Gokukoku no Brynhildr – 02
Remember what I said about melting?
You know, words can’t adequately express what just happened here. I will still try though.
Shock Factor
Gives a whole new meaning to “pulling the plug.”
For the most part, this was a fairly innocuous episode. Neko goes to school with Ryouta after a bit of persuasion, and they save another person who was going to die while they’re at it. Sounds like this will be the daily routine for the show, right? But then suddenly out of the blue a mahou shoujo gets gruesomely melted in a secret laboratory for running away. Yeah. I guess Lynn Okamoto still has a penchant for that kind of stuff. As stated before, I was already expecting some rather nasty things to happen in this show given the guy’s track record with Elfen Lied. But I think the show must have done a pretty good job of lulling me into a false sense of “security” with its seemingly slice of life “saving the person of the day” routine because when that whole melting business unceremoniously marched in, I was totally caught off guard. So much so that I was pretty much distracted for the entire rest of the episode. So yeah, maybe it was just me, but well played, Gokukoku. You really got me there.
Obsessions
Yes, the resemblance is uncanny. But Ryouta really needs to take it easy.
Moving on, this episode provides disappointingly little material in the way of any possible connection between Kuroneko and Neko. All we have to go on is Ryouta’s continuing belief that there is a connection between the magician and his childhood friend. Yes, that’s right. A lack of moles isn’t going to stop this guy. But at least now he’s starting to realize how much of an obsessive creeper he appears to be to the casual passerby. I’m glad for that, and hopefully this will be the first step in his recovery from his blind obsession with a girl who has been dead for many years now. Ah, who am I kidding. We all know he’ll never get over it. And it certainly doesn’t help that Neko is around now to constantly remind him of Kuroneko. In fact, I might even say that it’s only gotten worse; he’s now moved on to projecting his own desires for his dead childhood friend onto Neko. That whole “I wanted to show her the ocean so you should go to the beach with us” spiel almost made me cringe.
Magic Sucks
Use magic; never get out of bed.
But that’s enough about Ryouta’s disturbed psyche. This episode introduces us to Neko’s partner in crime, Kana, who has been making all the predictions about people dying. It’s not explicitly stated, but I believe that her ability is not just limited to that macabre subject. So assuming she can just see into the future in general, one wonders how Neko and Kana could ever be caught by the laboratory since they could in theory stay one step ahead of the mahou shoujo melting bastards all the time. But, this would be too easy in terms of story-telling, so I’m guessing there’s some sort of limitation on Kana’s precognition that we don’t yet know about. While we’re on the topic of magicians, it’s important to note that apparently they pay a hefty price in exchange for their abilities. For one, it seems that all magicians have a shorter life span in general. And as we see with Kana, it’s also possible to lose bodily functions as further complications. This sort of trade off is pretty standard fare, but I must say that this does not bode well for Ryouta since it’s almost certain that Neko won’t be around for too much longer for one reason or another.
For a second episode, Gokukoku is improving a bit. This definitely was much more exciting than the premiere, though I’m not sure how much of it was simply the shock factor of watching a girl just melt and drop slowly off a table. Yuck. Do not want. I’m not sure if the show will keep up the pretense of the slice of life, saving people from death thing, since mixing that and gruesome deaths does not work. But I want to say that now that we’ve seen some of the darker side to the story, we won’t be going back to those happy places. After all, with the laboratory after them, Neko and Kana will soon have to start worrying for their own lives instead.
Is Neko’s short life already coming to an end?
About Sumairii
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
This episode has a satisfying bit of crunch too it, but I’m not sure I’m willing to partake the full course.
It’s really not coming together for me. Kana is an interesting character, and I like the questions her existence posits. But can my interest in the show rest around that?
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
As a famous witch once said, ‘I’m melting! Melting!’
Though she totally deserved it for kidnapping Dorothy.POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Come on, man! This witch was innocent and oppressed. She didn’t deserve that. *sob*
That melting was really rapid though. And it happened the minute the plug on her neck was exposed to open air. What was her body pumped with?
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Well, Briar, I’ve always been more of the info provider/joker type of commenter.
Just trying to lighten the gruesome atmosphere, that’s all.(^ – ^)
No matter how wrong the scene may be.(｡･｀ω´･｡)
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I know. You’ve done that in other posts so it’s alright. I was playing as if I was someone who knew the person who died personally, imagining how they’d react seeing that. I hope she went quickly though, because that had to be painful.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Cake in a blender = EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
That melting scene was like OH MY GOD but then I remember who created this series! LOL
So far I get the feeling that the main characters will be preventing a lot of deaths which is alright but at the same time I fully expect them to fail at saving some people.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Imagine that as the way the elderly would eat cake if they can’t find their dentures. The method gets points for creativity even if it’s disturbing.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
That’s one amazing voice synthesizing keyboard. A tsuntsun moe voice that changes tone accordingly to what the user wants to convey. Where can I get one?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Oh, I got mine ages ago. The iTsun is amazing.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Probably got off the black market somewhere. That product wasn’t even properly advertised! I’m starting up an investigation!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
You should see the apps on this thing. Some of them are NOT safe for work!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Yeah, things were fairly predictable until that gruesome melting scene. The girl’s screams made me cringe even more. Since Kuroha has the grade level of an elementary school student for someone her size and only has memories of the laboratory, I’m leaning on the possibility that she may be a clone of Kuroneko.
Ryota had better do something to bury that unhealthy obsession of his. It can lead to unpredictable things. I can recall whether it was CSI or Criminal Minds but there was this one episode where this doctor who was so in love with his wife even after she died that later when found a girlfriend, he had her undergo multiple surgeries. And unknown to her, it was to make her look like his deceased wife as much as possible to keep her memory alive.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Well, I did get warned about ppl getting melted in it. Just not in between heart warming scenes (´･_･`) I was not prepared for the mood shifting.
And the ED song is very relaxing… TOO relaxing in fact. It will be weird when the episode ends with a bloody/horrific scene then suddenly the ED start playing.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
The ED makes me think that this series is going to have a lot happier ending than it probably will. It’s pretty out of place, that’s for sure. But at least it seems to assure that any character we see the face of won’t die.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
…Highway, I can’t unsee the title as “Brunhilda” now. Thanks a lot.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
He did that to me as well, Kara.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
/winning…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It was an ambush, a good one. They struck when we least expected it and it proved effective.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
The melting girl scene wasn’t gross at all, but the blended cake sludge was traumatizing. Gonna be having nightmares about that for weeks.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
At least it was cake and nothing important in its stead.
Like body parts or anything else similar.POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Hm, this isn’t anywhere in the genres I like to watch, but it seems interesting and tolerable (enough for my tastes) that I’ll keep at it. I could have did without the melting though, thankfully the scene was short.
Didn’t mention it before, but I really like the OP. It fits the show very well. Actually, it almost reminds me of a PV.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hmm… What are your usual genres since this caught your attention by chance?
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Romance, Slice-of-Life, Comedy, Mecha are the main ones. I usually steer well clear of anything supernatural, mystery, or horror.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Looks like we’re polar opposites because those three are my favorites in any series. But between the three, supernatural is always front and center.
I’m alright with comedy and mecha is steadily growing on me but romance and slice of life don’t really do it for me, especially if it’s heavily centered. I usually turn down shows like that.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Well, supernatural when it has a spooky bent to it. Supernatural on its own is perfectly fine with me. I just have a weak stomach/heart.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Ooh, that’s too bad because I usually watch supernatural shows that are not considered for the faint hearted. Meaning a lot of blood and sometimes gore.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
In a world where cute girls do Mecha things, a young girl falls in love and into the cockpit of the most powerful robot ever conceived.
MEGA-LOLi-APOCALYPSE!
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Pray tell what this show is, I MUST WATCH.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Just a product of my own imagination.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
( p′︵‵。)
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
To be honest, I was expecting them to break into the lab and rescue Kanade. Though maybe she was one of the ones in the OP.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Thought*. I really need an edit function or proof-read what I type lol. ^o^
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 29 comments
The second episode really is starting to show us the grander scheme of the series. Even though it is going to get dark going to stick with since do enjoy some dark anime.