Classroom ☆ Crisis – 02
Zen and the Art of Space Plane Advancement
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This is how you do good science-fiction exposition. It was insightful, informative, and it lead from one character development to another, and from one plot development to another….Kudos to Lay-Duce! |
Like a Science Fair That Never Ended
Pretty much everyone can see their house from here
So, helpful exposition is helpful. The Kirishina Corporation, the business entity that forms most of the backbone of our story, was founded around 70 years ago by two high school students, Takahisa Kiryu and Renchiro Kirishina. The last name of the first student should be very familiar by now, and it probably going to gain more exchequer as our story moves on. One way or another Nagisa Kiryu will see his ambition met.
Then and now…
But in going back to the past, those two students are the basis for the A-TEC legacy, and it was their youthful, progressive, and inventive natures that also shaped this world’s aerospace industry. But, as companies grow, they tend to be more successful the more they diversify, and since Kirishina has also went into finance and insurance (and all the political wheeling and dealing that brings with it), it looks like the glory days of A-TEC aerospace adventures are something they are, perhaps, looking to leave behind. But A-TEC won’t be going down or out without a fight.
Opposing Forces
Who’s the boss?
So we get a great deal more depth in Nagisa’s character and some a large look at the lay of the land for the corporation as a whole. There is not doubt that the Kiryu family has a near controlling interest in the company, and is looking for more. So with that in mind, I asked why the A-TEC class is being given a deadline for downsizing in the first place. It’s the companies’ toy, they can take it back any time they want, right?
But a lot of that has to do with public perception. The larger mega-corp is still seen as industry leaders in aerospace. That has a great deal of the public’s daily interest. When you add that Satio is the de-facto current leader, and his background for genius and daring in both rocket development and racing, it’s obvious what the public sees them as; celebrities in the daily life of space. If you mention corporate finance, and even insurance, and most people will glaze over. Heck mention it to the wrong people and you’ll probably get complaints. The Kiryu family won’t be doing themselves any favors by ditching them out of hand.
Nothing like winners to inspire people…
But this family is on something of a tight-rope. With Nagisa himself in the thick of it. He is a business prodigy, cutting through red tape, and brokering big deals, bringing more exchequer to himself, his family, and his company. All of this has brought on more than it’s share of head-aches, or growing pains. Nagisa’s business on Coldwood is still on the QT as far as the public is concerned, but I still feel it goes deeper; well into the territory of his personal ambition of becoming CEO. With two elder brother’s ahead of him, no less, who’s opinion of him is less that acceptable. So he’s got his eyes on a few fronts, Saito’s challenge being just a small part of that.
Ambition…
But A-TEC should not be counted out. They are an aspiring group of prodigies in their own right. The whole of the academy is a feeder for the corporation, training all of their employees which number around 160,000 people. A small, effective group like them can be quite inspirational not only to the public, but to the company as a whole. Just as the exploits of past A-TEC members have served to be inspirational to the current group. It looks like racing, and the SWNPR (Stellar Wind Rocket Propulsion Engine) is playing a large part of the current goings-on.
…a nut for every bolt…
They have a wide area of separate expertise under their belts. I’m really happy each of them had a job that displayed their emerging talents, and that helps drive the stories characterization as each of them can pull duel duty for the plot’s development. They can add grace notes as supporting characters always do, and they can hit us with the technical details as those are demanded.
Final Thoughts
I’m really grooving on how well this show has broadened it’s horizons. It holds a great deal of promise. They are still holding a great deal in reserve, as all early episodes should. But, I hope they start developing the female leads a bit more as time goes by. It’s fun to see them develop the cogs that turn in the much larger world and great to see that they’ve spent time on the supporting cast, but this episode hints of a more personal touch. Something they will need to ground everything in.
School life?
It felt like Nagisa just showed us some of the cards he has close to his vest. Now I don’t think they are going to go with the typical School Life trope of “I just wanted to be a normal high school kid”, but his outward disdain of Iris’ outward personality couldn’t, to me, be any more reflective. That was envy. Sure, an envy for simplicity as the scene draws out with Mizuki, but envy for Iris’ reckless nature came through much stronger; and his admiration, perhaps, for her sense of adventure and cool head.
So, how do you think A-TEC will pull ahead? They’ve played the racing angle pretty heavy here, but I don’t think that is the thing, or the whole of the thing. I want them to be much more ambitious. It looks like they may have to go home anyway, so they might as well go big, right? Racing? Not so much? Getting out of our solar system and beyond? Yes. That.
Next Episode
How mighty will the accounting pen be?
Bonus OP and ED!
Cobalt by TrySail
Anemone by Claris!
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: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
A lot of boring exposition this episode, but I stuck through it for Nagisa. He’s so cool, and I love his ambition. I’m wondering if perhaps he actually sees the potential in A-TEC and want’s them to succeed to add another feather in his cap, however they have to prove themselves somehow.
Perhaps if they can help him become CEO, he can help them find a way to get their spending and projects together?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I really liked how they framed the exposition; a series of commercials for the public, and also to us. It showed us a different side to the characters.
I can see Nagisa playing them for his own success, but don’t know if they would support him or if he would allow visible support from ATEC. Seems he likes underground and sneaky deals…
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
That’s true. He does seem to do things on his own and more in the background and under the table, but there was something about the way that he was talking with Sena at the end that suggest that he really wants them to prove themselves. I think it might be part of his over all plan of some kind.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
It looks like he has had to suffer indignity to get where he is. By contrast, as I think they showed us in the scene he had with both Iris and Mizuki, A-TAC has been given everything, and yet has delivered less than nothing in return. But he still has a grudging respect for them…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Why would Nagisa support them if he became CEO? He thinks they’re a gigantic drain on the company when he’s not in charge, when he IS in charge, that would be even worse. Plus, he’s planning on being CEO no matter what, so it’s doubtful that the help of a group that hemorrhages money is going to be what he’s looking for.
No, the only way he’s going to support them is if he ditches the Kiryu mindset of “maximizing business case” and adopts more of the Renchiro idea of cutting-edge development.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
He would support them if it somehow gave him the leverage he needed. As of now, that’s neither the fish nor the bait…But they made a huge deal about public perception. That could be a story smokescreen, or it could be the way forward. It’s not something Nagisa cares about. Unless he has to?
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
That might be true. The way he kept saying that it was the “current management” that wants to take down A-TEC, made me think that he might use the group somehow to get around his two elder brothers in a play to become CEO. And I bet it might just have to do with the public perception part. It also might be why he’s kept to the background, so that if and when his brothers go under, he can come up from behind, relatively clean and take over.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yep.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
This was sluggish. While I still find Nagisa’s attitude horrifying grating, I think he and Kaito can get something done if they work together. If Nagisa intends to usurp (Yes, I’m going with that term) the CEO seat, he needs to do something that will put the older brothers’ management methods to shame. That won’t happen until the antagonistic aura within A-TEC between the arrogant prodigy and the other students dies down.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Hey, he may be an arrogant prodigy, but I like a little arrogance, as long as the man in mind as has the brains and demeanor to back it up. It’s why characters like Lelouch, Light, Aizen, Sesshoumaru, and L-elf end up being my favorites.
In the words of Fitzwilliam Darcy,
“Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride – where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Just so you know. Characters with too much arrogance like that are to me what Hajime Ichinose is to you. It’s part of why I hated Natsuno Yuuki with such a passion.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Ah, my favorite character in Shiki other than the doctor. I don’t even remember him being that arrogant. He was standoffish, but he didn’t really seem to think that he was better than everyone else.
I don’t know why but I just have an attraction to such characters. A sense of arrogance, when deserved, gives the sense that the character is intelligent, capable, knows what he’s doing, and is ambitious. Now, to be fair, I only feel this way about male characters, somehow I’ve never liked it or it’s never been done right with a female character thus far. But hey, that’s just me. I’m sure everyone has their “Hajimes”. 😉