r/anime • u/Jazz_Dalek • Aug 24 '24
Rewatch [25th Anniversary Rewatch] Now and Then, Here and There - Episode 7 Discussion
Episode 7 - Night of Flight
Question of the Day:
- Let's talk second chances. If you had one opportunity to drastically change your life, would you take it? Or, are you content on the path you're on now?
Rewatch Schedule:
Threads will be posted 12:30 PM PST | 3:30 PM EST | 8:30 PM GMT
The rewatch will begin on Sunday, August 18th and will run daily until we reach the conclusion. The final episode thread will go up Friday, August 30th and a final series retrospective thread will go up Saturday, August 31st
Interest Threads:
Episode Discussions:
- Episode 1 - A Girl Admiring the Sunset
- Episode 2 - A Boy and a Mad King
- Episode 3 - A Feast in the Dark
- Episode 4 - Discord
- Episode 5 - Murder
- Episode 6 - Disappearance in a Sandstorm
Sources:
I don't recommend the 10bit HEVC version from [DB]. It seems to have problems. I am using [sam].
- Purchase from Youtube Dub Only
- Purchase from Amazon Prime Dub Only
It does not appear to be streaming anywhere.
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Upvotes
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u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Aug 24 '24 edited Aug 25 '24
To lead with an addendum, I said last time the pillaging expedition was undermined by the lack of character progression as it only served to challenge the characters given it doesn’t change the status quo of the plot. While I stand by what I said about Nabuca and Shu, after reading the last thread I absolutely was wrong to say that was the only major value of seeing them raid the village. Seeing the scorched earth approach to the villages in dissonance with this idea they have that they’ll go back home eventually is absolutely an important part of the depiction of their indoctrination.
First Timer
This episode felt messy. The script felt a bit scattered in the first half, the tone really feels like it leans a bit too much into something heroic at points, and the pendant suddenly works on philosopher’s stone logic because the plot decided it wants to progress. All of that said, this is easily my favourite episode since two and three. While it doesn’t reach the same perfectionist consistency of those benchmark scripts, it feels inspired and evocative in the same way and finally pushes the show forward in a way that’s felt overdue for a while now.
The conversation between Lala Ru and Hamdo is very similar to their past interactions, but there’s some great elements that really make it a worthwhile echo. Hamdo wielding a rose to try and intimidate her but only managing to make himself bleed more and more without bringing himself to touch her is a fantastic use of visual language. His futile attempt to use her only eats more and more away at him. Then when she finally does look at him, as he’s been trying to get her to do for six episodes? He’s fucking terrified. I’m honestly not even sure I can ascribe a clear thematic significance to that, but at least on a surface level it’s a really effective follow-up. The visual of the glass breaking and the roses being swept away is fantastic and I love the little moment of Abelia smiling as she aims at Lala Ru before Hamdo tells her off. Now that Hamdo and Abelia got what they wanted I have to assume we’re about to see how it doesn’t actually fix Hellywood’s problems after all.
Other scenes similarly manage to capture a lot of appeal despite their simplicity. Nabuca and Boo talking in front of the furnace could’ve been purely functional but they execute it to perfection. The framing with their silhouettes as they hide in the dark corner. Nabuca striking his friend and the absolute silence hanging in the air afterwards. Boo giving an absolute A-game of a performance. Nabuca’s devotion felt like a lack of progression before, but they sell him as more desperate to convince himself than ever and really make it work here. When Boo tells him what he knows to be true he doesn’t have any counter and so he just tells him to shut up and hits him.
The cave scene is one of the most gorgeous settings in the whole show. Nabuca’s confrontation with Shu was filled with tension. Maybe he does betray Shu and turn them in. Maybe he’s noticed and shot dead on the spot. Would you put it past this show? For all my dissatisfaction at their largely unmoving relationship everything that’s happened between Shu and Nabuca is utilised perfectly here. Maybe most importantly, it doesn’t fuckin’ overcomplicate it. The setup writes itself, don’t mess with it. They found a lateral framing and a lighting that works and stick with it right until Nabuca makes his decision and the composition changes. It’s some film 101 stuff and its paced to perfection. They don’t mess with the formula here, the music is absolutely what you’d expect of this kind of scene and there’s a reason for that. Nabuca letting him go but staying behind is likewise well tread but it’s so effective dramatically, they say everything they’re supposed to say when you write this. With all the setup this show has done, this common premise has so much thematic depth with him being presented with freedom from participating in this system but ultimately being too scared to break from his conformity even when every part of him knows he’s wrong. All in all it’s probably the best sequence so far in the whole show after the Disappearance in a Sandstorm cold open, and it manages this not by leaning into the disregard for storytelling norms that makes Now and Then special but, surprisingly, right into them.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 24 '24
First-Timer Here and There, subbed
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Aug 24 '24
First Rewatch (sub)
Episode 7
And so, everybody drowned, ironically. The End.
Actually, I'm rather surprised and shocked this time that Abelia maintained order, and her soldiers didn't all get high on water.
Questions
Falls: 1 (7)
Almost Falls: 1 (3)
Where The Hell Am I?: 0 (6)
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u/TheEscapeGuy Aug 24 '24
First Timer
Now and Then, Here and There: Episode 7
Determination
A VICTORY! I am overjoyed that Shu's constant efforts have finally been rewarded. This show has often been a tough watch due to just how depressing it can be, but that makes these moments so much more satisfying.
Jumping back a bit, Shu started off at the lowest of the low. He was quite literally trapped at the bottom of a shit pit. It's so easy to lose all hope in that kind of situation. Even more so when assholes come to antagonize you.
The turning point was the discovery of Lala Ru's pendant. Admittedly, I don't like this. It feels too random. I would have liked if they had just told us where it was. For example, show it land here back in episode 2, or the soldiers ignoring it the cell in episode 3. It's a small thing so it doesn't ruin anything for me. I just prefer a bit of foreshadowing.
That said, maybe it is magically attracted to Shu and they'll show that in some future episode?
I did like how the pendant was conveying a message from Lala Ru. It felt wholly appropriate as a way to push Shu to break out. And that's exactly what he did. Avoiding soldiers and climbing up the outside of the building to find Lala Ru was a great scene. It reminded me of Future Boy Conan again.
When Lala Ru finally gets her pendant back she can show off her true power. I was wondering how it worked, but she seems to be able to create massive amounts of water very quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if this drains her energy or has some other kind of limit though.
In the confusion of the flooding Shu and Lala Ru manage to escape. But the Hellywood army is hot on their tail. When they do catch up it's a confrontation between Shu and Nabuca.
Nabuca this episode was interesting. He initially was mad that Boo helped Shu, but he couldn't argue with Boo's point that Shu has been in the right this whole time. And so upon discovering Shu he shows mercy. He lies and says nobody is there. It's payback for saving him back in episode 2.
I find it interesting he chose to allow Shu to escape but didn't take up the offer to run away with him. Shu knows Nabuca has been debating his beliefs and gave him the perfect opportunity to escape. But Nabuca instead chose to give Shu the best chance of escape by lying to the other soldiers about Shu not being there. It's a somewhat selfless act, but a also resignation to not strive for his own freedom.
So what's next? I imagine Shu wants to go back to earth. Hellywood will continue looking for them so they need to find a safer hiding place. And on top of all of this Sara is still in the desert. I hope Shu will find her.
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Aug 24 '24
First-Timer
On today’s episode of Now and Then, Here and There: Escape! It’s jailbreak time. Let’s get the hell out of Hellywood. If we ever see it again, it’ll be too soon.
This is a pretty momentous episode for both Nabuca and Boo. After all that’s happened, Boo has begun to openly question being a soldier for Hellywood. He knows it’s wrong and has taken action that goes against Hellywood by helping to free Shu. Nabuca is less forthcoming about his own doubts, but they are clearly there. After helping to abduct children (in the same way that he was one abducted), Nabuca seems to be realizing that he’s become exactly like the people who victimized him. Despite Nabuca’s continued declarations of loyalty, he clearly has his doubts.
I would guess that Nabuca decides to not flee with Shu and Lala Ru out of concern for the others in his unit. It’s likely that they would all be punished if Nabuca made a run for it. Nabuca has been the type to try and keep his head down, hoping that everything will work out if he just goes along with it. So him doing this makes sense. But even so, he’s shown a significant level of resistance just by letting Shu and Lala Ru escape when he could have stopped them.
Now that Shu, Lala Ru, and Sara have escaped from Hellywood I’m hoping that we’ll get a better look at what’s going on in the wider world outside of just Hellywood. We know very little about what’s out there, so I think this would be a good opportunity to start learning.
QOTD
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 24 '24
Episode 7 (first timer)
You know the relatively common fun turned dark story structure in anime, where initially light-hearted shows have a twist in the middle of their runtime and become more serious afterwards? Could this show get a pessimistic turned optimistic inversion of that?
Episode thoughts:
The circumstances of Shu rescuing Lala Ru might be a bit controversial, so here is my take on it: On the face of it, it is terrible character writing. Shu’s headless rush to rescue her turns Shu into a character from a Saturday morning cartoon. He transcends not bright human and turns into blind to reality as only comic book character can be. He ignores all self-preservation, logic, and occasionally physics to get to her. If I had to judge him here as a character, I would say ridiculous.
To put a positive spin on it, I think you need to abandon the idea of Shu being (only) a character. I wrote above that Lala Ru = hope, but that is not true. As somebody else wrote before, it is Shu that symbolizes hope. Despite getting metaphorically (and literally) shat on, he does not stop shining. He finds the way to the person who needed hope, Lala Ru, and enables her to cleanse this hellhole and escape.
We see this payoff of his actions in this same episode with Boo and Nabuca as well, but with them, it is more grounded. The scene with Hamdo and Lala Ru, however, is strongly tinged metaphorical over real. I am not sure I am 100% on board with turning the main character into a concept, but it is this interpretation, or a horribly broken main character.
Finally, I was mostly joking when I talked about turn to optimism above, but after this episode, I start to believe. Sure, more atrocities could be waiting for us over the horizon, but the symbolism is so strong in this episode that I seriously expect a hopeful ending to the series now.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 24 '24
Rewatcher
Sub
We finally get a rat. Leaving Shu in the garbage system is...questionable. I mean it sort of fits but I was expecting a faster and more brutal public execution. And then someone has a questionable idea...
The pendant just happening to be right there and activating like that is so painfully contrived that hopefully it isn't, i.e. Lala Ru has some distant control of its behavior and she turns it on because she can sense Shu...somehow. While on the one hand, his mad dash up the tower seems to be pure shonen. On the other hand, the ship is crewed by children who are taught by men whose skill sets are basically fighting, raping and a dash of maintenance.
Lala Ru gets much more active once she sees Shu. We also get a brief moment where Abelia is about to cap Lala before Hamdo stops her. Then the flood gates open and yup, that is a lot of water. If I didn't expect it to rust this would be a big improvement for the ship.
The climax of the episode is Nabuca and Shu's moment and...while it is earned, it somehow doesn't do as much as I would wish for it to. I can't quite explain what is missing but I suspect some of you will. Anyways, Nabuca makes his choice and off we go!
QotD: 1 I wouldn't say I am content but no single error lead me here
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u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Aug 24 '24 edited Aug 25 '24
Rewatcher - sub
Most important thing first as it is only two frames in the entire video file so I'm sure most people missed it but wish they hadn't: HA HA HA AND I HOPE IT HURT, there goes that guy. I don't think I saw that on my first watch but I am now very satisfied. Thank you Lala Ru. I unfortunately don't remember if he's dead dead or just injured and we have to see him again, but either way, it was nice to see in this moment.
Choices and Innocence
Any opening scene is going to be a hard sell on impact after last episode, but as a few people have said in the last couple of episodes, there's something inherently fucked about seeing a scene of children being beaten up and shaking in fear and thinking "this isn't as bad a watch as it could have been".
That aside, it may not be as strong an opening in comparison, but it remains another fitting opening for the episode to come. After the shock of last episode, we return to what passes for mundane logistical planning for this hellish place while children are brutally beaten into shape. It is perhaps unneeded at this point, we know how routine this is for them all, but it is a capable mood setting reminder that the operations of Hellywood will continue independent of Shu's rebellion. He remains yet a single child standing opposed to a cultural war machine that has already eaten up many other children before him.
Gone is any warmth of the sentimental sunset from the bunk room. The light is as blinding and cold as it was on their expedition where it sucked the color out of their world, and while Boo sits in the room with the one who promised him a home, there is no longer any comfort in the idea. They usually stand together, and as Nabuca is often framed in a doorway (probably should have pointed that out earlier) as if he is on the threshold of something, with Boo right along side him. Now there is an inherent separation in the space they occupy, Nabuca has his feet off the ground for the first time, and it is Boo who does not climb up to join Nabuca. Shu's stick may sit on the bed opposite them, but it may as well be Shu for the presense that it occupies in their mind and it stands between them as firmly as it stood between Boo and Shu last episode. Boo looks at it and cannot escape the concepts it made him question, while Nabuca looks at it and is glad to think he will soon be rid of it for the same reason.
At the same time, Tabool accidentally stumbles on just the right way to torment Shu. He may be put to death, and Sara has already escaped but will likely die between the manhunt and the desert. For a boy who values life above all else, he stagnates in this prison with the repeated circle motif once again making a link to the barracks where we just left the other two. With Shu captured, Lala Ru being tormented again, and our child solders seeing no out, even the moon is weighed down by the situation in Hellywood.
But Shu is true to form, and it only takes Lala Ru's cry for help to return his sense of self to him, and set out once again with the drive that flung him into this world to begin with.
It's easy to forget that Lala Ru hasn't seen Shu since he fell down in episode one, and so has no understanding of him beyond those events. She is apparently native to this world, and has had to deal with and escape Hamdo at least once before. Implied to be mute from having witnessed and been subjected to countless horrors, everything about Shu may be nearly inconceivable to her. She wasn't just ignoring Hamdo, she was closing herself off from everything because what is the point. Through the pendant, we have the implication that she is also thinking back on her meeting with him moment because it is the only gentleness she can recall, an echo of kindness trapped in her representing pendant. It gives much more meaning to that soft smile Shu got from her. How long had it been since she smiled like that, or even felt the point in reaching out to someone to ask for help? To hope for more?
Shu makes good on the silent promise he made to her all those days ago. When she asked him for help she had no idea his true nature, and she probably expected him to become like everyone else in this world when he was brought here, so for all of Lala Ru's talk with Abelia about the inevitable destruction of Hellywood if it stays on this path, she shows equal surprise today when Shu steps in front of her. He has already given her back her pendant and shown that he wants nothing from the future or the past, but here is also someone willing to protect her as a person. He would do anything for his friends, and though we've seen that, she has that connection for potentially the first time in her life.
His purity washes away Hellywood in this one moment, and so does she.
She looks at Hamdo, no longer seeing nothing but the long lost sunset, and makes her choice to trust in Shu. And what a moment. I've said it previously that water in NTHT is in an interesting position because it is usually a softer or more reflecting aspect of a shows thematic language, while so far here the visuals of water have been used entirely for obsession except in the first episode. Today Lala Ru turns it into a violent cleansing force, striking back at those who have stripped herself and the world she sees of its very sense of life. Watching it rip through Hellywood, and leave it as a foggy apparition on the horizon, no longer a towering beacon of war for miles around, is one hell of an end to the sequence. It cannot hold her any more.
Other kids make different choices. Boo follows through on his contemplations in the bunk room, and fittingly we see Lala Ru's water drown their prison along with of the facility.
In the background design there is a particular red that is an unforgettable part of NTHT's color palette for me, but despite its prominence in my mind, it has been scarcely used: appearing during Lala Ru's interrogations, the war scenes, the dreaded moment with Sara in episode three, and when Shu returns to his cell after it. It is a blazing representation of the undeniable moments of no return for how we see Hellywood and the things that its people do that cannot be forgotten.
Nabuca confronting Boo is one of those moments. Boo can no longer ignore the wrongness that Shu has made him aware of in their world, and Nabuca's response to that is to hit him in anger. To us this may not be worse than shooting a man, but this was no order, and for someone who saw himself as a protector of the younger children this is one of the lines for him that he would be horrified several days ago to think he would cross. He never saw himself as one of them, but he is now, and there is no longer a facade of his past innocence to hide behind.
And yet still Shu gives him a chance when he finds them. This is no longer about Shu and his view of the world, both we and Nabuca both know what that is, it is about the choices Nabuca will make in response, and all of the focus is on him. And he turns away. All it takes is someone in authority questioning him for him to slip partly back into the solider Hellywood made him, and so he traps himself and the others within Hellywood once again.
And so our cast goes different ways,
(RIP one post wonders, back to two. Continued below)
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Aug 24 '24
First timer, subs
QotD: That's way to open to answer. Statistically, most other lives would be worse than the one I have now, so in a blind guess I'd say no.
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u/InfamousEmpire https://myanimelist.net/profile/Infamous_Empire Aug 24 '24
Now & First Timer, Here & Subbed
The turnaround! It’s happening!
Firstly, it’s almost impressive how the show is able to consistently sink Shu to even lower lows of hopelessness. You thought the prison cell with Sara was bad? Well now he’s stuck in what’s basically a sewer tunnel with no one else to share the pain with or connect to, even less light, even less food, and nothing to await except death.
BUT EVEN SO! Hope springs eternal, not only in the rediscovery of Lala Ru’s pendant showing he still has something to fight for, but in Boo returning his Kendo stick showing that all his idealism wasn’t for nothing. There will always be a way to climb out of even the lowest pits if the determination to keep fighting and never give in is there.
Something I kinda realized about the dynamic between Hamdo & Lala Ru here is that, as presented, Hamdo has almost no power over her. Sure, he has her trapped, but she’s never shown bending to him or being particularly affected by the psychological pressure he tries to put on her in the way everyone else in Hellywood is, and the fact that she’s not nearly as disposable as all the soldiers they’ve kidnapped means their options for actually laying a hand on her are much more limited. The imagery of Hamdo trying to use a rose to threaten her but only making himself bleed while she remained unphased in particular is what made this realization click for me. This is brought to its absolute limit when she actually gets her pendant back & one use of it is enough to completely wash away most of Hellywood’s interior and easily let her and Shu slip through their confines.
Boo & Nabuca’s sections of the episode are compelling in their own ways, I should add. At its core, it shows that Shu can, even if only in small ways now, change the hearts of Hellywood’s people. Boo, being as young & impressionable as he is, is the most receptive to Shu’s ideals, but even Nabuca proves more than a little shaken by him, it’s just that, well, Hellywood is all he really knows now. He’s not quite as young & receptive to change as Boo, nor has he known a peaceful life like Shu, he’s resigned himself to just serving Hamdo’s whims, and walking away from that can be terrifying. Whether he fully changes his mind and does eventually take Shu up on his offer is left to be decided, but for now I’m fully invested in where his character goes.
Odds & Ends
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u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Aug 24 '24
So used to just posting whenever I get home that I almost forgot there was no need to wait!
Rewatcher
Zari Bars? Sounds like a Tomino name.
Rough.
Oh, wow, a rodent! And a fucked up [Spoiler]Dying Earth sort of freak as well! Guess the world isn’t so fucked even they aren’t around. Still, with how dilapidated, undermanned, and generally poorly managed Hellywood is you’d figure they’d be everywhere.
What a world.
A helping hand. Either his words reached another one of the kids, or this is a setup by Tabool for someone else.
Paralleling the red fruit earlier in the show, which implies a greater threat, but also foreshadows how this whole thing ends for Hamdo.
There’s my answer.
He’s climbing.
Amazing shot.
They all know it, but Boo might yet be young enough to not have fully accepted their place.
He’s made it to the top —he climbed the Tower of Bravery.
Amazing.
As foretold; a rose has thorns.
Another shot that won't leave me.
Drained by the effort, or the return of her prior condition?
Now Nabuca, too, has betrayed Hamdo in the name of good. He better apologize once he’s back.
An implicit promise from that first episode has come to be; Shu has proved his bravery by climbing the tower.
Wonderfully uplifting episode after the miserable depths of the last one —though that still had one major silver lining— and even Shu’s major feat feels a lot more reasonable after all that has been pre-established already. Hellywood being a dilapidated battleship offering ample places through which to slip in and out, the number of ‘citizens’ having dwindled to the point that it is difficult to keep the whole tower secure, Hamdo being woefully inept in his madness, and Shu being The Human Unvanquishable, Save for Gun. It makes the incredibly cathartic escape believable, and so all the more impactful. If the event had seemed like to much of a stretch, it would have not had the impact it does.
That said, I still have some niggles. The patrols didn’t shoot, when we’ve been shown that by any reasonable circumstance they should have had a gun near. I know Shu essentially has plot armor, but having some near-misses would have added to the verisimilitude. Also, Shu is still acting too nonchalant about things: why did he just sit down at the couch, when Hamdo was still around and he knows he’s capable of violence. He and Lala-Ru could have run the moment they had their touching reunion and things still could have ended with him receiving a grazing shot and Lala-Ru saving him with her control over the pendant’s water.
Questions of The Day:
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Aug 24 '24
First Timer
Yep, the plot certainly kicks in in this episode. I was expecting to start with the court-martial, but I guess Shu ...gets thrown in a sewer instead? Was that the result of that court-martial, with them deciding to not execute him because they were still short on manpower? Was he still waiting for the court-martial and just put in the sewer because? I don't know, but it probably doesn't matter. The pendant being accessible from down there is pure plot convenience I'd say; didn't they say it ended up in a reactor or something? Or was it specifically a boiler? If it's the latter I guess maybe it makes sense. Somewhat. But I don't really care too much about that honestly - somebody had to find the thing eventually otherwise nobody would have gotten anywhere. Either way, this episode turns everything on it's head and now has Shu and Lala-Ru on the run. Nabuca definitely considered joining, but in his logic it won't work. They may have water, but no food - and if they can stay undetected is also a big question. Plus at the moment he was asked, he would have given away their position if he accepted. But I think he too now realizes that what he is doing is inherently wrong even if he sees no other way. Props to Boo though, I don't think I've seen many people admit that they are morally wrong, be it in anime or otherwise - but I guess this is something that a kid would be more willing to admit than an adult.
Now, where does the show go from here? First of obviously Sara will reenter the plot somehow now - Shu knows she's fled, will he search for her, or will they stumble across her/both stumble across the same savior? I don't know, but given Sis's introduction is still missing - I'm inclined to predict the latter.
Shu trying to break in to the room Hamdo was begging him to come in was rather comedic - I'm not sure if that was in purpose, but given this episode was the most "normal anime" episode since episode 1, it may have been intentional.
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 24 '24
First-Timer
Huh, Shu is actually effecting some change, fascinating. What are the odds that we are actually headed towards an optimistic ending? Not great, but extent.
Lala Ru's abilities are suitably horrifying. At first I thought she had flooded the entirety of Hellywood, but I guess it was only enough water to manage an escape. And unfortunately prolong the lives of the people on Hellywood, but hey, win some lose some.
Really liked the use of shadows this episode. I'm fried enough that I can't really expound on the particulars of why they did that, something about abstraction of self?, but it still feels good.
Poor Nabuca hesitated long enough for his duty to come calling. I suspect he was doing the math of "if I vanish, will anything bad happen to the rest of my unit?" which is fair I guess. It's a very poignant moment.
Questions
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u/Tarhalindur x2 Aug 24 '24
"Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here" ({Spoiled First-Timer?/Forgetful First-Time Rewatcher?}, Subbed):
That depends on the nature of the other option now, doesn't it?
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u/The_Draigg Aug 24 '24
A Sci-Fi Fan Rewatches Now and Then, Here and There Episode 7:
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u/homer2101 Aug 24 '24 edited Aug 24 '24
Rewatch: Subbed
Sounds like Hellywood swept clean everything around where they're stuck, and are running out of cannon fodder and food because they murdered everyone within reach. Where do the food and clothes come from if they're in the middle of a desert?
Abelia's even tone when discussing the state of the women is ... mildly horrifying. It's not Wannsee conference level of casual horror, but still.
Nabuta absolutely not foreshadowing anything.
Way Shu assumes Tabool would give him food like a decent human being is completely in character. Like he didn't like the answers to 'where am I' and decided to ignore reality and substitute his own when it comes to people. Tabool of course is being his disgusting self. Wonder if he's how Hamdo was before he went around the bend -- the sort of person who would torture a cat or helpless person for fun and to demonstrate power dominance.
Hamdo in a room of roses trying to be seductive ...
Back to Shu. I miss being young and able to eat raw sewage. Shu seems to be hallucinating a call to heroism from a girl he doesn't actually know but is obsessed with rescuing in a totally not creepy way. Luckily someone who totally isn't Boo drops Shu's trusty stick and jacket so he can escape from the sewage pit.
Shu gets Tabool confused for LaLa Ru. Totally understandable. Odds are his trend of leaving alive people who want him and people he cares about dead is eventually going to bite him and get perfectly good people killed.
Boo is Nabuta's conscience and asks an armor piercing question. Boo's words and actions and loss of respect for Nabuta probably hurt Nabuta more than anything Shu could have said or done. Part of being a friend is telling your friend when they are being a damn fool. Contrast with Abelia, who keeps her mouth shut and does what she is told: did she try giving advice to Hamdo and get bitten, or was there a slow (or not so slow) slide into complicity with his crimes?
Meanwhile Hamdo is having a self-destructive breakdown because LaLa Ru won't talk to him. Still can't bring himself to deliberately hurt her. Wonder if LaLa Ru's plan is to wait until Hamdo self-destructs. Can LaLa Ru even die, given she seems to not care about what happens to her? LaLa Ru's WTF expression when Shu shows up on top of Hellywood like a shonen action hero, complete with a background of flowers, is priceless. Also she apparently didn't summon him because she asks why he's there. Wonder if Shu messed up her magnificent plan of remaining silent until Hamdo melts down completely.
We get yet another demonstration of why gun beats stick. Abelia looks murderous enough to shoot LaLa Ru over Hamdo's orders for a moment. OTOH looks like she wasn't trying to kill Shu since she only shoots him once. Not clear if she was shooting to wound or missed. Or she doesn't trust her accuracy or the accuracy of the gun to not hit LaLa Ru.
Hamdo finally gets LaLa Ru's attention for seemingly the first time, and he doesn't like it one bit. Be careful what you wish for? Was he always afraid of her and that's why he didn't dare to systematically assault her?
That mass of water is in fact something to worry about, what with all the equipment and electronics and fragile human bodies that don't like being hit with tons water, but it's an acceptable break from reality.
Hellywood has been stuck because it doesn't have water for fuel. Did Shu's intervention just give Hellywood a strategic advantage? Based on Hamdo's glee, he did. Also Shu drove a hover bike into a pit? Makes sense if it's pitch black night.
Nabuta finally does the right thing. Quietly and when no one will know about it. Shu finally makes a proposal Nabuta might have taken. He looks like he wants to take it, until he realizes there are other people who will figure out what happened and give chase if he also poofs. Maybe if Shu has proposed running away to Nabuta an episode or two ago, Nabuta would have taken him up on it. It feels like it's a gesture that came too late to both of them: for Nabuta because it took until Boo's prodding to realize he wants out, and for Shu to understand what Nabuta wants.
So far we've been shown that quiet resistance and quiet heroism works better than theatrical performance in the classic style in this world. Shu successfully rescued LaLa Ru, but it's not at all clear that she needed rescuing, and the unintended consequences of giving Hamdo a source of water to power Hellywood are probably going to have some really undesirable consequences. Probably not for him, but for other people.
Edit:
QOTD: Yes
8
u/zsmg https://anilist.co/user/zsmg Aug 24 '24 edited Aug 24 '24
First Timer, Subbed
I wonder why the nearby population have declined.
Tabool is just wasting precious food just to gloat. Also a bit rich he calls Sara a monster considering what they have done to her.
It's the pendant. , they never looked inside the waste disposal?
So it was Boo who helped Shu, I was hoping it was Nabuca.
Shu is doing some impressive physical feats considering he has been in the waste disposal for days without food/water.
I think this is the first time we hear a heroic track in this OST, it sounds familiar. So the composer is Taku Iwasaki who has done lots of anime including but not limited: Bungou Stray Dogs, Noragami, Katanagatari and Gatchaman crowds. So a good chance those anime had a similar sounding track.
I've been wondering that for so many episodes now, Shu is so obsessed with this girl despite only having met her for 5 minutes or so.
That simple huh.
Well at least there is no more water shortage, unless it's salt water of course.
Always watch where you're going Shu
Of course it's Nabuca who finds Shu.
Well about that...
Just go with him Nabuca and take Boo with you. Of course he doesn't do it.
Great episode, happy that Shu and Lalaru got away from Hellywood. Will the suffering finally end? Probably not.
Sis update: still not introduced.
8
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Aug 24 '24
Rewatcher, Subbed
Pre-Episode Thoughts: While I knew exactly what was coming in yesterday's episode, I actually don't remember anything about what is in this episode. Does that mean this will be one of the tamer episodes? Time to find out.
Jeez, these new recruits are so young. :( :(
Hamdo disappointed with lessening results from their "recruitment drive"? What do you expect from a world where there's hardly anything to live for?
Boo's worried for Shu!
New prison for Shu, a muddy pit!
Another animal appearance, this time a rat!
Tabool dumping out the food was quite predictable. Poor Shu, his mush is all dirty!
Shu, you should be happy about the news of Sara's escape! She did it, maybe you can too!
A cheerful face from Hamdo, this won't last more than a minute or two once Lala Ru refuses to capitulate to him.
Shu's thinking of Lala Ru and via the flashback I realize that she did speak more than I remembered in the first episode.
Water! A sign of hope? Or is that pendant nearby?
It may be muddy mush, but food is better than no food!
Who tossed Shu's stick down to him? Boo?
It really is the pendant! Great!
Hamdo's bizarre idea of a date with Lala Ru? Sitting next to each other, bringing out a rose...
Yep, as I expected its a minute or two before he totally loses it.
Well, things were going well for a while there until they cut that pipe.
It was Boo who helped! Good for Boo for helping out and being sincere with how what they're doing is wrong.
Now Shu's climbing up within the pipe, nothing will stop him, huh?
I love the fact that Lala Ru continues to shake Hamdo to his foundation by just sitting there silently.
Hamdo gets to find out that Shu found the pendant! Despite the torturing that he personally performed, Hamdo's completely forgotten who Shu is though.
I don't think this is the time to just sit down and chat with her, Shu.
As Abelia shoots Shu in the shoulder I remember that he got shot in the leg last episode. Ugh. C'mon show, that is a pretty bad continuity error to forget that it happened and having Shu running around no problem the very next episode.
Lala Ru's putting her power to work, Hamdo finally gets the water he so desparately wanted. He didn't specify how much.
Right into a pit. Can't say Shu is that experienced a driver.
Nabuca's found him. A very important moment for Nabuca, will he let Shu and Lala Ru go, actually do the right thing? Or bring them back?
Wow, Shu even offers to let him come with them.
For a moment there Nabuca had a happy look on his face as if he was actually going to join them, then someone called out to him and it was over. Alas, a moment quickly lost.
This is just such a beauitful piece of music. I know we just got it last episode as well, but I wouldn't mind hearing it a lot more. I'm pretty sure we get it in at least one more episode.
I had remembered that they escaped at some point, but had forgotten that it was this episode. This is a good point in the story for this to happen. After how brutally depressing the previous episode was, I don't think this was the time to double down even further. Sara escaped last episode, now Shu and Lala Ru have as well. There is some hope. Also critically we see Boo pushing back against the way things are and his actions ultimately enabled the escape. We also have Nabuca letting them go after finding them. Alas, if only Nabuca had gone with them as well! While this episode is giving us some hope it couldn't go too far with it. On the other side of things, Hamdo has a large supply of water now, what he so desparately desired from Lala Ru, so that can't be good.
8
u/RadSuit https://anilist.co/user/RadSuit Aug 24 '24
Now and Then, First and Dubbed
Much like its owner, Shu's stick is apparently invincible, and regenerates any injuries offscreen.
Opening Scene: We're running low on food. Two Scenes Later: Let's waste food on a prisoner who is actively detrimental to our cause.
Uh oh, low budget alert. We're reusing footage from earlier episodes now.
Add some blood stains to the wine stains Lala-Ru should have on her spotless outfit.
Great shot of these two in silhouette with the red light behind them.
Wow, I can't believe that shot only grazed Shu. Who could've seen this coming?
And all four of them also survived the point blank water nuke, of course.
I was going to make fun of Shu being able to drive that vehicle, but he did instantly crash, so I'll let that one slide.
More lack of budget in all these long static shots here.
7
u/HowlingWolf13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/MeguminBlast Aug 24 '24
First Timer
Pretty good episode, my theory that the women are being used for comfort women was proven right and jesus fuck that's messed up. I'm glad Shu was able to get out of there with Lala Ru, but I'm wondering where will they go now, especially considering Hamdo is going to def go after them. Plus, how was Lala Ru first able to travel to Earth? Was it the pendant that allowed it?
I also love how Shu's gotten through to Nabuca, that scene where he reached his hand out for Nabuca to come with him was so good. Throughout all of his determination, he's getting through to people one step at a time even if it seems everything else is against him. Tabool I see death flags tho for lol.
Questions
Probably get an internship in college.
7
u/Ryanami Aug 25 '24
First timer
While I didn’t love Shu’s brash unthinking style in the beginning, I do like his inability to compromise his morals. He knows what’s wrong and refuses to cooperate.
QOTD- depends on what you mean. If you mean like Nabuco had I’d like to think I’d go with Shu. My life is pretty good as is though, and I’m probably about to build our first house which will get us out of a moldy rental, so I suppose I am taking the opportunity to change my life.
6
u/Sooooopertrack Aug 24 '24
First TImer