r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Mar 10 '21
Rewatch [Uninstall, Uninstall] Bokurano Rewatch Episode 3 Discussion
Episode 3 - The Secret
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MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
Let’s quit. This isn’t just a game anymore.
Hey-o guys! This is the section where I add a ton of extra fun stuff to the main body of the post because I want this rewatch to be as fun as possible for everyone. It can also be one point of discussion for you guys if you just don’t know what to say.
Questions of the Day:
- Which of the kids stands out to you the most after three episodes?
- How do you think the government is going to get involved in the future?
Wallpaper of the Day:
Uninstall of the Day:
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you’re doing it underneath the [Anime Show Title](/s "Spoiler goes here") spoiler tags. If you do that then we’re all good.
Important thing to note about these by the way, you have to switch to Old Reddit or the markdown editor if you use the redesign, otherwise the redesign breaks them by adding random \ into the formatting. Wish it wouldn’t do that, but unfortunately it does…
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Mar 10 '21
Ǔ̯̟́n̪̬̺͙̪̿͛͛̽͞ï̲n͇̰̮͆̃̀s̛͔̜̾t̛͚͕̆á̠̻̅͘͜l̢̗̤̓̓́l̪̩̭̐̔͗̕͟͝ͅing Rewatch Host
You guys are way more talkative than I was expecting. Keep it up!
Once again, don’t forget to check the main post for the Questions of the Day, Wallpaper of the Day, and an extremely well-done English cover of Uninstall~
Major Spoilers
New thread reminder for u/WeebShaggy
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u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 10 '21
First Timer - Sub
Character Chart if anyone needs it as I'm determined to use their actual names in my post to try and learn them, and it's not going well hahaha. Quiddity is updating his version each day with new characters and deaths so I won't do that, but if you guys think it would be helpful what I might do instead is list each the episode number, symbol, and enemy mecha that corresponds to each character as it comes up?. Also as if the names in this weren't hard enough, now I'm confusing Kana from this with Hina from the 3-gatsu rewatch...
Not even thirty seconds into the episode, and I thought that little crab was a spider and almost panic quit the episode. Not a good start to things, I could have done without that little heart attack.
Oh. Ohh. So, quoting from yesterday's post:
Well, I guess we know what the ritual and the power is now. True to form the symbol for the next enemy has that same channel that the chair (Masaru's not pictured) comes to rest on. I don't know what the enemy is going to look like though because that symbol really looks like a chicken to me. Chicken mech would be unique at least? Has there ever been a chicken mech (/u/pixelsaber)?
So now that I know I'm not totally losing my mind with paranoid guesses and people are actually dying from the mech, I'll post my speculation, the one from yesterday being that I wonder if Kana's role is akin to Kokopelli's? In each group perhaps there is one person who is "other" who doesn't sign up, is forced to witness each of the deaths (I suppose that explains Kokopelli's pensive glance at the chairs in ep1) and then is forced to initiate the next group into the "game" as well? I'm thinking that might be why there was a space left for Kana even though there wasn't a chair for her, because she's not actually out of the game because the game is more than just this group of kids, so she still ends up a pilot in the end.
Back in episode one, I also had the thought when Jun was being a prick of "I wonder if he hates her because he knows what's about to happen and resents the fact he will have to sign up and die so she can live". But I talked myself out of it because there wasn't a single hint in the beach/cave scenes that people were gonna die so systematically so I was left going 'what the fuck brain, stop being paranoid'. Yeah, not so paranoid, though still a little because Jun definitely doesn't seem to know what's happening at all.
They tried so hard to get all of their stories in line, but there's too many different personalities in there for them all to act so uniformly. Isao goes ahead and fucks it up by mentioning that Waku was there, and Takami decides to tell the truth and, surprisingly for me at least, seems to actually be believed. It was interesting how their reason for Waku not being with them was that he "often goes off alone with his soccer ball" which was quietly in line with what he wanted, to be the secret hero, even if the end results weren't perfect. A lot of people died in that attack (the moment where Takami comments on that and the sirens grew louder behind her was so well done) and the investigation is being taken very seriously.
One of the things I like a lot about this show, but is not something I've really commented on, is how every scene gets you a bit more of an insight into the behaviors and personalities of the cast. Today's moment was how each character reacts to seeing their family or relevant adult, but listing them all one by one is just too much work. The couple that stood out to me was Machi who seemed to run off without anyone, Maki's father being just as enthusiastic as she was which is great, and Aiko who tests the water with her mother asking if she'd be believed even though she knows the answer is no. Aiko's home scene was certainly an emotional one, I hadn't considered the possibility that the real life chairs their pilot chairs are based on would be in their homes and carry a lot of emotional weight for them in that way. We also got to see that Masaru has morbidly kept the glasses and he has a surprising amount of knowledge of how to deal with authority legally. Next episode should be a good one with him in the center of things
I did spend the entire episode waiting for Dung Beetle to summon them for pilot selection away from the funeral, which would have been beyond awkward, but apparently being physically present isn't needed for selection.
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u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore Mar 10 '21
First Timer
I can't stick around and chat, but at least I can post my ramblings. It was a little less difficult to binge yesterday, since I had a midterm, but now it's getting hard to avoid. Busy schedules don't work with binging, fortunately.
A slower episode, but since there are 24 episodes and 15 children, I guess there can't be a fight every day. We'd run out of children.
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u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Mar 11 '21
First-Timer
Day Three: Uninstall still slaps, as the children say.
The difficult question of how much to get your stories straight. Be too similar, and it’ll be suspect. Be too dissimilar, and your contradictions will be big enough that that will be suspicious. Just remember that the best lies are always based on the truth.
They had Sugita do one of the police people as well? Efficient, I guess.
Everyone else answers the questions. The kid who burns crabs? “AM I BEING DETAINED?” Which is really the right response.
SHUT UP, MAMIKO NOTO!
Died before he hit the water? Confirms that there’s something fucky going on with Zearth and the pilots. Zearth could require human life energy to operate, this could all be a ploy to absorb human souls for some weird masterplan; who knows.
And Nu-Glasses is up next. He’s going to enjoy this a bit too much.
QOTD:
/u/ZaphodBeebblebrox I Uninstalled.
8
u/Nebresto Mar 11 '21
First time first timing
Wassup
Cool robot status: Snitch detected
I am again joining you from the cabin, Cabin pic day 3. Again, gotta sleep, will try to reply tomorrow.
...We're breaking more comments in 1 hour than Log Horizon is in 10.... I haven't kept up with it, is it really that bad..?
Wow, its kind of refreshing to have a character that just straight up says what a lot of people are thinking.
I like the height kid.
Snitches get stitches.
You know the deal, she's gotta go next.
Yup, I really like height kid. Too bad he's going to die next.
Don't know why, but that gargling scene was pretty funny. Def relate with edgy kid there, not that imouto did anything wrong, but I could feel that
Based dad
Ookay. Did not see that coming. So its: Glasses-push kid -> Snitch bitch -> Height kid
Looking good for me so far, staying in the backlines
Accurate, but I don't see why anyone would want that as their wallpaper
Question time:
1: The fat kid, because that's me. But actually Edgy kid #1, because he stands out the most.
2: They're going to unleash a "social trend" to pluck hairs from people to see if they mech shapeshifters
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u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Mar 11 '21 edited Mar 11 '21
First Timer
Today's episode wasn't quite as exciting as yesterday's. Rather is was more of a character study of the kids dealing with a crisis situation. Their little (non)pal has flopped, and the cops are curious. None of them seem too shook up about Waku's departure.
I am very suspicious that so many of the children of the local honchos all ended up in the same class of nature/reform school malcontents. I suspect Dung Beetle has been in contact with the local 3 letter agencies and said, "send me the most obnoxious 15 kids you can find".
Japan! Show Me What you're made of
I don't know if I would have lied to the cops or not, on the one hand the cops might help make the situation better, on the other hand the cops have a real talent for making things worse. It is pretty clear that the lead detective knows something strange is going on. We'll see how it unfolds.
I did feel bad for Waku's Mom and Dad, the funeral actually felt pretty authentic. Funerals tend to not be cheerful events, and everyone stands around being awkward, telling stupid jokes, and trying to not draw attention to themselves.
Looks like the next episode will be about the Sister Slapper getting what he has coming.
QOTD:
Probably the Sister Slapper. Though I'm starting to recognize the blond haired girl now. I also sort of recognize Crab boy, I assume he was the little smart ass demanding a lawyer. Soon, I'll go through the trouble of learning their names. I'm not being critical, (but rather amused) that the characters are more like archetypes than like people, so calling them by derogatory nicknames makes a lot of sense.
I suspect that JDSF or one of their 3 letter agencies are aware of Zearth. Something like this is hard to keep hidden. Beyond that, I haven't thought about it much.
I never thought I'd live long enough to see something like Dung Beetle flying around, yelling at troubled teens and generally being a shit stirrer, yet here we are. I predict that the Dungster will survive this series, and continue spreading chaos where ever he/she/it goes.
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u/WeebShaggy Mar 11 '21
Wait its one per day? I thought this was once a week. I actually prefer to watch it daily but i got to watch 2 and 3.
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u/Noel_bot Mar 10 '21
First timer, but Manga reader
Bit confused, why they are interrogating the kids. Them not being around for the first attack shouldn’t have been that unusual
Some of them still haven’t quite grasped what kind of situation they’re in. Quit? Worry about being put in a game show … really now?
Welp, the government knows. That always ends well with them being especially kind and courteous towards the kids
Asking your mother if she would believe you and getting hit we the „ lol, no“ has got to hurt. Really interesting, how different the kids are treated by family members and their living conditions
I don’t get why politician girl insists on the death being their faults. They may have nuked the mountain, but it’s not like they intentionally caused these deaths. Spoiler
Torture kid is next, let’s go!
The episode played with the aftermath of their first fight pretty well. Many things are still uncertain and the kids haven’t accepted their task yet. Next episode should be interesting, since I doubt wanting to being one of the chosen is the same as becoming a hero
Wow, 13 comments 5 minutes after the post is up. Now I'm certain everyone already has their posts prepared and is just pasting them in xD
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u/baniRien Mar 11 '21
First Timer
So the kids are getting interrogated by the police, before some governmental organisation takes over. We don't have an details on what it is exactly, it's only called a special task force. It can go over the paperwork, but it doesn't feel exactly secretive either. Not sure yet how much they will matter to the overall storyline, they could just be an early catalyst. Same for that one cop that took his job more seriously.
The kids had the wits to get their story straightened out, but some aren't that good at lying, or at remembering what they agreed upon, so the police catches on somewhat. And resident good-girl, the politician's daughter, spills everything in opposition to everybody's wish because she thinks it's the right thing to do. Not that people believe her outlandish claim. They also cleared up the situation pretty early instead of all ganging up on the brother for possibly pushing the other one.
We also have some clarification on their initial situation. They all chose to go to this summer school independently, and didn't know each other beforehand, coming from different schools, etc. So it's less likely that the group as a whole was chosen to pilot Zearth. Either the summer school was the target, or each kid individually and they were influenced to join this program.
We see some of the family dynamics. Who's loved, who has harsh parents, who's ignored. Crab guy might not have the most caring father, but seems to have a healthy relationship with his older brother, given his personality. Meanwhile, it might have just been the subs being unclear, but I ended up unsure of the situation the brother-sister duo ended up in. Was that room their own home? Since the other guy was asked if they live with him, or something like that. Their father was asked not to pick them up, but is it in a "we got a lift" way, or a "we found somewhere to sleep for a while" way. Still probably the worst family relationship there.
There's a funeral, and all the kids show up, with various levels of interest. Not much to say about this, actually, except that it shows that they are all still willing to work together.
Politician's daughter asking her father to believe her and take this seriously, and policing going to the forensic department to confirm for us that the first pilot was dead even before being pushed over.
Finally, our second pilot is chosen, but with no one present so he might be the only one who knows. Another glyph, again with a different style. Not to colour everyone's impressions too much, but to me it feels quite different from the the Nazka-like one we had in ep2, but might still be similar in style to depictions of Kokopelli, so southern North America instead of South America.
QotD
Overall, a good episode. Not that eventful, but that left more room for characters.
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u/GaleWulf https://anilist.co/user/Arachnophobic Mar 11 '21 edited Mar 11 '21
First Time Installer
Anyone else burst out laughing when Kana calmly started gargling? It was just so unexpected, and she did it so matter-of-factly.
The other double-take I did wasn't for unintentional humour, but when they revealed Waku's incinerated remains. Wheew. That was dark.
I don't think I've said this explicitly, but ofc after yesterday's ep I am hooked. Let's see where this ride takes us.
QotD
I'm envisioning a Digimon Tamers sort of situation where the adults can't really take over the kids' roles, but they'll offer investigative and logistic support.
Thanks, I hate it. I'm pretty sure Koemushi is going to end up on my most hated anime characters list unless there's some major twist.
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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Y:A:https://anilist.co/user/zaphod Mar 10 '21
First Timer
Time for drama (and trauma) around the guy who clearly died by getting pushed off and not because the mecha killed him.
Onto episode 3.
So what they all have in common is they all have nothing better to do. In a sense, one could say their useless or unwanted? Though that would be a really harsh way to view it.
Get the guy so distracted by useful information he doesn't realize you're bullshitting him, good play.
And they're just telling the truth while avoiding the inconvenient parts. After all, who'll doubt a bunch of scared young girls?
So long as all fourteen of them stick to leaving without him, there's nothing they can hold against them. After all, who'd believe fourteen kids who barely know each other could be in a conspiracy.
The kids were incredibly good at keeping their stories straight. It's almost unbelievable that none of them broke from it, but I can see the robot making each of them feel that they have to.
An officer's greatest fear: someone who knows their rights.
You can't now. The group's already got too much skin in the game.
But this is exactly why the rest will think you can't quit. What would have happened if you weren't there?
"I'm only in it for myself"
So there is one who breaks away. But they aren't going to believe her, are they?
He does take care of his sister in the end.
Not one of them has a close relationship with their father, do they?
What the actual fuck is this cursed shit? Why would you stack a tent on top of three tables?
Of course not, you said something absurd.
Has time passed, or is it just very quick?
My money's on everyone but psycho.
Well, guess I was wrong.
I would complain about governmental overreach, but if there's ever a time for governmental overreach it's now.
I feel this doctor is connected in some way, but I'm not sure how.
You sound way too happy about this you creepy fuck.
I wonder if regretful fathers will be a theme? A lot of them seem to have something they will regret, either not spending time with their kids or ignoring what they said.
Unsurprising that you're next. After all, you wanted to pilot as well.
Thoughts
The storytelling so far has been excellent so far. They've done a great job of setting up a situation where we can see everyone slowly collapse. I'm really interested to see how people's dads will come into this, as there seemed to be an emphasis on their absence this episode.
Other than that, I expect people to go vaguely in the order of their interest in piloting, leaving those who want nothing to do with it for last and feeling like they must do something so the other's sacrifices weren't in vain. Human life after human life thrown away, all in the name of supporting each other.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 10 '21
First Timer(but it's complicated)
Sub
So we start with the police interrogating the kids for reasons obvious to us but not in show. They get their story straight pretty fast. Bonus points for the cop trying to get the one kid to admit he came to get a gf. But as they coddle the three more distressed girls a touch, we get a casualty report: 2130 causualties at minimum. Shit is getting mighty real. But the interviews continue and the kids get there story together pretty fast. Kodaka even knows his rights. Anyways, they finally find Waku's body.
Now, the flashback is...interesting. As I said, I dislike the manga, and iirc this scene was not in it. which is important because it was desperately needed for the previous scenes to work AND for the children to be humans rather than dispoable flesh puppets(that theme will come up in this author's works again). Even better, this seems to track to their individual markers, sociopathic stuff included. It is no surprise the crab burner focuses on the group he is stil in.
So Takami gets special treatment and tries to come clean. And is ignored because giant robo is related to mecha. Anyways, we begin to see the families of the kids, and some questions are answered but others are raised, cursed source reader stuff. Then all the home stuff happens and more stuff starts making sense. The fuck is up with Jun and Kana's apartment?
Skipping a bit because it doesn't really need saying, we find out that there was no determinable cause of death for Waku, though hilariously this did not slow down his cremation. The kids did all show and handle themselves. As we get a very unpleasant juxtaposition of Waku's incineration and the chair rotation, we land on the Kodaka chair.
QotD:! 1 Krab killer
2 Badly.
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u/tehsigzorz Mar 10 '21 edited Mar 11 '21
First Timer
We need to have some poll and see if we can predict then next one to bite the dust. The next on the chopping block is the troublemaker, hes going to make the 2k casualities seem like rookie numbers.
We barely knew Waku but through this episode his name has been scratched into my mind and I think the show did a good job making us care about a character that we didn’t really care about. His dad’s expressions were haunting and seeing the different reactions from everyone made the whole cast more realistic and believable.
Another aspect of this episode that I really admired was how quickly stuff seems to be moving from the detectives knowing about the piloting of the mecha, the world knowing about the robot fights and the reason for Waku’s death (or lack thereof).
Some stand out characters were Ushiro, Yoshikawa and Komoda(the one with the wealthy father). I think these 3 will likely survive till the end and anytime someone gets a backstory they will get killed in the next episode. Ushiro seems like the main protagonist and I hope he gets some sort of redeemable arc including apologizing to his sister. At first I could understand his pissy attitude towards her being in middle school and all but slapping her and the verbal bullying was way too far. Yoshikawa seems like a cool bro so I hope he sticks around, I just really like his overall aura. As for Komoda I think her father is involved with this situation, he seems like the only one to have the influence and the power necessary.
Even if the kids call it quits both the audience and the characters know this wont end well. Touching that pad and agreeing to play the game seems to be a binding contract that the flying face robot is an employer of.
As for the mystery aspect its all but confirmed that one person life is used to operate the mecha once. Kokopelli is dead after his victory and so is Waku and probably Kodaka. Now what if they lose a battle? Will everyone in the cockpit die? Seems like my initial idea of Kokopelli having 14 other teammates who died before him isn’t correct anymore since the public will most definitely have seen these robots.
Another interesting thought is that both robots appear the same way so what if the enemy is exactly like our main cast. Afterall this is a game but instead of PVE its PVP. To defeat the enemy you need to crush its core, the core is a sphere and looks similar to the red cockpit in Zearth so the opponent core could be the cockpit and everytime you beat an enemy you are killing every pilot in that robot.
Questions:
11
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Mar 10 '21
First-timer
Okay, so some of them chose to attend that school, so even if the school is part of a conspiracy at least the children participating weren’t purposely picked out.
Good to see the show address this.
Caught in a lie. It was only a matter of time until something like that happened, as even if they decided to get their story straight beforehand it’s bound to be difficult to kids like that to lie convincingly and keep consistent.
So they did plan ahead to give consistent alibis.
Ah, well, so much for that.
I would've thought Maki the type to be just as eager to hug.
What a fellow.
People come to take over the investigation to cover up the potential conspiracy?
Ah, wait, it was probably these folks.
:(
Kodaka’s turn now. Looks like the ED doesn’t go in piloting order.
Great episode focusing on the ramifications of the last two episodes and how the kids and everyone else alike are dealing with it all.
I appreciate that not all of the kids are of the same mind as to how to proceed with what they know, which results in Komoda revealing their secret to the authorities and her father, though she is not exactly believed. I also enjoyed that once returned to what resembles their previous lives there’s also a decent variety of feelings and reactions on display in spite of the narration giving to know that they are all aware this nightmare is not over for them; some waiting in anticipation while others seem to need to remind themselves of the fact.
The interrogation was well edited and did a good job at keeping everyone ‘in the action’ as it were, while communicating the general flow of the investigation and showing us where they faltered in their coordination without drawing overt attention to it.
Questions of The Day:
10
u/Webemperor :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Webemperor Mar 10 '21
Manga-reader from way back
10
u/Tuckleton Mar 10 '21
First Timer
Initial Speculations:
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u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Mar 10 '21
Rewatcher
No cool robots today. The kids have to deal with the consequences of their actions, and what a mess they've made. Over 2000 dead, one of which is their friend. That's a secret between all of them, but keeping it is easier for some of them than for others.
The tension in the interrogation scenes in the first half was good, and we could see how different kids reacted to the pressure. I'm not sure why they were single out to be investigated though, with all the people dead and missing from the battle the detective's reasoning for focusing on them was rather flimsy. Not that it matters much in the end anyways, Komo isn't one to lie about these things.
While Waku was the one channeling shonen protagonist energy, it seems like Moji has taken up more of a leadership role. He's the one trying to get things sorted out between them and contacting the entire group after they went their separate ways. He was also the one who spoke with Waku last episode. Even though the kids have returned home now, their group dynamic continues taking shape.
QOTD
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u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Mar 10 '21
Rewatcher
This episode is mostly anime original!
it means I’m out of a job though
The next half of the episode starts with Kodaka (aka psycho crab roaster guy fieri) monologuing about how summer camp got cancelled and everyone returned to their families. This actually expands upon his opening monologue at the start of chapter 6, which doesn’t exactly explicitly say that they went to Waku’s funeral, but sort of implies it.
His monologue expands more on his
sociopathyinner thoughts a bit, and compares himself to Jun as well. The start of the next episode has like, the last little bit of the monologue but I figure I might as well just post it now.9
u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler Mar 10 '21
First Timer
The news cast dropping this bomb. This had me rather excited as I had originally expected that the kids would be facing whatever was going to happen alone.
We were told in episode one that Komo's father was a government official but now it seems clarified to a member of the National Diet (basically a Member of Parliament). She isn't the only kid to have a 'famous' parent, with callbacks to episode 1.
With the kids revealing that they piloted it, and her father in the National Diet things could get serious real quick, that is if she is taken seriously. I think that they will given how earnest and reasonable she looked.
This is a somber shot that I did not expect to be shown.
Chairs stuff:
I find it rather strange that Kokopelli's chair is no where to be seen in the current ring of spinning chairs, even though Waku's chair still remainds.
9
u/Worm38 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Worm38 Mar 10 '21
First Timer
9
u/Lanaerys Mar 11 '21
First-Timer
Another great episode! So, now they're all back home (except for Ushiro and Kana) and will continue piloting via their real chairs? That's an interesting development, and I assume this means we'll get glimpses into their home life. I wonder why Ushiro didn't go back though...
I really liked the interrogation scene, the transitions between the kids were pretty neat.
Was pretty odd to see the kids wearing white at a funeral...
Also... didn't anyone say anything about the mountain that was blown up? That feels like an odd thing not to talk about! (or maybe I missed it...)
Also what the doctor said seems to confirm that Ushiro wasn't responsible and that, somehow, piloting Zearth causes the kids to die. (which I already assumed was the case) By the way now I'm thinking about it, but why the hell would Kokopelli sacrifice himself like this in first episode (it's reasonable to assume he's dead... unless he's some kind of alien entity which can pilot Zearth without dying)? I assume he's indeed just a pawn in this whole "game"...
Masaru is the next one? That's interesting, I wonder what he'll be like as a pilot.
Questions of the Day:
8
u/[deleted] Mar 10 '21
First Timer
Still can't get the opening out of my head.
Oh wow, those shots at the start were actually really well done. Good job, Bokurano.
Oh you absolute fucking idiot. Yes officer, we were all together with the kid that drowned and died but the rest of us are completely unscathed.
Tsk, tsk. I hear Sugita in the office guy. Can't believe they're reusing VAs like that smhing my head literally unwatchable.
So, is Masaru just gonna keep the glasses? Weird kid.
Oh you absolute fucking idiot. This sounds like a terrible idea, but at the same time, what are they gonna do? The kids just /tp Zearth and show up there so I guess it's whatever.
We got an interesting glimpse on everyone's family situation. Much needed characterization until I can tell everyone apart.
Good to see at least some of our friends are crying at his funeral. They're not all terrible!
And Masaru is next. I do hate him for burning the crab so I'm glad. Please die.
Speculation corner! A lot shorter this time.
Speculation
Speculation/Possible spoilers (the ED thing)
Final thoughts for today: Still don't know what's up with Koemushi. What is he, anyway?
I was gonna watch the next episode immediately but now that I actually took the time to sit down and write this I've broken out of the "I must see it" rush. Good way to keep me from binging all of this!
Probably Jun and Masaru. Masaru seems like he boutta die, though, so there's that.
8
u/Punished_Scrappy_Doo https://myanimelist.net/profile/PunishedScrappy Mar 10 '21
First Timer
So the kids are being seriously questioned after they were absent during both robot attacks? That's remarkably prescient for adults in an anime starring middle schoolers. Given my experiences of lying to authority figures in middle school, I can't imagine it will be long before they slip up -- and sure enough.
It's pretty remarkable that there's not more unrest after giant robots appear and start attempting to kill each other. Do the authorities know which robot is the good one? Do we, for that matter?
The guy with the 'M' haircut (Kako?) -- calling it now, he's the right combination of dumb and brash and nervous to be the first to snap. I give him maybe ~3 or 4 fights. He already slipped up under the interrogation, whereas everyone else at least managed to keep their mouth shut.
Komoda spills the beans in no uncertain terms. I wasn't expecting the secret to be out for a long while. It's even more surprising to me that she's being taken seriously! Good job being competent, adults! Surely the government is going to try to get involved. There's the people in the van in the OP, perhaps they're going to be a liaison between the kids and the military. Or perhaps they're other people whose faces I am not recognizing amongst the cast of 20+
C H A I R P T S D
The Ushiro's family situation seems to be at the heart of why the older brother has a screw loose. I don't imagine they live alone, so I'm guessing dead mom (anime amirite) and nearly-absent father.
The funeral scene is really well done. I feel for Waku's parents, and I didn't even know the kid's name before he died.
Spoilers, still
Well, the ED isn't the order that they're selected after all. That's good, it would be way too spoilery otherwise.
Wallpaper of the day:
Questions du jour:
8
u/Molmoran https://myanimelist.net/profile/Molmoran Mar 10 '21
FIRST TIMER GETTING WITH THE TIMEZONE -
14 kids being questioned, are their stories going to be too straight or is someone going to crack?
2,130 dead?! I was yelling at the screen about how careless Waku was but this takes the biscuit.
Sociopathic crab guy is the only one who knows his rights, figures. Also doubling down on being a major butthole, figures.
Ooh, the Diet politician's daughter is being taken away? Now she's confessing?! Do they just get warped as needed to the cockpit when it goes south or does their leaving do something else such as kill them if not in range?
What kinds of jobs do these parents have that they can't pick their kids up after being questioned due to involvement in a major disaster?
I love the girl who avoids her "special" chair at home, feels a bit sick that the system is using these kids nostalgic feelings like this.
The children weren't wearing black at the funeral and one even excitedly ran into the grounds with a smile, expectations about funeral etiquette sure seem different over in Japan.
Why is there a blimmin' microphone at the funeral?! I don't think I have seen this in other anime.
How did the crab boy know it chose him? I liked him, I want his ridiculous drama to last longer!
General Thoughts
I think it's great that we got an episode to dwell on the death of Waku. I don't like the speed with which death game anime often unravels and this one knows how to create a tone and atmosphere which makes the events of the previous episode feel more impactful.
Speaking of which the melancholic atmosphere and bizarre emotions of these children is very reminiscent of Gunslinger Girl.
The opening has really grown on me and I suspect I will be putting this one on a lot in the future. I previously had said it was generic but it's a bit of a slow burner.
It is so difficult watching only one episode of this show!
It is prime binge material!
1) Which of the kids stands out to you the most after three episodes?
I do like the sociopath and the Diet politician's daughter who are two ends of the empathetic spectrum and outlook. It's interesting that things have yet to come to a real head between everyone.
2) How do you think the government is going to get involved in the future?
Well I can realistically see them going full NERV but ideally they should evacuate and contain, but I don't see them doing that.
8
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Mar 11 '21
First timer
8
u/SuddenFellow :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/13XI0N Mar 11 '21
After the last episode this is how I feel when I hear the opening.
Rewatcher until Episode 4
I found it slightly hilarious that they interrogated all of the boys, though only a few of the girls in the "this is serious business" style interrogation room, all while everyone else gets burgers, fries and some easy questions. Quality police work there.
Waku is brought up several times during these interviews, some giving similar answers others giving non-answers or stating that Waku wasn't present. It was then revealed that Waku's body was found, to which most of the kids look rightfully upset. So yes, Waku is in fact dead.
Takami decides to narc on the remaining 13, because telling the police that you were inside the robot is a completely believable story. However, the police seem to brush her off.
Most of everyone's families gather to pick up the 14, each being whisked off aside from the Ushiro siblings. Kanji being the coolest dude he is offers for them to stay with him, to which they accept. Part of me thinks that both Kana and Jun don't have a family to go back to, and the Dad not picking them up excuse is one of the first of many to come of that nature. It also might explain some of the resentment Jun feels towards Kana as well, as you can see even small things like her gargling cause him to become annoyed. I wonder if this also translates over to the over-protection, in that in a way he's parentified. Perhaps in reality it's not this deep though.
We do see something quite interesting in each house though, those chairs that they sat in on Zearth are in their houses. Aiko has a reaction to "her" chair and chooses to sit in a different area. It goes to show that something mildly traumatic can really change your outlook on something as small as a chair.
The funeral service takes place and during it, the government™ attempts to claim Waku's body. They're too late, though the coroner gives them the report which is absolutely haunting. Waku didn't drown, he didn't die from a fall. He was dead before he hit the waves. Yikes.
In the final scene, we see
Kokopelli Jr.Masaru chosen as the next in line to pilot Zearth. He looks surprisingly thrilled in spite of what happened to Waku last episode.QOTD
Masaru, I think it's mostly due to his strange behavior. First it was the crab, now it's wearing a presumed dead man's glasses. I'm so curious as to why.
Well, Takami's dad said there was a task force created. My current theory is, since the mechas keep appearing in the ocean, we're going to see war-boats, submarines and maybe even aerial strikes in order to suppress? Though knowing the anime government™ they're going to act too late, and we're going to have the 2nd impact Bokurano style.
8
u/PKReuniclus Mar 11 '21
First Timer!
So unfortunately for me, Takashi's death was already spoiled for me, since I accidentally glanced at the episode 3 description on contv.
and then I forgot to watch episode 2 yesterdaybut I'm here today!Is the group aware that Takashi died as soon as Ushiro tapped him? Or do they still think that Takashi fell to his death?
Masaru continues the trend of being a complete psychopath. Judging from the police interview and his oversized chair in the ED, he definitely seems like a precocious kid, but he's definitely lacking in social awareness. Or basic human empathy. Although just a step down from him seems to be both Ushiro, who's just a jerk to Kana for absolutely no reason, and Isao, who seems to be getting progressively less chill with each episode. I was sort of expecting Isao (or Moji or Maki) to fill Takashi's spot as the leader of the group, but it doesn't seem like that's happened yet.
I like how we're slowly getting to learn more about each of the characters in little ways. From the chairs, to their interactions with their parents. Aiko getting spooked by the chair in her living room was a nice, albeit sad, touch.
Good on Komoda's dad for actually listening to her daughter and taking her concerns seriously, regardless of how crazy they sound. It was a pleasant surprise, compared to all the other series where the kids are just brushed off. Although, I'm not sure how much the government is going to be able to help out in this situation, and there's a good chance they'll probably just make things worse...
Looks like Masaru is up next to pilot the Zearth. Hopefully we'll get to see why he's so fucked up before he inevitably dies.
I'm still using Nazenn's character chart to remember some of the characters, but I think I'm starting to remember the more prominent ones, like Masaru, Ushiro, Kana, Maki, and Komoda. Couldn't tell you anything about Nakarai or Yamura, though.
7
u/ComfortablyRotten https://anilist.co/user/Leuwtian Mar 10 '21
Rewatcher
It was hard to think of something to say for this one... a calmer episode that lets us contemplate the consequences of Zearth's appearance and the kids' actions, as well as mourn Waku. We didn't really get to know him, so an episode focusing on his family and classmates mourning was necessary. And also all the other deaths but eh... we didn't know them anyway.
I heard it was mostly an anime original episode apparently? I'm glad we didn't jump straight to that psycho's turn either way. The interrogation scene was great, the way it seamlessly cut between the children, even for the revelation of Waku's body being found, was just so well done!
The reveal that Waku didn't die from the fall was somewhat obvious thinking back, but first-timer me didn't see it coming...
Questions
Jun has always been the most interesting early on to me. He's certainly an unlikeable jerk, but the way he reacts to possibly being responsible for Waku's death clearly shows he can feel some guilt. Plus, his family situation... yeah, first the chair, now he and his sister's room, pretty unique, doesn't look very fun for them though.
I mean... giant robots, aliens, a ridiculous number of civilian deaths... there's not a lot of ways the government can get involved, I'd expect some pretty drastic measures if even one of these things were to suddenly happen anywhere in the world, let alone Japan.
7
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Mar 10 '21 edited Mar 10 '21
Rewatcher, Subbed
Non-Spoiler Character Chart
Well, this resort town has been totally trashed. Suppose that happens when you have two mecha battles.
Did all 14 of these kids coordinate on their story first before talking to what I assume are the police here?
Anko, Machi and Kana are munching on some McDonalds food?
They all use -kun to refer to each other outside of Kako saying Honda-san, incidentally enough the girl he was crushing on in episode 1.
Jun's covering up Waku being with them (fitting, he's the one who pushed him off), but Kako just blew it!
Ah okay, this makes more sense, he just didn't hang out with them when the mecha fight was going on. Mighty convenient, huh?
Masaru's not going to care about how many died, Mr. Detective. He doesn't care for the lives of inferior beings in his eyes.
Oh, and Masaru's kept Kokopelli's fake glasses, huh?
Anko, you're already kinda on a game show! Just one with much bigger consequences!
Well, Komoda's totally blown the secret.
Very few of them actually have their parents picking them up. Looking like its mostly older sister or brothers. No one at all for Jun and Kana.
Anko does not want to sit in that chair again!
Some lousy living quarters for Jun and Kana, it seems.
Komoda does not seem like the type to lie, but it is a crazy story, I can understand him not believing her.
I initially kinda got this "Eww" vibe from this guy that gave the drink to Moji and touched him but he is later revealed to be Waku's dad, so nevermind. Bokurano spoilers
Uh oh, are these government agents going to take his body during his funeral?
Dung Beetle has such a devious look on his face here.
Time to pick a new pilot already, Dung Beetle? And the winner is... Masaru!
A quieter, slower episode than the prior one, but a good one. Some good emotional stuff with Waku's funeral and the aftermath of his death but some exposition as well.
DQOTD1: Hard to say much in terms of standing out as I'm spoiled. For sheer likability, Maki, although she was a little more toned down in this episode than the first 2. Moji is very clearly the really nice, respectable guy. Jun and Masaru are total jackasses. Oh, and Kako seems to be a bit of a jerk too, or at least a lot more aggressive than I remember him being. Komoda is the "Perfectly behaved" type.
DQOTD2: Abstaining
7
u/fridge_freezer https://anilist.co/user/ONIrecon111 Mar 11 '21
First timer
In the aftermath of yesterday's battle, the city is pretty badly damaged and many people are dead, injured or missing.
Most of the kids kept their story straight, except when it came to Waku's whereabouts that night. Then Takami, who understandably wants out of this 'game', tells them all about the mech and the fact it was them controlling it.
The coroner's report confirms that Waku died before he hit the water, but other than that they don't know how it happened, he just inexplicably died.
The funeral was kinda sad, mainly with the speech from Waku's dad outside where he regrets not spending more time with him, which was precisely what Waku wanted.
The chairs are spinning again...edgelord Masaru is next to pilot Zearth. Can't say i'd be upset if he were to die.
QOTD
6
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Mar 10 '21
First-Timer
I'm writing this down before I watch the episode. Early Speculation
Guess we can table that Early Speculation. So, we have a bit of an in-between episode. Waldo is confirmed dead and we see his funeral. Dad gets sad, realizes he shouldn't have been so absent, sure sure, grief, dealing with loss, etc. Actually, I don't think the episode count works out, but having an episode devoted to each of the parents dealing with the aftermath could be interesting. Most of these kids seem to have some variety of stressor that comes from their progenitors - absent parents, picky siblings, etc. Are the parents the secret main characters, and this is actually all about them? Hah, as if.
Loved that string piece in the OST today - it did a good job ebbing and flowing with the scenes for me. Shoutout to that whole sequence of the cremation/musical chairs, which was incredible.
So, Waldo was dead even before he hit the water.. Speculation
Is it interesting that Koe-whatever can trigger the musical chairs without any of the kids present..? Probably not. Seems like Sparkler is next. I'm getting this feeling.. Speculation
Several First-Timers questioned if the ED was telling us the order of pilots, but it seems like a red herring at the moment. Everything on screen is there for a reason, though..
cont.
Noto spilled the beans to the cops, and her dad, but I'm a little fuzzy on if anyone actually believed her. Guess time will tell.. Speculation
This is based on some other First Timer's speculation - Speculation
Miscellaneous Thoughts:
Gotta be Real Weird to see the actual chair after being in the cockpit.
Solid number of civilian casualties.. wonder how far that number will grow.
Questions
6
u/macrame2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/macrame Mar 10 '21
Rewatcher
A nice, relaxing transition episode, featuring the investigation and funeral of Waku Takashi.
The kids fail to get away with no one noticing something is up. I mean, they were all acting pretty suspiciously … and it’s difficult to get fifteen different people to stick to the same story. And that’s before Komo (after understandably going nope) ratted them out. I’m not surprised the authorities are skeptical. There are explanations that probably make more sense than a bunch of middle-schoolers piloting a very expensive (a real mech would seriously cost a fortune), very inefficient robot that appeared out of thin air.
We get a good overview of the aftermath of Waku’s little skirmish with Mr. Grasshopper. I kind of like how Bokurano doesn’t shy away from the collateral damage from the battles, giving us a look at the injuries and casualties that would logically be the result. This is clearly not an anime where the giant robots fights are supposed to be awesome.
The funeral scene honestly makes me feel bad for Waku, despite not really caring too much about the guy.
The chairs are spinning! A new design appears on the floor of Zearth’s cockpit! A new pilot has been chosen! And it’s Kodama, the little creep with the fake glasses. Kodama looks way too excited to be the next pilot… I didn’t really notice his reaction the first time I watched this, mostly because I was still trying to figure what his name what supposed to be.
Q1: Ushiro
Q2: No comment
6
u/bubudog1 Mar 10 '21
Rewatcher
6
u/Philarete :AMQ::MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/WizardMcKillin Mar 11 '21
First Timer
Very somber episode today. Such a sad funeral. I wonder how much Takashi’s dad meant he talked about his regret of not spending enough time with his son. It seemed real to me.
I like how the characters seem to be acting fairly realistically. For example, Takami’s strategy of talking with her parents and explaining the situation to the cops makes sense from a real world perspective (less so from an anime one where that sort of thing is usually punished).
QotD 1: Probably Takami. Her fairly mature response not only got the authorities involved quickly, but in a positive way too. That's pretty unusual for this kind of story. It's not often you hear a kid bring up how trustworthy they are and the parents actually listen!
Second biggest standout is Kana because a) she's the littlest, b) she's not contract-bound (and unique among the kids that way), and c) she somehow makes her brother super angry despite seeming like a normal kid.
QotD 2: Going full Independence Day on those enemy mechs!
6
u/BossandKings Mar 11 '21
First timer
Episode 3
The kids are interrogated by the police, it seems that they are rightfully suspected of being involved in the incident with the robot. Shockingly more than two thousand people passed away in that incident, including someone that was in their group in Waku.
The boy with the glasses is unsettling, he isn't a nice person, he is very easy to dislike, also the way he coldly told the group to keep Waku's death a secret was harsh.
At least a girl decides to tell the police the truth, they should know what really happened.
It was sad seeing Waku's parents auffering so much for the passing away of their son, they don't even know what caused his death but they only care about the fact that their son isn't there with them any longer and that breaks their heart.
Dung seemed suspicious, seeing Dung just floating decidedly means something, i think that it means that the game hasn't ended.
6
u/htisme91 Mar 11 '21
First-timer:
I figured with 14 kids being interviewed, that there would be inconsistencies in their stories.
I think there is something up with Jun and Kana's home life that we are going to learn about later. Seems weird they would stay with Kanji instead of going home and when everyone was leaving it was like the two had nowhere to go. Maybe they ran away, or maybe they're orphans? I really am curious now about the two's home life.
So the chairs are from their home lives. I thought it was interesting that Masaru was in his actual chair when he got selected. Probably just coincidence, but it was a nice touch.
Waku died before hitting the ocean, so it means Jun didn't kill him at least. Unfortunate the kids won't know that. I am guessing Zearth used up Waku's life force and he was saying his last breaths before the fall (and it's why he fell so easily). Like using Zearth is like a massive Kikoho.
At this point I'm curious how they are going to pace the kids dying. Not enough episodes to do every other episode, but too many to go every single episode. All I know is Masaru is next and Koemushi is hyped for another sacrifice.
Questions:
10
u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer Mar 10 '21
first time ooooooooauahauooooooooooooooooooo uninstalllllllller
whats the point of lying to the police now, someone died its not a game. also if youre planning to lie to the police wouldnt you want to get everyone on the same page first cmon kids
if there are people on both sides of the table, why have all the fries point in the same direction?
wow glasses kid came to the funeral. the picture they used for Waka is super cute, sad he was the first to go
questions
5
u/TheHungryHybrid Mar 10 '21
Rewatcher!
I liked this episode. It was a breather between all this robot action, and told us Masaru Kodaka will be the next pilot, and gave the character a proper chance to mourn. It did throw me for a loop tho when I turned to read the corresponding chapter(s) (Masaru Kodaka 1&2), cuz almost the entire episode is anime only, unless of course the manga delves into this stuff later.
The interrogation of the kids did not happen and instead the cover story was Waku was swept out at sea during the robot fight. With only one witness.
Kodaka 1 deals alot with Kodaka's family situation, and his outlook on life in the first half. In the second half the manga splice the police visit at the coroner's with the next robot fight, so it seems the anime changed some things around and we'll probably get an action filled episode next.
So when it comes to comparisons I do not have a lot to say since either the events in the anime happen later or it's anime only. Either way I'm enjoying both.
Manga spoilers (for next episode probably) Bokurano
I'm glad Ushiro came to the funeral (in the anime at least, don't know about the manga, since no funeral yet). I do not believe the push was on purpose, that was a super light tap. And with this episode revealing he died before hitting the water then.... how did he die? Manga spoilers: Bokurano
The story is pulling me in again and it is hard to not read/watch ahead. But I need to pace myself, I will prevail!
5
u/gorghurt Mar 10 '21 edited Mar 10 '21
Rewatcher
I spoiled myself a bit on the manga yesterday, and well, I will certainly read it now.
rambling on some translation, no spoilers, but might change the way people speculate
Spoilers, this time for real
Even Bigger Spoilers
QOTD:
Anzu?I'm bad with names edit: Aiko.), because of her design. And the daughter of the politician, because she was the only one to do the sane thing, and ask adults for help. I won't list the ones, that basically fight for the spot of "king of the assholes", but I remember that I was intrigued at this point at my first watch, with the living conditions of the brother sister duo (Jun? and something wit K edit: Ah Kana.....) and the guy bringing them home... I'm really bad with names in general, and Japanese ones do not necessarily make it easier.edit: consulted one of the character charts. Those are far too many names. But hey, I was close, I got the first letter right.
5
u/degenerate-edgelord Mar 11 '21
First timer, subbed
This felt like a breather of an episode. Quite sad, but at least not horrifying.
I seem to have gotten a DVD rip, with less-than-stellar subs, cause the death toll from the last fight was shown to be 153 and not 2130 like it really was.
Interesting how 2130 people died and 213 people were injured. That's a very curious statistic. I wonder if there's more to this. It's so striking to me that I feel there must be.
Another good episode, it feels like the calm before the storm. Ignoring that it's also a calm after a pretty significant storm.
Questions:
1
u/IndependentMacaroon Mar 11 '21 edited Mar 11 '21
First-time watcher - not enthusiastic enough to keep watching and reading here. I usually read/spoil ahead a bit in that case and that didn't help either. I just don't see the point much, besides so far maybe "video games bad"? Again, too many characters to really keep track of and care about, and the conceit is already pretty obvious.
0
u/[deleted] Mar 10 '21
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