Koukaku no Pandora: Ghost Urn – 05

Juggling Nene

Well, I’m sensing a sincere trend here in that I often get more with a second viewing that I usually think I’ll get. At first I thought this episode was pretty much a repeat built on last episode’s lather-rinse cycle with a few extra bit’s added in. But then a few extra bits popped out at me.

What am I doing with my life, cute cat eared maid ninja?

Back during the first impression for the show I was grooving on how far the apple had fallen from the tree. I was quite happy to see Ghost Urn cleave away from Ghost in the Shell‘s very serious trans-humanistic drama and suspense and cleave towards comedy and pure-observational humor. A few more episodes in, and it looked like the show was about to subvert my thoughts entirely and go right back toward the clingy comparisons, I tried so hard to pull apart. I’m happy to see it work that out and stick to it’s own guns, and tell it’s own story. Or maybe I found the right attitude to watch the show? Even with Takumi’s endless need to get down and dirty and be a player when she’s outclassed by Uzal every step, let’s not treat that as anything more than distraction from what the show really wants to say…

“Back in the day, I used to crush punks like you!!!”

Because in some rather artsy-farsty trans-humanistic tales they often forget the human parts, or they often short change them to the point that seeing the characters go into rather obtuse moments and take things for granted, then set up so many moral anvils dropping on so many heads. I’m really happy to see that they can get a message across here, in very simple demeanor rather than the aforementioned anvilicious straw-men style so many so-called morality tales like to employ. In short, of all the ways to skin a cat, you might be able to say more just by coming out and saying it…if you say it with a cat-eared loli ninja maid, you might be onto something cool…

Hello, nurse..uh, paramedic…

I can make a very complex set of thoughts boil down to humans are complicated, and sometimes we will act stupid for qualities that aren’t human, and neither care for us or even need us (like money, or political parties) Case in point: Nene’s “Is it me doing this or a borrowed power doing it”. I get where she’s coming from, I think we all do, as well all want to know that we are empowered by something we earned. But as Clarion points out, we’re all made of parts, those parts came from somewhere, and you should embrace the funny continuity that is human existence, then run with it.

The Care and Cleaning of Cyborgs

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As far as the developing plot goes, it’s just that, developing. Colonel Kurtz, in his position as Special Military Advisor to the island is busily checking off all the bad guys boxes; position of power, looks to be abusing that position, calls the police into question, and is hell bent for leather to get BUER out from under it’s watery grave and useful to the act of destruction. Maybe. These things take time to cook. As far as the police are concerned it’s nice to see the addition of Robert Altman (which is either a take on the late director of M*A*S*H* and McCabe and Mrs. Miller or as close to Robot Alternate Man as you can get….). He’s just the kind of stand up Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson this sort of show needs; playing it straight in all the right situations. I’ll be keeping an eye on him especially.

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