He is not limited by himself. He is free to kill as much or as little as he wants, and so freed, he can bring the full weight of his power to bear.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I don’t know, he created the Gatchaman, gave them their powers, and supposedly gave them their founding orders and rules. I consider him the leader. However, you’re right that he acts more like a “Merlin” than a “King Arthur”.
As to why Berg is so much more powerful? I have no idea. I do have a theory that I think that he and OD are from the same world. The two have similar looks, and both can destroy worlds with their powers. OD is the most powerful of the Gatchaman and he is the only one who is at least somewhat equal to BK’s power. Though, even when he went up against BK, the evil guy still somehow got away. This suggests that BK might even be slightly stronger than OD! Which makes me think that we haven’t even seen the full breadth of what the guy can do yet.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Consider that Berg gave Rui his NOTE. The only other character we’ve seen do any NOTE bestowing is JJ. Perhaps then Berg is more on JJ’s level, whatever that may be? He may certainly be physically similar to OD, and he may very well have started off as a fellow Gatchaman from the same world. But something tells me he’s gone way beyond that. Perhaps he’s obtained power comparable to JJ somehow and gotten drunk/mad with it.
POWUH: 400-499 with 445 comments
Damn…..Miyano Mamoru killed it…he really got into the role as Berg katze…i seriously think he was got so absorbed into the role that he ad-libed most of those lines; man did he capture that whimsical insanity that is Berg
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
He did a really good job and sounded like he had a lot of fun. Katze is such an out of the box character to do, he’s both hilariously insane, and psychopathic insane, he can sound cruel, cold and dangerous, or like a kid having fun. I loved how Katze taunted Rui-Rui, throwing all his hypocrisy in his face, and then the Gatchaman over doing the same old thing that they’ve been doing. BK is obviously very keen, despite his outward facade.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Wow, did he lose himself into the role. He performed it so well that you got to ask if he was acting at all. And I thought that sociopathic tone in his voice was when he thrashing everyone around as Berg Katze sounded familiar. Miyano Mamoru also played the also psychotic, ruthless and flamboyant Saruhiko “Saru” Fushimi from [K].
POWUH: 400-499 with 445 comments
I especially loved when he activated his gatchaman powers to the bass-guitar rift of the opening: “BA-BA-BABABA-BA-BA-BA-BABABA BBBBBAAARDDD0000-GOOOOOOO”!!!!!!
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Wow, I never realized that. Good catch. I thought he was just being zany as usual.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Knowing Berg’s personality, I’d guess the answer to its riddle is ‘The suffering of other humans’. That’s my guess anyway. What do you all think?
Also, I wonder wonder what sequence of events led to the accumulation of such self-hate within Joe that he would harbour (occasional) suicidal thoughts (if Berg’s dialogue with him was any indication.). Perhaps he saw too much during his Gatchaman tenure?
Also wonder how X the AI will figure into the final showdown.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I think so too. He certainly isn’t talking about chocolate.
I want to know what happened to Jou too. There must be something more than him just feeling useless all of a sudden.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
Well, I was trying to like Rui, but seeing that maybe he just totally injured 90 people by going to fight BK like that, I’m not too sure I can be okay with him much longer.
Paiman as well, gosh he’s such a coward. Can’t even grow a spine when it’s necessary. I suppose it takes pressure and emergencies to see what people are made of, and Paiman is not worthy of much.
I’m not going to hate JJ yet, because really, he gave them the prophecy about Jou burning up in a flame already, so Paiman was waiting for something he already had.
But I still like the show a lot. It’s a lot of fun to watch.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think they’re dead. Like “Cypher pulls the jack out of Switch and Apoc while they’re in The Matrix” dead.
I wonder what JJ thinks about BK. I’m not a huge fan of riddles, personally, just not my style, but I think Hajime is the one to figure it out.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I also think they’re dead as in DEAD! BK isn’t the type to just injure. I also think Hajime will be the one to solve the riddle.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I too thought they were dead, considering the fact that he later says the 100 are “gone”. If CROWDS are the manifestation of their consciousness, than I would say that BK’s attack either killed them, made them brain dead, or put them in a coma. In either case, they’re out of the picture as far as the rest of the series is concerned.
However, I did think of one thing. It could be possible that Rui could suck up his pride and call on those people in CROWDS that he “deleted” out of the program because their views didn’t agree with his. Hopefully he’s learned his lesson that all people are not going to see eye to eye, but that doesn’t make them any less of a vital part of society.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
The scene was very reminiscent of what happens to the kids in .hack, so I just automatically assumed they were in a coma. I’d prefer if they actually died to show Rui the true consequences of his actions though.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I was more thinking of the scenario in Sword Art Online. That if you’re killed as your avatar, whatever your mind is linked to will fry your brain.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Gotchaman OST is out and I love it! Track 20 is my fav xD
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Thanks for the info. I’m gonna look for that later because I’m downloading the OP right now. Finally!!! 😀
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
My personal fave’s are no 3 & 7. They’re already on my Galaxy phone as we speak!( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Because of OC’s suggestion last week (4.5 second notification clip of “g-g-g-gatcha…MAAAAAAN“)
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
YES, THANKS!!! I literally went out to buy a new phone that could have custom text ringtones just so I could make this my new ringtone (also, my contract said I could get a new one for cheaps)
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I see the anticipation was killing you as well, eh? 😉
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Here’s a wild thought. What if JJ, OD, and Berg are all the same kind of alien? Berg is always referred to as Berg-Katze, which leads to the initials of BK. Now we have three mysterious alien beings, with arguably similar characteristics, who can all go by two letter names.
Also, since the very beginning I’ve wondered what happened to all the other Gatchaman. There are some large gaps in the numbers, notably from OD’s 12 to Jou’s 89. Does this imply the holders of those numbers are dead or retired? Or perhaps they’re simply not present? Or could they have gone rogue like Berg?
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
Here’s another interesting thought. There is a conspicuous gap between Utsutsu’s 99 and Hajime’s 101. Does Rui fit in here as 100? He’s never referred to as a Gatchaman, but he has a NOTE and his own powers. Not to mention, I’m pretty sure he got his NOTE from Berg before Hajime got hers from JJ, so chronologically he would be the 100th.
Perhaps the numbers simply designate NOTE holders, whether from JJ or another source? It would be interesting to see what happens to Jou’s number now that he’s lost his NOTE.
Also I wonder what Berg’s number would be and if there’s any significance to it. Paiman is deathly afraid of him so I suspect he might be a senpai even to that little fluff ball. And there are only 2 numbers before Pai’s 3 (unless we get into that 0 stuff, but that might be JJ?).
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I don’t know if Rui is numbered since he’s not an official Gatchaman. He’s kind of more of a bastard child, since his powers came from Berg rather than JJ. Poor Rui’s powers seems to have been a consistent curse than a blessing, as Berg never granted him the powers to help people like JJ does with the other Gatchamen, but to use as a tool towards humanity’s destruction. And unfortunately, every time Rui tries to do good with them, he somehow still ends up playing right into BK’s hand.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
They have more similarities than just names too. Both JJ and BK can bestow powers to others, they’re all aliens, and they’re all extremely powerful. If not the same, I’m sure they’ve got to be similar.
I never thought about that…Now that you mention it, there should be more Gatchaman. It made me wonder why when they were summoned by JJ to his special room, there were so many possible seats yet only a handful of attendees. It’s sad, but the rest of them were probably wiped out as BK ravaged different planets. I don’t think they lived long enough to just retire :/
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
I’ve got a comment somewhere here that needs unspammy-ing. orz
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
This was a suspicion I had, though I mostly saw the similarities physically between OD and BK. Both are pale effeminate aliens, with lipstick that matches their nail polish, both wear heels and chokers, and have red eyes. And of course both have phenomenal world-destroying powers.
JJ on the other hand, is a big question mark since the only thing we’ve seen him do is pull NOTEs out of people and have the gift of prophecy. Now how he and BK have the same abilities I don’t know. However, I do think that the two are entirely different species. JJ we know, is a space vampire, BK seems a bit different. Could it be that JJ’s abilities can be learned? Or was he born with it?
Also, I totally forgot there were other Gatchaman. Could it be that this is all that’s left of once a great superhero society? It’s very possible since BK does go out of his way to ask Jou if they “are doing the same old thing”, and stating the same old statements, declarations and catchphrases. It’s quite possible that of course there were many Gatchamen over the years, but now they are few, which is why most of the populace think they’re a myth.I’m going to guess that the other’s died, since being a Gatchaman seems like a lifetime gig.
POWUH: iLurker with 10 comments
Well i laughed my ass off at Rui getting his ass destroyed. But i hope Hajime has a failing sometime soon because it’s really pissing me off how their trying to make her so perfect yet she’s such a unreal shitty character.
POWUH: iLurker with 19 comments
Personally, I love Hajime. “Perfect” and bubbly as she is, I really really love her, and I hope she’ll never fail. I wouldn’t mind if she struggles a bit saving the world, but that’s about it. Failure just doesn’t suit her. lol
Also, I think it’s cool that she’s unreal. She’s a fantasy element in and of itself, more symbolism than a character, and that’s pretty cool too.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yeah, I think it’s great that she’s a total Mary Sue, and has been from the beginning.
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
this was one intense episode
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
My favourite one so far, hands down.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
If there’s blood and brutality, those kinds episodes instantly become favorites. Am I right? 😉