Gatchaman Crowds Insight – 02
Invasion of Moe from Another Planet
Being a Metanorn blogger is essentially the same as being a Gatchaman. I work on a team, I post stuff on Twitter, I need certain technology to be able to continue doing this, and I perform all sorts of cute poses (you just can’t see ’em). Tsubasa can’t even transform properly so really, how can you tell I’m not as much of a Gatchaman as her, huh? What the hell do these heroes even do all day?
srs hero bsns
For the most part, the Gatchaman team goes around bopping belligerent, physical manifestations of avatars on the head. That’s the main definition of what heroes with superpowers do! But what I really like about this season is how they’re paying extra attention to the use of social media. It’s exactly the sort of thing you would expect our society to do if we found people with superpowers – normalize it, slap a sticker on it, and start making money. It reminds me of Tiger & Bunny the way these noble heroes end up getting so tired of dodging the spotlight that they just fight crime on TV and appear on commercials, billboards, and just about anything that could turn a profit. Heroes are special until they’re not. Then they just become like fancy celebrities – another Beyonce or Kobe Bryant.
Most of the episode is spent watching the team do the most mundane tasks ever…and I love it. Paiman is livestreaming his babysitting session at a daycare, Tsubasa and Hajime are essentially doing their best to imitate an idol interview on stage in a mall, OD is being a flamboyant TV show host, and the rest are teaching people how to participate in a cyberelection. When the only two aliens in the show are either being subdued by Hajime’s fist or a moeblob voiced by HanaKana, there’s not much else to worry about other than humanity fucking up the wonderful tech that’s been given to them. And boy, do they ever mess it up.
Maybe Gel is just telling them all they have great dentists and nice teeth
I was looking forward to see VAPE’s argument for why GALAX is potentially harmful. It’s a program that can give any person – probably even a cat if it presses the right buttons – the immense power of controlling a tangible avatar in the real world. And this avatar isn’t just you, it’s a giant TV-head abomination with more power than a regular human. Obviously there are issues here because what Rui has essentially created is a weapon that can be used to kill people without the user of the Crowds avatar facing any danger. If someone had maybe just told Rui this and discussed it over a nice cup of tea and biscuits, maybe this could have been resolved before things got ugly.
Instead, VAPE decides to show Rui how dangerous the system is by destroying things. That’s like telling someone a cliff is dangerous, and pushing a bystander off the cliff to prove your point. You’re not wrong…the cliff is dangerous. But the way VAPE is arguing this (Crowds, not cliffs!) is hugely flawed. The fact that Suzuki also has to convey all this by teleporting into Rui’s home, being a dick, and then attacking him with his avatar makes the issue even worse. The dude doesn’t even try to get Rui to come to an understanding with him. So much for wanting peace. It’s a bad scene in an otherwise good episode, which just shows that this series is still very much a diamond in the rough. However, I do see lots of bright glimmers suggesting something of value.
With great power comes great selfies with mannequins (also, what’s up with his Gatchaman notebook?!)
I’m most excited about Gel, the adorable little alien (E.T. ain’t got nothing on her) who just wants everyone to be friends and for the fighting to stop. Her ability to show the emotions of others is a wonderful addition to the show, because Kenji Nakamura (director) has always been better at telling a story with visuals than with words. So the more visuals, the better. Now we know Gel is not only able to show emotions visually through these bubbles, but she is able to pull a Kirby and suck ’em all in. Through doing this, she can see what others are thinking and feeling more explicitly. I’m looking forward to see how this is used in the future for something more involved than just seeing whether some stragglers in a mall are hyped over a new superhero or not.
For example, Gel seems uneasy when she looks at Hajime. She is impossible to read because her emotions and thoughts aren’t easily swayed by outside influences. Gel, who should know very little about human customs, relies on reading these bubbles to know what others are thinking. On the other hand, Hajime doesn’t need the bubbles. She just knows how people work. Tsubasa isn’t exactly a hard person to read, but Hajime really shows how she understands Tsubasa, explicitly telling her that she knows how she feels on the train. She also doesn’t punish her for completely wrecking an old lady. She knows Tsubasa feels horrible about it anyways and that she’s learned her lesson. And in a scene mirroring season 1 where she comments on a beautiful sunrise with Sugune, she now comments on the beauty of a much darker sunset. After absorbing Berg Katze, Hajime is still Hajime…but she appreciates darkness more. Will this cross over into her personality other than just symbolism about shadows and sunsets? I doubt she’ll be influenced much more given how quick she is to sock him in the jaw, but his constant yet hidden presence is something I’m keeping an eye on.
Season 1 sunrise vs Season 2 sunset
Hajime is a great mentor for Tsubasa, and I like seeing the two together thus far. Tsubasa needs a lot of work as a Gatchaman so who else but Miss Perfect can teach her? First and foremost, I think Tsubasa needs to learn to be more grounded from Hajime. Tsubasa became a Gatchaman so suddenly and now she’s devoting her life to it. She could try to escape, but instead, she throws away her dream of becoming a master of fireworks and takes this one on. It seems like she’s just a bundle of impulsive behaviour, and that’s been nothing but bad news so far. The fact that her grandfather sent her off felt like he was resigned to her dying like a soldier in war (like his brother) was just sad. Is Tsubasa really so fickle that she’d give up her dream that easily? Or is she just so unfocused that she doesn’t even realize that being a Gatchaman means potentially giving up that dream? Being a Gatchaman really isn’t an easy job; whether you’re looking after kindergarteners or fighting Crowds avatars.
*scissoring intensifies*
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: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I agree that VAPE pretty much should be symbolized, not by a red CROWDS avatar but, a giant ham and cheese sammich squished by an even bigger fist; I hope this is a weakness of the group and not the writing. So does this VAPE leader have his own GATCHA armor?
But Gel stands out as a very interesting character. Very childlike in that emotions are what she picks up on and is able to express. She’s a MOE avatar walking…
But the enduring mystery is why Tsubasa is not able to Bird Go..,I guess hasn’t heard heard heard, that it’s the word? I think it’s because she feels she’s dissed her ji-san. We old people get under young peoples skins so easily…
Speaking of which, since you’ve broached the subject…
BIRD GO!
BIRD GO!
::shakes notebook::
Dammit…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Isn’t this…
Battle of the Planets?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
R U Kidding…
edit: I changed Gravatar images since then…but here’s the original…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
With your shocked avatar, your reponse is amusing. 😛
My ancient memory is spot on! Remember watching this in the 80s.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I respond like Illya more than one would reasonably assume.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Then I shall have to be more like Mama Iri.We interrupt this program for an emergency broadcast of Golf…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
“Mischief managed”
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
*Mama headchop!* 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I’m afraid the hammyness of it all may be part of the writing, but I’m hoping it’s not. Because it’s hard to seriously agree with a group that thinks being a terrorist is a good way to avoid terrorism.
You see, I wasn’t sure if Tsubasa had temporarily forgotten her grandfather thanks to her shiny new life. But now that you mention it, yeah, her inability to transform may actually be partially (or even entirely) because of that.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Someone needs to tell me, how much money does this city have in its budget? Because my city could sure use some of it! First they gave a smartphone (including phone service and unlimited data) to every citizen in town last season. This season, they’re giving out free tablets? And considering how everyone is using them everywhere, they too get unlimited free data?
Can I live in this city? o_o
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I second that question.
With so much tech they’re giving away just like that, they’re probably real cheap to buy. Imagine how easy it must be to get desktop and laptop computers.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I think the budget is drawn from the Creative License Revenue service. But, GALAX could be based on Linux, which would make operating costs much cheaper. Plus it all feels like a civic experiment anyway.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Given the cost to develop secure voting machines now, I wonder if it’s really that much more expensive to provide a screen to those who don’t have one. Amazon’s selling tablets for, essentially, 100 bucks. Virgin Mobile USA sells smartphones for 40 dollars (and they sell them at unsubsidized cost, and you have a separate plan). Screens are not that expensive. So I doubt it’s as expensive as you think it is.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Had no idea tablets and such were getting this cheap. I was initially jealous of them giving away free stuff like Irene but now I don’t feel so bad!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
It is getting dirt cheap. Especially if you get disposable China-brand ones. Seriously, there isn’t a point in getting an expensive piece of electronic hardware unless you’re going to stick to the 3-year replacement cycle.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Yeah, but you don’t have one voting machine per citizen. It’s a good thing that this town doesn’t have that large of a population. Can you imagine them doing something like this in LA or NYC?
And it’s not just the tablet, but the service that’s provided, I’m guessing free of charge as well. That’s where the big bucks are. Also, there is also the fact that you would have to do this again for every election. At least with the electronic voting screen machines they have now, they can reuse them for years. In this, you’d have to always assume that someone lost or didn’t get a tablet in a previous election, and thus you’d have to give out a whole new set. It’s not cost-effective.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, there might be a few more things to consider. One, that data, especially here in the States, is played with like it’s a bloody limited resource; like one day we will run out of ones and zeros. So the price is kept artificially high, especially given the fact that providers play the states like they are carving up mob territories. Yeah, I’m a bit bitter. Two, tablets come in all sorts. They probably aren’t giving away eyePads, nor any high end Goo-goal machines, but cheaper, more limited in function and specs devices; with nothing being said that they will give away more. People that get a cheaper thing, are likely to buy a better thing…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
You don’t have to give out a whole new set. Just ones to the people who need a new one. And if half of everyone already had a cell phone, then that’s that done, they don’t need a tablet.
And the government’s development of voting machines is on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars. And then administering voting is millions of dollars more. If it were done by app, yes, it would cost probably millions of dollars to get secure voting, but then the back end stuff is done, unlike having to deal with multiple polling places (it’s way easier to just hand stuff out before time).
So basically, it might cost more to do what they’re doing, but 1) they’re in a tv show. 2) They’re in the future. and 3) it’s not nearly as much more expensive as you might think.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
But you’d have to be ready to to give out a whole new set, just in case every single person lost their or it broke, or it was stolen. You’d have to have a contengency plan for that. And wasn’t it done by app? I thought in the first episode, the girls on the train were talking about getting it.
Which also reminds me, this election doesn’t seem very secure to me, especially considering the technology of this show. To me, it feels even less secure than what they have now.
I know it’s a tv show and the future, but it still seems irresponsible on the part of the government.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Your contingency plan could be “You have to come vote at (the now reduced) voting places.” There’s no reason you have to guarantee that every time everyone would get a new screen. That’s a terrible assumption. And the fetish for “one person, one vote” is usually something that is overly worried about. Oh no, a bunch of people voted a bunch of times. You could probably deal with fraud easily if you really felt the need.
Arguing to me that something government does is irresponsible will get a laugh, because I think just about everything government does is irresponsible to some degree. I just don’t see that this method for voting is particularly worse than other methods of voting.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I guess I shouldn’t mention that that was my favorite scene in the entire episode. 😛
I’m in here for the villains, and so far, the leader of VAPE intrigues me. I like him. He and I see eye to eye. Enough of this happiness and world peace crap. I say, go for the chaos! 🙂
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Whoa! When did you become an anarchist? 😉
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Since this became the world of Hajime!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Time to conquer the world! For the technology of peace!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It’s the perfect world to be in!!!
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Haha someone’s favourite scene is always bound to be someone’s least favourite.
Well, if you want total chaos and war then you’re certainly looking at the right guy.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Dear Rui and Gatchamen,
My smear campaign proposal against Suzuki and the VAPEs is still up for grabs. The plan is to portray them as vile sex offenders by —–
*fails to notice Suzuki and red CROWD materializing from behind* ( “x_x)
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Always mind your surroundings
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Rule of Jedi.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
RIP zztop. We hardly knew thee.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Gone but not forgotten.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
SO TRUE cause were all super cute! Now if only my notebook worked…damn…
The team behind Gatchaman must love the youtube series Red vs Blue! Red Crowds vs Blue Crowds.
I wonder if Suzuki can transform since he also has a Gatchaman notebook?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Or the Red Oni vs. the Blue Oni trope.
Yeah, JJ must have given us bum notebooks. So far, all I’ve managed to transform into is a mildly less cranky middle aged dude….
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I just sit around in my armor, because I think it looks cool.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
OK…Pai Pai…
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
So if Highway is Pai Pai then who is Hajime? And is Kyokai JJ since she’s our leader? :3c
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
No…Highway is Pai Pai…that is all…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
skyraion has to the the LOLi since the site banner says so.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
“utsutsu”
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
What I got out of the scene of the leader of VAPE and Rui wasn’t that he was against Rui having given everyone the power of CROWDS because some people could use that for evil/destruction. What I got was that he believed that power should be reserved only for those who “deserved” it and not for the common rabble. With of course him being at the top of the list and deciding who the elites are who should have that power.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…that is a pretty decent explanation, but the people he picked for this first wave attack were pretty much the opposite of elites..unless the VAPE leader just sucks at selecting folk…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Or he chose them to be cannon fodder and plans to use their actions to get people to go along with his idea that CROWDS should be restricted to the “deserving.”
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I thought he chose them because he just wants to cock snooks. The VAPE leader is a narcissistic jackass, and just wants to show everyone that.
Of course, humans have ALWAYS had the ability to destroy things. It’s not really like he’s giving people something new, he’s just giving trolls a new avenue to troll.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
That could be a better explanation since it allows some people to use Crowds – just not everyone. A reasonable position. Too bad he’s still trying to portray his message with violence.
I’m not sure I like all the ape/evolution parts of his dialogue with Rui either. It’s just not working for me.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
He’s a highly intelligent person with contempt for those of lesser intellect, which would explain his ape/evolution beliefs. His type is not exactly unknown in the real world.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
In other words, Suzuki’s a jackass with a superiority complex who looks down on those who don’t meet his standards. He reminds me too much of the Riddler in the first three “Batman: Arkham” games. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s insecure and frequently hides behind his intelligence.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Hajime (fu fu) hoppin’ thru the city, scooping up the VAPEsters and Boppin’ them on the head…
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
pyon pyon~
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
No surprise you’d be taking over, OC. After last season, it had to be you again.
So the main antagonist, the leader of VAPE, is another “Holier than thou” narcissist… Where’s the hole these pests keep crawling out from?
Gel is undeniably cute but I’m a little wary of her this episode. She seems to work in extremes because it looked like something was about to happen since people weren’t getting along at the time.
We’ve already seen such a scenario confirm that possibility. Think back to Psycho-Pass 2. Kirito Kamui linking a shooting game to military drones and while everyone thinks they’re playing a harmless game, they’re unknowingly wasting a number of innocent people.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I love when a second season of a show I’ve already blogged comes out because I know I have priority to blog it hehe.
The VAPE dude is a real jerk and Gel is adorable. I thought she was going to unleash her powers in the mall but all she did was uselessly rush at a red crowd avatar and get thrown around. Wonder if she just forgot hot to use her powers or if her only abilities are emotion-based.
Yep, it’s just like Psycho-Pass 2! Cute games being used to slaughter innocent people (well, no deaths here yet because this seems to be a more PG-13 show).
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 261 comments
Speaking of Bertz Kaitz, Despite that he is been sealed. I was thinking….NAH, Hopefully that Ragtagged Flamingo (Hajime), Knows what she is doing…
But to be honest i want to see a really frightening villain something that will make…
Show ▼
and Hmm…Dat Cutey Red Alien, I would like to called her…
Show ▼
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Flamingo and Little Miss Positivity have enough optimism to fuel the world several times over!
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I still think Gel is more dangerous than people realize. Her wanting everybody to think happy thoughts is mind-control territory, even if it’s intended to be benign. And Pai Pai saying “She’s harmless” should raise a big red flag.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…as a character from one of my favorite books has said,”Everybody’s dangerous”…
But even with that in mind, I think the suspicion in the thing, and so is the red flag. It’s nice to see a story engage in a double bluff…
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
From the episode 1 comments, it seems more to me that people are actually suspicious of her. Or maybe those that don’t see her as a threat just didn’t mention it.
But as the character from the book that skylion mentioned said (wow that’s a mouthful), everybody’s dangerous. She could easily end up as the main boss. Am I personally worried about that? Naw. Could I be proven horribly wrong? Absolutely ^^;;
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…it’s from Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. Show ▼
And to clarify, holding Gel with suspicion is part of the storytelling process. And that is suspicious to me.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
(I think) I’m with skylion. I think she’s pretty much just what has been described. And I don’t think it’s nefarious to hope and even try to push humanity to all be happy. I want everyone to be happy. Is it easy to do? No, especially because people get unhappy when they can’t have things that other people have. But I don’t know that that’s insurmountable.
I just feel like everyone’s projecting something onto the show that’s just not there, about the goals and attitudes of Hajime and Gel especially.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Everyone being happy all the time can actually be a terrible situation. For just one example, if people in grinding poverty are happy, there’s not much chance of them trying to improve their lot. And if people who are better off are happy all the time they won’t be upset about others in grinding poverty and won’t try to help them.
For another example if the abolitionists weren’t upset by slavery they wouldn’t have worked to end it and we might still have slavery. Especially if the slaves were happy all the time.
Being dissatisfied with the way things are has probably been responsible for most human progress.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I wouldn’t advocate some drugged out state. But one can be overall happy and still strive to make things better. I think that I am like this. “Happy” is not “satisfied”. People who are crushed under the weight of their lot in life also give up and don’t try. The tendency of people to strive and aspire is only loosely correlated with their mood.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…what Highway just said! Ah, If only I got her a few minutes earlier!
…and the two examples you picked are…well, any amount of happiness for good reason would be a boon…
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I’m kind of on both sides of the argument. While I do think that you don’t need to not be happy in order to strive to do more, I also think that being happy all the time is not healthy either.
I know it’s a little weird, but the movie Inside Out just reminded me the most of that, and how they asked their daughter to be happy, but finding that sadness, anger, and her other emotions were just as important as her being happy.
It’s find to be sad or angry and not happy with something, and I’m hoping that Gel is not trying to have everyone have happy emotions all the time, as I don’t think that’s anymore healthy than a person being sad all the time.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think it’s really a stretch to even think that Gel would want people’s moods altered outside of what they would be feeling naturally. It’s not like Inside Out where they were treating the symptom, not the disease (be happy when you really aren’t).
If everyone is happy because their circumstances would have them be happy, then there’s nothing wrong with that at all. And even if you’re mostly happy, you can be sad about some things.
I do think that we’re not privy to a lot of the nuance of Gel yet.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…yeah, that last sentence…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I did deliberately choose a couple extreme cases and overstate them. But the point was to show that some unhappiness and dissatisfaction can be good.
So far we don’t know just how far Gel will take “everybody be happy all the time.” Until we see more we won’t know if she overdoes it. And let’s remember she’s an alien. It wouldn’t be surprising if she didn’t get a good read on humans and their emotions and ends up overdoing it.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Its a possibility. Her coloring and the black diamonds that she has on her skin reminds me of Berg Katze. Also, it’s always the least suspicious that you have to suspect the most.