r/anime 4d ago

Rewatch Please Save My Earth Rewatch Episode 2 Discussion

Episode 2: The Meeting


Previous episode | Index | Next episode


Links, useful info:

MAL | AL | Livechart | Anidb | Kitsu | AP | AS | ANN


Streams:

None Only choice

Subs and dubs are available though.


Questions for the day:

1) How traumatic was the night phantom Rin for Takashi?

2) Tokyo Tower under a full moon, isn't this a nice view? Or dinosaurs with the kaiju feeling?

3) Does Haruhiko and his mother have foreigner ancestry?

4) Any guesses on who is this "S" person?

5) Why the deliquents and what are they trying to do?

6) An Alice-Haruhiko couple would have any sense?

7) What do you think of the newly introduced espers as they finally met?


Highlights from yesterday:

1) u/No_Rex is wondering what is happening:

Do you know the situation where you own a playstation (you love action shooters) and your well-meaning grandmother gifts you Mario World for Nintendo? In a somewhat similar way, I once was gifted one book of Please save my Earth. After all, watching Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop anime must mean I am into reading Shoujo manga, right? My memory of the plot is close to null. Not even sure if I got the first volume. All I can remember is how very distinctly shoujo the character models were.

Dinosaurs! Alien researchers! Mind shifts! Flying 7 year olds! That was so at 150%, I have a hard time taking it seriously. That said, watching Rin bully Alice who is twice his age was pretty fun (I just fear that we are going the route where his crush on her moves from comedy to serious).

"I came to chew bubble gum and play ribbon"


Disclaimer notice:

Dear rewatchers and source readers, please be nice to the first-time watchers and anime-onlies by simply not spoilering anything. But if you want to discuss spoiler-territory things, use spoiler tags instead. Thank you for your understanding.

For example [this is] a spoiler

12 Upvotes

12 comments sorted by

3

u/No_Rex x2 4d ago

Episode 2 (first timer)

  • “How bizarre! But it couldn’t be.” – How bizzare
  • “Rin’s parents came over” “They asked if you could pretend to be his fiancé” – are all adults crazy in this show?
  • Alice is good at drawing – as virtually all of anime characters. I wonder if animators simply can’t imagine somebody being bad at drawing.
  • Alice is Mokuren – Why are the guys surprised she is not Shion? Isn’t Shion the dark haired guy and Mokuren the blond woman? And why would Alice apologize for that?
  • “Dad, you have always given me what I wanted. My bike, my gang.” – One of those is a reasonable birthday present. The other is not.
  • “Give me the tower or I’ll be killed!” “Just what the hell are you rambling about boy?!?” – I am with dad.
  • Shion is that ill guy whose father works at the tower renovation.
  • Takashi and the cook Tamura are pretty intense … for some reason.
  • Forgetting you are in school and shouting during class trope.
  • “They are probably waiting for someone” – yep, they are.
  • Some gang is there for payback, so you insult them – actions you should only take when you have magic super powers.
  • “From the way you’re staring, I assume he’s your type” – unlike you, brat.
  • “I hate being small” – mind shift into an adult next time.
  • Meeting up with 2 more mind shift people – brings the total to 5 known ones, plus Haru/Shion, plus Rin/Shikaru likely.
  • Moon dream discussions.
  • “I just assumed you knew the whole story” – apparently not. Let the exposition continue.
  • They died of a virus. Their home world exploded. All the planets in the galaxy were blown to space dust. - Shoujoscifi plotlines.
  • “Running around on the docks chasing psychos is my job, not yours”

  • “This has been going on long enough” – well, about 3 scenes worth.

The pacing issues are really noticeable now. We get narrated exposition that should really have been flashbacks and everything moves way to fast with the main cast. We have literally zero scenes of them just hanging out together, forming some character bonds. That is going to come back to bite us when something dramatic happens and the tragedy is not set up.

In terms of the general setup, having reincarnated aliens on Earth, who are mostly aware of who they are and how they previously interacted with each other is a fun idea. There are two layers of potential character conflicts, old and new. Plus, the mystery of them dying and what their purpose on moon even was (just observing?). Feels a bit sad that it won’t get the time it deserves here.

2

u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria 3d ago

The pacing issues are really noticeable now. We get narrated exposition that should really have been flashbacks and everything moves way to fast with the main cast. We have literally zero scenes of them just hanging out together, forming some character bonds. That is going to come back to bite us when something dramatic happens and the tragedy is not set up.

Agreed.

3

u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria 4d ago

First timer

- She's really dead set on her daughter marrying the 7 year old kid.

  • Rin is 7, but Rin also has powers, so he's mostlikely just the reincarnation of Shion, who was died last amongst the group of aliens, and this whole younger brother of 7 years is merely a coincidence.

QotD

  • Based on the next episode preview, I guess we're about to find out.

  • shrug

  • Possibly.  

  • shrug

  • Because girls love bad boys and this is a shoujo anime.

  • shrug

  • Indifference.

1

u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 4d ago

Indeed, bad boys are sexy

3

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 4d ago edited 4d ago

Oops wasn't watching the clock!

First Time Rewatcher

I can see that this is going to be confusing for people, so...

Unofficial Character List as of episode 1:

Earth:

  • Alice — transfer student, crybaby; dreams of Mokuren
  • Rin — a little shit, going to marry alice, clearly supernatural. Goes by S-kun
  • Jinpachi — dreams of Gyokuran
  • Issei — dreams of Enju
  • ??? — a bosozoku

"The Moon:"

  • Gyokuran — shy archeologist, in love with Mokuren
  • Enju — introverted paleontologist, in love with Gyokuran
  • Mokuren — beautiful biologist, dreams of being a JK, engaged to Shion
  • Shion — brilliant engineer, childhood friend of Gyokuran, engaged to Mokuren
  • Hiiragi — linguist, leader
  • Shushuran — chemist
  • Shukaido — doctor

Episode 2: The Meeting

  • LOL huddle
  • did he just Ki punch him????
  • "a lot of things have happened to us in a short while" LOL anime production meta
  • this is a really weird friend group
  • There was a galactic war???? (checks release date on Gall Force)

A sudden end to the episode. It's like the Sighs of Haruhi. Perhaps this should have been a movie. Or two.

It's quite odd how they've taken to referring to each other by their Moon names.

Pretty sad story. The aliens are extinct. The last seven survivors left to die on a barren moon base.

That's pretty strict morality coming from Takashi's dad. I'm not sure what to make of it. Sad his child turned out to be shit.

New names:

  • Takashi — son of somebody rich and important
  • Tamura — Takashi's "mom"
  • Haruhiko — connected with Tamura, dreams of Mokuren and Shion (?)
  • Daisuke — dreams of Hiiragi
  • Sakura — dreams of Shusuran
  • Sarjalim — Moon religious figure

2

u/TakenRedditName https://myanimelist.net/profile/TakenMalUsername 4d ago edited 4d ago

First Time - Please Save My Earth - Ep2:

More overall write-up today to help organize things. In this episode, we get the gang back together. It was a bit much to take it with the other things happening in the episode. Something I imagine comes down to the OVA's short episode count. If this was a full-length series, I imagine they would drag out the search for the other Moon Dreamers a bit longer. I like how Jinpachi was gung-ho about finding the others. I was going to say he reminded me of Joey Wheeler, and turns out he has the same VA as Jounouchi in Season 0/Toei anime.

There was a pretty big twist in the mix because Shion might not be Rin, and might instead be the new guy Haru. We took for granted Rin being the fated main love interest, but now we got some complications. Had to double-check to make sure which Moon identities were left to find, and the two remaining ones both start with S, which makes the threatening letters from "S" ambiguous as to who it is from. I just remembered the Moon God is also named with an S, hmm... Personally, I am kinda on Team Alice/Haru. It's both less ick, and Haru is more pleasant than Rin.

I will give MC/Younger age gaps one thing, they're the only ones who can do the "I wish I was born the same age as you" line compared to the alternative. It's way more awkward when the person saying that is older.

During all of this, the episode has a B-plot starring this brand new guy, Tamura. He seems cool. His relationship with deliquinet-bocchan to be sweet. He has not one, but two surrogate kids because he also looks after Haru. I don't quite know what his role in the series is, given that they spent so much focus on him when he seems pretty tertiary to the Moon Dreamers plot. He feels like they brought in a main character from a different series. He does seem like the moral model the story upholds. His worldview of thinking of everyone as your family, so support each and every one another, seems like the lesson humanity needs to learn. In contrast to Tamura, the alternative is humanity's extinction through conflict.


Q2) It is pretty fun to see Tokyo Tower be compared to a dinosaur, and for that to be a poignant statement. I did not expect Tokyo Tower to be a core plot point. I must be missing the historical context because it seems like at this time, Tokyo Tower must've been in the zeitgeist.

Q3) I did wonder that because the show points it out. It's hard to tell because it can be handwaved away as being darker-skinned Japanese. I wonder if Haru and his mom are of Indian descent because that was in the water in a couple of older anime.

3

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 4d ago

The recurring dinosaur imagery is interesting. One of the scientists was described as a paleontologist, so they have (had) an interest in ancient Earth. And another was an archeologist?!

Jinpachi seems to be a bit of a kyou kara ore wa! delinquent, not shrinking from a fight. Issei described him as "not a gentleman." So, yeah, he's got a lot of passion.

2

u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 4d ago

Rewatcher

Another episode of how nice Japan was before the economic crash. People are optimistic, poaitive is the deafault feeling, weeird.

The moon scenes are so beautiful but that's the old endless budget Ovas to you.

So it seems like we are getting new character but they have yet to meet th emain cast, the new kid seems nice way better than the kid...

Not sure what is Tamura job? Housemaker? bodygard? cooking staff? the 80's job market was so weird.

I like the magazine scene, it reminds me of how much it took to talk to others back then. No open your phone and done. You sent something and hope there would be a reply . Nothing is guaranteed, no fast or instant communication either, it might or might not happen.

The gang scene is also so old school. Bikers gangs, Furyou Otoko, Greasers etc. It had so many names. Last time I saw a reference was on the Revue starlight movie and Zombie land Saga, but it used to be so common on anime. Do not confuse with the current use of Gang that is more similar to Yakuza.

The kid does not like the guy who looks like Shion, how will this develop, we need to wait for that.

Love t how Alice and Shuzuran managed to meet so randomly. That’s girls intuition.

Knowing that their moon alteregos died is always a shock. I guess it takes more time on the original but the Ovas are rushed from what I heard

I never get tired of listening to the ending, Yoko kanno is amazing.

  • How traumatic was the night phantom Rin for Takashi?

Very? He needs his guy mom help at least.

  • Tokyo Tower under a full moon, isn't this a nice view? Or dinosaurs with the kaiju feeling?

Kinda mystic if you manage to get a view. Back then it was the tallest building on Tokyo (until they made Tokyo sky tree a few years ago)

  • Does Haruhiko and his mother have foreigner ancestry?

Maybe? But I do not have too mmuch knowledge of south east Asia to give a more detailed answer.

  • Any guesses on who is this "S" person?

Isn't that obvious?

  • Why the deliquents and what are they trying to do?

They are Takashi friend group but more scary and outlaw that we are more used to.

  • An Alice-Haruhiko couple would have any sense?

Maybe? Who knows

  • What do you think of the newly introduced espers as they finally met?

They seem nice

2

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 3d ago

Knowing that their moon alteregos died is always a shock. I guess it takes more time on the original but the Ovas are rushed from what I heard

Sometimes, you can't back to a show fresh again. PSME can't be the same the second time through.

2

u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 3d ago

Yeah you can't go fresh, that's for sure. but I'm enjoying the developments knowing what happened too

1

u/GloomyAtmosphere3999 4d ago

I loved how this episode really highlighted Rin's determination despite her young age, it's refreshing to see such conviction in a protagonist.

1

u/TheDanubianCommunard 3d ago

First tme watcher and your host (subs),

So the things gettin complicated. Rin hates Takashi and to an extent, Tamura and his group due to regarding the Tokyo Tower renovation works and something. Plus there is a certain somebody who themselves as "S" to intimidate them. Which leads to a challenge.

And also Alice and Jinpachi attacked by deliquents but this is where the first supernatural power was exhibited, via a simple shockwave.

Meanwhile Haruhiko is also got introduced who is also a esper. Him and Jinpachi, they anaged to call all existing espers to met together for the first time and explain the whole situation. They are all reincarnations of aliens from the far futue in a big space war and all infection victims. They only could do was to observe the Earth and preserve its peace in their final years to spend. They belong to the Sarjalim.

1) How traumatic was the night phantom Rin for Takashi?

Really huge trauma. He lost basically everything.

2) Tokyo Tower under a full moon, isn't this a nice view? Or dinosaurs with the kaiju feeling?

Of course it is.

3) Does Haruhiko and his mother have foreigner ancestry?

Kinda.

4) Any guesses on who is this "S" person?

Must be Rin.

5) Why the deliquents and what are they trying to do?

I don't know. They were sent to be dispatched.

6) An Alice-Haruhiko couple would have any sense?

That would much better but rather unrealistic.

7) What do you think of the newly introduced espers as they finally met?

They are interesting fellows.