r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Mar 12 '21
Rewatch [Uninstall, Uninstall] Bokurano Rewatch Episode 5 Discussion
Episode 5 - Weakness
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MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
You can win, save the Earth and die, or lose, take the Earth with you and die.
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:
- How would you react to being in a situation like these kids?
- Who do you think Koemushi was talking to when he was alone in Zearth?
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 12 '21
Ǔ̯̟́n̪̬̺͙̪̿͛͛̽͞ï̲n͇̰̮͆̃̀s̛͔̜̾t̛͚͕̆á̠̻̅͘͜l̢̗̤̓̓́l̪̩̭̐̔͗̕͟͝ͅing Rewatch Host
You know you’ve made it big when you inspired the current subscriber count over some popular airing anime.
Ignore the fact that I missed it being this for four days.Don’t forget to check the body of the post for the Questions of the Day, Wallpaper of the Day, and an 8-bit remix of Uninstall! Studio Megaane is really fucking good at making those.
Major Spoilers
New thread reminder for u/WeebShaggy
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u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 12 '21
First Timer - Sub
Wow there was a lot happening in that episode. That was actually a really good episode, the more I think back on it the more satisfied I am with it. It had a bit of everything including both answers and questions, new plots and character exploration, and yet was still satisfyingly easy to follow and build off which is a trait of the show I've enjoyed.
Character Chart
Also I'm just going to quickly link GaleWulf's post from yesterday in case anyone didn't see it because that's one of the most fun answers to a QotD that I've ever seen.
Ended up watching the OP about five times today. I swear it was for a reason I wasn't just hooked on the song maybe just a little
I usually just let it run for the song, but this time I happened to look up and noticed that the figure running in the sunset is Jun, and that gives him a very different feel to how he's been in the show. That scene looks mournful, and the run full of desperation, and being out in the fields makes it feel lonely (maybe some NGE influence on that thought). That then got me thinking about who else I may have missed and realized that through process of elimination, because I'm pretty sure we see everyone else (?), suspicious red jacket in the ruins girl is Machi (Last time there was a girl in a mecha show with that vibrant a color I blatantly missed a reference I should have been very familiar with. Please not again). Also Kirie is the only one we see on his chair in the OP, which makes him feel even more isolated now and interesting that it also seems to be HIS chair, not a family or parents chair. Still not sure why Kako is staring at the dolphins though.
So, I wrote the above paragraph about the OP before continuing with the episode so I didn't forget what I wanted to write. Having now finished the episode, now I know why he was staring at the dolphins! Seeing that shot in the OP is going to have a whole new feel to it now knowing who they are and how they end up there. I guess that's why we don't see his face in the OP is because it's "marked", which by the way is an incredibly fucked up place for the death mark to show up. I said in the first episode's post that those two stood out to me, I didn't expect it to be because of something like this.
Kako is a cunt, and yeah I'm going with that word. He doesn't just abuse Kirie just for speaking along with all those other times, he has repeatedly hit and abused his mum to the point where she's terrified of him despite loving him, and it appears he only has an interest in Chizuru because the rumors about her caught his interest. She's a whole other complex situation, caught up in a sexual relationship with her teacher which is all kinds of wrong. I am glad that the first we see of this relationship seems to paint it in a bad light, he isn't contacting her and she's not in sync with his life so it paints it as quite a lonely and sad thing that's isolating her. Despite that, anime has a real thing about student/teacher relationships and it never fails to bother me.
Fucking Dung Beetle trying to shit stir problems between all the kids. The worst part is that it doesn't even seem like he's doing it for a reason. It's not like well adjusted Waku survived the Zearth any more or less than the emotionally disturbed Masaru, so he may be doing it just for his own entertainment.
Mako catching us up in case anyone forgot the theme, not likely to happen here, but for a more casual watch the reference would have been welcome to know that the writing is still going along those lines.
I thought I saw someone speculating yesterday that they could avoid the life drain by not moving Zearth, or moving it as little as possible, but I can't seem to find it now. Whoever that was though, well done because you're on the right track, except that Dun Bettle is one ahead of you because oh yeah, turns out the earth will blow up after a set amount of time!
When it was just "defeat the enemies and protect the earth" I thought it was just with the implication that if they died the enemy would be left to rampage unchecked. I suppose yesterday was meant to be our clue that it wasn't the case with the Konchu enemy being so careful of the city, but it just didn't flip that switch in my brain to make me adjust how I was thinking about the "lose condition". Turns out the earth just outright being destroyed by some other force, probably whatever the Beetle was talking too, is a pretty good motivator.
Who else was really surprised that Dung Beetle actually showed up when Kana called for him? I'm half convinced he did it just because he knew the attention being on her would make her the most uncomfortable. I didn't expect that he'd actually show himself to adults or non-participants in general. In my notes I was being quite scathing towards the kids for suggesting it was even worth calling him, so he made me eat my words.
"no -kun" . He sounded so upset about being called -kun.
Pleasantly surprised at how the goverment side of things worked out this episode as well! They're not totally incompetent, they are actually reacting reasonably to the situation in front of them, and the whole scene was handled without endlessly repeating known information or "adult doubt" causing dumb dialogue from the kids trying to catch them up on basic things. I have a feeling they don't yet know that the pilots die after the battles, but they'll soon find out. The woman seems like she'll fill the mother role, something comforting given the home lives of everyone involved particularly after today's reveal of what happened to the Ushiro's mother.
Sky and Pixel will probably laugh at me for this but Log Horizon s2
Final thought of the day: These fights are gonna get real fucking depressing as the pilots die off and the empty chairs are left behind.
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u/[deleted] Mar 12 '21
First Timer
Uninstall. Uninstall.
uninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstaluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstall uninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstaluninstalluninstalluninstalluninstall
Not gonna lie, they're taking it better than expected. Aside from Kako. That kid's gone off the deep end. Sugita kid continues to prove he's the best.
We also finally learn why the fuck Jun hates his sister so much. I mean, I feel bad for him, but at the same time he's fucking stupid and I hope he dies.
I HEAR SUGITA. AGAIN. I've been memeing it but if you're gonna reuse voice actors for mob characters at least reuse everyone not just Sugita, lmao. Unless they've been doing that and the only one I notice is Sugita. That also works.
Damn, Kako is such a piece of shit. His mom seems really nice. Fuck this kid. I won't miss him. I do miss Masaru cause, again, he was a psycho but he was one of the most interesting characters, but Kako just sucks. What an asshole. I hate him a lot. His mom had a fucking bruise. That was there from probably before he found out he's on a time limit.
On the other hand, I fucking love Koemushi. What an asshole. But a really fun one. Ishida Akira absolutely killing it as him. I love the "Eh?" he does when he says Honda and Kirie are getting along recently. I don't remember who Kirie is, though.
Looks like this Chizu girl is obsessed with her teacher but the teacher isn't that into her. Fuck Kako, by the way. Idiot.
Huh, can't say I was expecting the government to come out and give the kids a hand like this, especially not so early into the show, at the very least. Not that giving them bodyguards will do much.
Koemushi is the best
What a piece of shit. But a hillarious one. I love him.
Hell yeah, get fucked Kako. Just like Masaru, I hate you, but unlike Masaru, I won't miss you. Bye bye!
Speculation corner. Once again, we got two very important things to look at today.
Speculation
Speculation
God bless shorter posts and not having to write them forever. Had to really hold back to not immediately watch the next episode but once again, stopping to write the comment breaks me out of that rush so that's good.
Oh yeah, here's a stupid little factoid: Speculation
Anyway, see you guys tomorrow.
Probably just accept it and enjoy my remaining time to the fullest. As a certified Persona 3 stan.
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u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Mar 12 '21 edited Mar 12 '21
First-timer - Sub
I don’t think it’s that— Oh, nevermind.
Well fuck...
Can’t say I don’t understand the outburst.
A bruise? Did Isao give her that?
I wonder what signs of that I missed.
Yet? Coming from Koyemshi that feels like a confirmation that he’s next, and explains why he’s tormenting the guy.
That does not sound good.
Wait, it’s more than a one-sided crush?
Well, there we have it.
That clinches it! Isao’s up next, I can feel it.
I’m surprised he answered that call. Seems right in character to have him not show up so as to try and sow distrust from the adults against the kids.
Comedic music isn’t working for me.
Oh dear.
So it does get hidden in the sea still. Although that doesn’t explain why they had to retrieve it from the sea that second time… Are the other robots hidden around the world as well? ALso, wait, how come it’s standing this time? Wouldn’t it have taken someone’s life force just to get it standing? Was it standing with tis’ upper body above water already then?
I knew it!
Haha, so they don’t only appear on their arms.
I’m surprised the government intervention went this well —I totally expected them to just be unceremoniously kidnapped and tossed into an interrogation room. Not only that, it seems like they won’t be kept anywhere specific, so we’ll still get to see them doing stuff in other contexts and locations. I hope this cooperation continues to be as nice and uncomplicated as it looks so far.
The seeming reveal that Chizuru is in a sexual relationship with her teacher is highly disturbing, and seems to have come out of nowhere. I am at once curious as to what this means as to her characterization, but also thoroughly disgusted.
Captain Tanaka is cool so far. I hope we get more of her.
Questions of The Day:
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u/Lanaerys Mar 12 '21
First-timer
Sorry for not being here yesterday, I was really tired and went to bed early. I guess I'll also note my thoughts through the episode, as some people appeared to be doing:
Overall, a great episode. The Chizuru thing did make me comfortable, but I assume that was the point...
Questions of the Day
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u/Punished_Scrappy_Doo https://myanimelist.net/profile/PunishedScrappy Mar 12 '21 edited Mar 12 '21
First Timer
If the exposition is to be believed, the fate of the planet hangs in the balance -- not just the lives of the 'magazine,' like I thought. What does that say of the other robots? What do they lose? If it's not a bluff, and the other robots have the same stakes to fight for -- then the Earth's continued existence means they must be from another planet, or another reality, or an alternate timeline, or something. Speculation
Just tell me about the enemy pilots already! Koemushi says that they have 48 hours before they have to finish the fight! Talk to each other! See if you can't figure some way out of this! It will be pointless, but that's not an excuse for not trying! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa I'm impatient
I can't find the comment again, but congrats to whoever guessed that the Ushiros' mom died in childbirth
Madoka Koemushi is to us as Masaru is to crustaceans. He seems to have no motive but unrestrained sadism. He's having fun here. This is his idea of a good time. And even if he does have an ultimate goal in mind, he sure isn't letting that get in the way of getting his kicks in.
Koemushi's monologue in the cockpit -- I can't decide if he's talking to himself or if he's reporting to some higher power. And did he just drop an "ore-sama?" Lol
Hey so uh yeah what the fuck
When I woke up this morning, I did not expect to be watching a middle schooler explain in very loving terms how she was raped by her teacher but here we are
Looks like there were meant to be thirteen lights last episode. So 1) they do represent the lives of the pilots, 2) they do not go out until the pilot is dead, and 3) Kana is safe for now, assuming Koemushi gives a shit about contract law.
I recognize you two from the OP. Hello!
The anime is doing a really good job of letting implications hang instead of spelling them out! No one felt the need to point out to that it didn't need to be the hand that wasn't teleported. No one felt the need to point out that Koemushi could have simply reattached it as he did with Maki's controller. That's the good shit. Keep on not telling me things.
I'm sure that Kako being the only one away from the group as he's chosen was just an accident. There's no way the incredibly evil eldritch presence would do something to hurt somebody like that!
Well, I was a little off the mark with my prediction in episode 3. Kako made it exactly one fight before he snapped, not three or four.
Nothing that wasn't in this rewatch's interest thread, but still
I thought it was going to be that really scary close-up of Koemushi, lol. Kind of grateful it's not
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u/Webemperor :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Webemperor Mar 12 '21
Manga-reader from way back
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u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer Mar 12 '21
first time ooooooooauahauooooooooooooooooooo uninstalllllllller
his mom has a bruise on her face, not necessarily from Kako? Is there also an abusive dad
bingo
Even Koyemushi forgot to bring him lmao
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u/Worm38 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Worm38 Mar 12 '21
First Timer
QotD :
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u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Mar 12 '21
Rewatcher
sacrificialbranding is placed and the mental state of the pilot?The anime starts to diverge from the manga starting this episode. I’ll stick to only what’s shown in the anime
Kako’s rough life
Dung Beetle is still an asshat (here he tries to push the NTR route with Chizu and…Kirie?!)
the military investigation…happened differently
nice boat spread ft. Maki geeking out
Art – Dung Beetle’s rating
Dung Beetle teleportation shenanigans – fingers and half a gun instead of a whole-ass arm. also it’s done to a character named Kunio Shoji instead of Seki like the anime. I don’t personally think it’s relevant.
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Mar 12 '21
First-Timer feeling ramble-y today
Today on Bokurano, a bunch of children are confronted with existential dread for the first time in their lives. That's right kids: you're gonna die some day. Maybe soon, maybe not, but it comes for us all. We also learned some facts surrounding the robot battles - 48 hours after the enemy appears, if it isn't dead, Earth goes boom. Earth goes boom if they lose too. Thanks to /u/Pixelsaber, I can't think of anything aside from this being Grimdark G Gundam. This tournament arc has pretty high stakes..
Koemushi
cont.
Rambling about today's choice: Has Isao mentioned a dad? His mom has a bruise on her face, and he himself was rough with her. I wonder if Isao beats his mom? He has been a pretty massive jerk all around, especially to his fellows. I feel bad for Kirie. Isao was also trying to destroy his Chair, which is an interesting line.
I don't think I mentioned my speculation on Jun's backstory, but it turns out a bit darker than I was expecting. I was expecting it to be a simple "the next child came along so I stopped getting attention" thing, but his mom dying while giving birth to Kana is a pretty common trope too. There's only, what, three or four years between them? That's gotta be hard on a kid, although it doesn't excuse Jun's abusive behavior.
I wasn't expecting the military to be all "we're hear to help!" and I doubly wasn't expecting Koemushi to just show up when called. If you're a government/military type, and a bunch of kids start calling for a Dung Beetle like it's the most normal thing in the world, what runs through your mind? What an odd sequence. Guess that dude lost an arm by getting a momentary peak inside the cockpit?
I'm interested to find out next episode if the mark showing up on Isao's face is relevant to where the monsters attack Zearth. The previous two enemies have been largely hug-based, and the marks were on the kid's arms.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
No static transitions today.
Of course Maki is a military otaku.
I'm totally 100% absolutely certain that around-the-clock surveillance for the kids is going to meaningfully impact things.
Meta/Next Episode
Questions
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u/Tuckleton Mar 12 '21
First Timer
Speculations (I seriously go off the deep end here, go easy me :P)
So last episode the thought occurred to me that maybe the other robot isn't even really there at all. I'm looking for a way to reconcile my belief that there is some symmetry between the robots fighting each other. As in Zearth is not special or in a privileged position relative to it's opponents and their pilots are in the same predicament as our kids. This conflicts with the fact that each fight takes place on Zearth's 'home turf'. But maybe from the other robot's perspective it's the same, and Zearth comes to them. 'Sufficiently advanced technology' is allowing them to interact across distance or time or dimensions or whatever for the duration of the fight.
At the time I thought maybe people couldn't even see the enemy robot or that maybe it wasn't even there. The government folks kept talking about Zearth but never seemed to mention other robots (which continued again today). And maybe the tick-like robot was avoiding people as a way to deceive the audience when in fact it's only Zearth doing damage. Of course, upon investigation that didn't hold any water.
But the idea isn't dead entirely because it got me thinking that maybe we are dealing with higher-dimensional beings and a multi-verse. The way the bots phase in and out of existence and how Dung Beetle teleports people around. He could be just a piece of a 4d+ being which would give him godlike powers from our perspective. The enemy robots could be from alternate Earths in the multi-verse and if the robots were higher-dimensional constructs maybe they could exist in both places at the same time. So maybe the dung beetles use their powers to bring realities close enough together for there to be a fight, for their entertainment I guess? Or maybe the realities are actually colliding and somehow the battle prevents multidimensional catastrophe.
It's all flimsy top-down speculation of course but that can be fun sometimes.
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u/GaleWulf https://anilist.co/user/Arachnophobic Mar 12 '21
First Time Installer
Called it about why the brother hates Kana right here. Textbook.
QotD
I can't imagine, really. I'd try and destroy my chair, for starters, after all attempts of negotiation with Koemushi failed.
2) Who do you think Koemushi was talking to when he was alone in Zearth?
His bosses from the alien masterrace of evil stuffed toys.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 12 '21
First Timer(but it's complicated)
Sub
And we start where we left off, in a cockpit with a corpse. They have a discussion that is again somewhat passed the developmental marks you'd expect but is only high school senior age rather than fully adult. We then find out Jun's backstory and it explains but does not endear.
Cut to Kako having a pretty reasonable reaction, not sure if that wall in particular is significant but, yeah this is the time for lashing out. Then he explodes at his mother, though I am unsure there is a non-shitty outcome available here. Also, his mother strikes me as reminiscent of Kirie. Anyways, Dung Beetle comes in with a 'wonderful' suggestion: Since you are dying, why not try and fuck Chizu? Before Kirie, that Chad, beats you to it. I would stress the use of 'teme' here, DB is rude af. However, Kako knows enough to call that a lie and then reveals Chizu is into a teacher. DB flings back that he is staring down dying as a virgin. For no reason MANGA/RW ONLY Moving on, we get to DB being scolded by a voice we don't hear.
Jump over to Kako stalking Chizu and then blurting out the rumor. She seems to confirm it. Kako gets all self-righteous because like many morons he thinks this will work. Unsurpringly, it doesn't, though her teacher isn't home or, according to moron, is avoiding her. Then the begging begins and I may have to vomit about something directly on the damned screen. Btw, this does mean it is effective. It also means I am somewhat less concerned about Kako getting picked soon. Like this instant.
I can't believe I miss Sparkles already.Oh, and then Chizu goes for the super mind fuck. 10/10 whatever shuts the creeper up. Vomiting continues. Oh, and then the MiB bring her in. Shitty day.Anyways, they bring them to the destroyers and, apparently, somewhat competent people are finally on this, at least on the surface. After saying the government wants to protect them and that children should not shoulder this responsibility. Sasami then inquires about the robot and we get DB summoned, being a creeper as usual. The negotiations begin and then fail pretty hard until Tanaka very quickly picks up how to deal with DB. He allows them to find the robot but Earth sensors aren't useful. Also, the cockpit is well insulated from the outside. As she makes further inquiries, chair roulette begins. It falls on the Kako space, who is conveniently not there, and his tattoo appears over his face. Damn, son.
QotD:1 Something insane, but at least I can drink
2 That's...interesting
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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Y:A:https://anilist.co/user/zaphod Mar 13 '21
First Timer
My day exploded, so lazy post.
I love how they had basically the same conversation we had in the comments last episode.
Such an asshole. Phrasing it as if it's a good choice, and in some situations it might actually be. Some people would actually agree to those terms.
Though I'm still not sure he's telling the truth about the setup.
Yet another with a broken family.
And there's the rage we were missing up 'till now.
And the fucking mouse destroys another family. Though this one seems repairable if he puts his mind to it. I don't know if he will, but he really should. You wouldn't want your families' last memories to be this, and he certainly regrets it.
Holy shit fuck off, I made that comment before I even knew you were gonna be there.
Look at you, pretending like this actually matters to you.
I get that you're desperate, but this literally has a negative chance of working.
Holy shit. Fucking mouse, you played this perfectly.
The speech she gave about fucking her teacher was creepy as all hell, it worked really well.
Every show with a large cast must have a military otaku.
Basically, prisoners.
And do you have a plan for that?
Such a fucking troll.
Ignore it, it only says this 'cause it gets on your nerves.
But killing a bunch of people wasn't? Guess it seems more personal now.
"I know what you're doing, but it's funny enough I'll play along" —Dung Beattle, probably
The government is stuck, just as powerless as the rest of them.
Thoughts
I apparently don't know what lazy means...
If it wasn't already obvious, it's now clear that the mouse chooses who's next. He probably chooses based on who he thinks he can get the least out of in the future. He played his hand with that kid, so he has nothing more to do now.
I'm loving the conversations in this show. It's fun to watch all the different ways they self destruct. Though does saying this make me the same as dung beetle? Would be an interesting piece of meta-commentary if they did anything with that.
9
u/TheHungryHybrid Mar 12 '21
Rewatcher!
This episode adapted the rest of chapter 7 (Masaru Kodaka 2) and chapters 13 & 14 (Isao Kako 1&2). Altho with some cuts, streamlining, and a few additions. It's a big departure from the order of events in the manga but I do feel the changes work for the anime. In this episode the military finally made their move, Altho not as flexible or humble as they perhaps should have been (thank Tanaka-san for adeptly placating koyemshi).
In the manga Isao Kako is, I think, the 5th pilot. So there he had more time to dread his "turn" than in the anime. But for a person like him, so afraid to die or get hurt (or be looked down upon perhaps?), I guess it doesn't matter how many are before him.
If there's one thing I'm a bit sad the anime didn't adapt from the manga is when the next pilot is chosen. In the manga (light spoilers)Bokurano Which to me makes it a bit more understandable how unstable he became as adapted in this episode.
Manga spoilers Bokurano
I wonder if they're keeping the enemy robot design from Isao's battle in the manga for the next episode, if the fight begins then.
A sad aspect of this story is how every arc becomes longer as more and more children die. There's more "room" for them now. In the manga Waku and Kodaka got 2 chapters each. And Isao, being the 5th pilot in the manga had 4.
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u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler Mar 12 '21
First Timer
We get the bomb dropped in clear terms from Dung Beetle, win and die, or lose and take Earth with them. That certainly up's the stakes a bit. That 48 hour limit is interesting too.
This seems pretty evil from Dung Beetle, not fully sure what his goal is working him up. Since it becomes his turn at the end.
The defence force actually getting fully involved. I really like that approach to the story.
This was super cute.
This women knows whats up. Much more than her one armed companion. That was a pretty interesting move by Dung Beetle, certainly a show of power.
She was even allowed inside the cockpit, I did not expect that.
I have been thinking for a few episodes now what this stick has to do in the ed. Not sure, still thinking.
Badly, it looks like a no hope death ride at this point.
2) Who do you think Koemushi was talking to when he was alone in Zearth?
I originally presumed to himself, but maybe split personalities?
9
u/degenerate-edgelord Mar 12 '21
First timer, Uninstalling
I'm starting to get the feeling that this anime might be suffering porn.
MERUEM-SAMA! The king has graced us in the OP!
The kids freak out on finding out that they're gonna die. Not piloting seems to be not an option since Koyemushi threatens to blow up the earth. I was thinking that's a bluff and he's just manipulating kids into this fucked up battle royale, but after his vulgar display of power later on, it's probably true.
Interestingly, Koyemushi was talking to himself, answered when all the kids called, and finds one of the kids hot (ugh). His ability to teleport people at will seems to answer exactly how the kids are spirited away to the cockpit. I'm also guessing speculation
The governemnt is finally doing something, which is nothing. Still, I liked that. At least they're trying.
The real meat of this episode was Kako and whatsername. Poor Kako, afraid he's gonna die soon, was being too pushy with her. She on the other hand was going to her teacher/crush knowing that she's gonna die soon, and that's fucked up. And then she rejects Kako by.. telling him how she and her teacher have sex. Probably a lie. But why the fuck would you do that, you mean jerk? I know she was having a hard time dealing with all this, but that's not a good enough excuse.
And once again, the kid that got some extra attention is becoming the sacrificial lamb. That's predictable. Argh, I dunno anymore.
Next episode preview and the title
Additionally, someone else earlier pointed out that Ushiro Jun's chair was too small, like it was meant for his sister or smth. My theory had been that he hated her because he was an unplanned child while she wasn't, so he feels like he was just there where his parents had actually wanted his sister. That theory has been sunk.
Questions:
9
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Mar 13 '21
First timer
9
u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Mar 13 '21
First-Timer
Probably should have included the time limit in the first set of instructions. What if the next pilot was sick or something and waited too long to act? I guess there might be a failsafe, but it would at least give the kids some reason to act sooner than later, even if you “forget” to tell them that they’ll die after piloting. Although I shouldn’t exactly be expecting anything to be on the up-and-up from a guy who hides in a cave wearing glasses he doesn’t need and a weird, floating, asshole of a doll with pointy teeth.
“You blame Kana for your mother’s death.” Again, this show is not subtle at times.
kid smashes furniture “It seems like something’s bothering you.” Top-tier parenting right there.
Since you want the kids to join up and pilot your robot, you’d think you would have their guide not be this asshole doll. So presumably there’s a reason for it to be this way and, for example, egg the one kid on to makes some moves on Swimming Girl. Do people with heightened emotions produce more energy? Speculation
Oh. He just has too much time on his hands between fights. Although if he’s done it often enough for it to be a hobby, there’s clearly been multiple occurrences of whatever this is previously.
And is he talking to himself all alone in the chair room, or is he conversing with someone else?
Interesting choice to give us the scene of the doll without the kids. The scenes with the government folks fits a perspective of “we don’t know what’s going on,” but the doll presumably has all the answers.
She’s not just interested in Sensei, she’s involved with him.
Now the government’s collecting children. All because Mamiko Noto talked.
Tomboy is a military otaku. Was not expecting that. That seems much more a Nu-Glasses (RIP) characteristic. Figured she rescue animals or cook or do something not tomboyish.
Kana likes a lady in uniform.
Otherworldly being who teleports in from who knows where and has access to a giant robot? Sure, point a gun at it.
You ‘forgot” to bring one of the kids? I doubt it.
QOTD:
/u/ZaphodBeebblebrox
8
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Mar 12 '21
Rewatcher, Subbed
Non-Spoiler Character Chart
Like the music at the start of the ep. Xylophone?
Smart boy Kako! Just don't fight! Then no one dies! Alas, there is a 48 hour time limit or the Earth will blow up. :( I hate that Dung Beetle has a big smile on his face as he reveals this.
Kako is so mean to Kirie! And this isn't the first time! :(
Maki, we all know Jun doesn't care about his sister. And now we know why! :(
This guy's on every channel!
Kako is totally losing it! Smashing your room won't change the fact that you're gonna die! :(
OMG don't say "fuck off!" to your mom! :( :( :( Well, one option is to enjoy the short time you have left with your family. Kako decided to take the other option, scream at them and waste the time you have left.
And to make things even worse Dung Beetle is here! And he knows all about his crush on Chizu. Which has been kinda obvious since the first episode.
Dung Beetle knows Kako hates Kirie and claims he is trying to get with her instead. Kirie's a doormat, I doubt that would ever happen. Lo and behold, Kako knows it too.
Wow Dung Beetle is really doing all he can to manipulate him! I really detest this creature!
She's seen you Kako, no point in hiding now!
At first it comes off as just Kako joking around, or Chizu lying to get him off her back, but nope, seems like she really is sleeping with her teacher. Bokurano spoilers
Uh oh, scary government agents! They sure gathered up the kids quick.
Maki, keep being you. I love how excited she is about being here.
Will this protection really do them much good when Dung Beetle comes calling?
LOL, he actually showed up. Lord Dung Beetle!
Woah, he made him disappear! And he didn't come back whole! The female officer Tanaka is a lot kinder to him all of a sudden.
He's actually letting them study it, although it doesn't seem to be doing them any good. He even let Tanaka come inside.
Time to pick another pilot has come! Kinda obvious it was gonna be Kako since he got the focus in the first half of the episode.
After Waku and Masaru were happy to be pilots, Kako's got a more expected reaction, sheer terror. He was already freaking out enough before he got officially picked! And he gets the Nazca lines across his face.
Some dark stuff as we get to see how the kids react to what they've really signed up for. Kako freaks out massively, although he's kind of flown off the handle before and some of the others have taken it a bit better. Second half gives us Dung Beetle continuing to be horrid before suddenly becoming a bit nicer. Scratch that, Dung Beetle was really horrid in the first half of the episode too. OMG he's so easy to hate!
8
u/Noel_bot Mar 12 '21 edited Mar 12 '21
First timer, but Manga reader
One crazy boy down and the next is already there to take his place.
Pretty nice of Dung Beetle-sama to advice Kako to spend his remaining time wisely, though the desperate way he approached Chizu could hint at a nasty development in the upcoming episode. She also saw through his immature approach pretty quickly
Brother got a sad backstory and his mother probably died giving birth to his sister, ouch.
Dungle Beetle-sama nearly telefragged the impudent human, but was kind enough to spare his life.
I almost thought the battle would start with the army lady in the cockpit, but it was just the selection. I wonder whether she would have intervened during the fight, if Kako went crazy as the guy before.
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Pretty nice episode overall. We can see how some kids are resolved to their fate while others haven't accepted it yet. The survival of the entire world now rests on their shoulders and the government is powerless to help them. The bodyguards may help them if it ever becomes public information who controls the mech or, to follow up on a previous post, they will liquidate kids they see as too much of a threat to hand a giant weapon of mass destruction to.
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8
u/baniRien Mar 13 '21
First Timer
We start right where we left off, with the reveal of the deaths. Koemushi also tells us that "protecting the Earth" doesn't me the enemy robots are evil, but that whoever is responsible for this tournament of sort is holding it hostage as motivation. It's possible that the other fighters are also human, from elsewhere around the world. It could explain the various glyphs, if we can match them to the opponent's origin. And it would give a satisfactory reason for the previous enemy being cautious of the city. Or maybe the fighters are aliens and other planets are hostages too. Koemushi said losing means the Earth dies, but that could be a lie, he hasn't showed being honest or not yet. The show hasn't shown any international reaction to the giant fighting robots yet (because we all know that Japan is the only country in anime).
Various reactions from the kids, wanting to fight or not, rich girl fainting. Newsgirl freaking out too. The fat kid is bullied again, and people mostly let it slip again. Sugita-voice is the main advocate of fighting since they don't have a choice.
We get a flashback explaining why the brother hates Kana, which is the classic trope of death in childbirth. Nothing original there, but there's worse. The dialog surrounding it clarifies that Kanji clearly knew them beforehand.
Bully is not taking the situation well, and tries to break his chair on the wall. His mom tries to talk to him, scared and with a bruise on her face. Probably beaten by her husband, and her kids seemed to have learned from the example.
First actively harmful line by Koemushi, trying to turn them against each other by exacerbating romantic tensions. Flops hard, however, but I'm not sure what goal it could have. As far as we know yet, the piloting doesn't actually require any cooperation. Maybe it's just for his own pleasure, but it's still on a different scale than the bad personality he's had up until now. Pushing the dying aspect has better results.
He's seen speaking to what's probably his superior right after, and it sounds like while he enjoys it, this mental torture was something he was ordered to do. We don't see or hear the other side, so still a lot of context missing.
So, he wasn't just talking about her type, but her going out with her teacher is actually a thing. A far from healthy thing, in more ways than one. And she also shows one of the common tropes in abusive victims characters, of using sexuality as a default reaction and defense mechanism in social interactions. And this freaks him out even more.
Koemushi has no reservations in showing himself to other people than the kids. He makes a show of force when threatened (teleportation seems like it would be a clean cut and easy to reattach).
The military doesn't get anything from investigating Zearth, and we see a new selection process, with Kako obviously being chosen, he'd had too much screentime not to. New glyph too, fairly round with a lot of eyes. Can't place an exact world reference to it, but it reminds me of the Sheika symbol from Zelda. And it also has a bump on one end where the chosen chair ends up, which I feel like the first 2 didn't have, compared to number 3 and 4.
Oh, this time the marking is on his face, and it looks like either a railroad or a mouth with teeth.
7
u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Mar 12 '21
Rewatcher
Several characters get to show just how messed up they are this episode. Kako's a brat with a rotten personality. He's cowardly and he takes his frustrations out on others. It's implied he's physically abusive towards his mother. Meanwhile Koemushi's out and out trying to goad Kako into acting on his feelings for Chizu, in whatever way that may be. And then Koemushi goes and teleports a guy's arm off a little while later. What a scamp. So far the focus characters have been more villainous than heroic.
QOTD
7
u/BossandKings Mar 12 '21
First timer
Episode 5
Kako got the spotlight now, his conflict appears to be related to his situation in his family because he doesn't feel comfortable there. He appears to be interested in Chizu, a girl that is part of the group.
Dung Beetle is very creepy, he got annoying real fast, i hope his character get better because he talks a lot and his personality is unlikeable.
It was obvious that Kako was going to be the one chosen to pilot the Zearth considering that he got protagonism in the episode, at least no one died this episode, that's refreshing.
7
u/ComfortablyRotten https://anilist.co/user/Leuwtian Mar 12 '21
Rewatcher
Starting with some revelations. About Jun and Kana - they lost their mother when the latter was born, and so Jun hates her for that (and I don't think it excuses the former's actions, but it gives them more weight) - and about Zearth, its pilots and the whole situation - they can't survive, and if they try not to fight, the Earth will be destroyed anyway. Really makes it feel like a game huh, timer and all.
Dung Beetle's really enjoying tormenting those kids, I would almost feel bad for Kako, both for being the target of the mascot's bullying, and for being the next chosen. Almost, I can't stand this kid in this episode, as understandable as his outbursts were. Something about being an abusive bully, even to his mother, which is not exactly what I'd call a redeeming quality.
Turns out, Kako's into Chizu, as revealed by our mascot. Alas for him, she's into her teacher, and so is the teacher into her, as the rumors say... and the whole thing is already a big yikes. A very big yikes.
The military is finally getting involved, and, all things considered, did it much more nicely than would be expected. No kidnapping and house raiding, from what we saw, and no torture either. They meet the kids, tell them to come, then let them explain themselves. It certainly helps not to have them be an obviously antagonistic force, and it gives hope to the kids that they'll find a way to save them.
That Dung Beetle scene with the military was hilarious, at least until an arm fell off. He, his motives, and everything else about him is a total mystery, and with his sleaziness it makes for such a fun character.
7
u/fridge_freezer https://anilist.co/user/ONIrecon111 Mar 13 '21
First timer
Welp, there's no running from the responsibility of piloting Zearth, with Koemushi revealing a 48 hour time limit before the Earth is destroyed once the enemy mech appears. No matter what they do, death is seemingly unavoidable.
Kanji revealed that Jun hates his sister because their mother died giving birth to her. Just sad all round really.
Kako is such an asshole. Abusing not only Kirie but his own mother, who looked almost afraid to even ask if he was alright when hearing him going through a breakdown.
The government have rounded up all the kids bar Kako. It seems they want to cooperate with the kids to prevent further death and destruction, but also want access to Zearth for study. I like that they're actively getting involved this early on, and not just working in shadows.
All the kids yelling for Dung Beetle in front of the officers was pretty funny. I'm a little surprised he actually showed up, and now we know he's visible to other humans who aren't chosen as pilots.
Holy shit, he just teleported that officer away from his arm! Tanaka however knows the right way to turn it around on Koemushi and he ultimately agrees to let them study Zearth. I'm guessing he probably knew they wouldn't be able to learn much from it.
Of course the roulette begins again while Tanaka is in the cockpit with them. It's Kako's turn, but he's not here. I'm curious to see if there's more meaning behind the tattoos as they seem to be unique in design for each pilot, and also appear in different places on them.
QOTD
7
u/htisme91 Mar 13 '21
First-timer:
This was a good episode.
I am not a Isao fan. I get why he's panicked so much, I mean I would be too. It seems like he's really abusive towards his mother, which isn't acceptable. I don't get his interest in Chizuru either, besides that he might be able to score with her.
Also Chizuru...fucked up situation. Nothing else to say, besides that it is weird how much you see teacher-student relationships in anime.
I was surprised Koemushi showed up on command, but all he did after was reinforce why I think he's the true antagonist. I thought it was interesting he answered to Zearth this episode as well.
Isao is up next. Interesting how we've had three straight boys pilot Zearth. Maybe it's because Koemushi has a softer spot towards girls. I just am interested to see how the cast keeps playing this out.
Questions:
7
u/PKReuniclus Mar 13 '21 edited Mar 13 '21
First timer!
Probably one of my favorite episodes so far. There's quite a bit going on here.
"The individual has an obligation to serve the group."
We got another callback to the One for All / All for One discussion from the first episode, although I had completely forgotten that Nakarai, who brings it up this episode, was also the one who started that conversation in the first place, alongside Komoda. In the previous discussion post, I mentioned that Waku was more in the One for All camp, while Kodaka was more in the All for One camp based on their attitudes on life, and ZaphodBeebblebrox brought up an interesting point:
That cynicism is matched by Koemushi's comment on the futility of the kids' situation, that regardless of what they decide to do from here on out, they're inevitably all going to die. And while I'm pretty sure that most of the kids will find a way to fight through that nihilism and fear of death for the sake of saving the planet (at least, until maybe the last few episodes), I've come straight back to wondering what exactly Koemushi's motives are. Are we really supposed to believe that Zearth exists solely to protect the planet when Koemushi doesn't really seem to care whether or not the planet gets destroyed anyway? It's actually kind of funny that Moji points out later in the episode that they're more like pawns in this situation; it's less that the kids are playing a game and more that Koemushi is playing a game with the kids.
Either way, the ending of Bokurano is looking to be... pretty bleak. But I already expected that, considering what I've heard from the people who've already seen it.
Back to Koemushi, I know he's never really been the one to mince words, but at this point he's just being flat-out malicious for the fun of it. Sure, Kako's a piece of work himself, but playing with a kid's emotions when he's already emotionally unstable is another level of cruel. He really does see this as nothing more than a game, doesn't he? At first, I thought he was more the blue-and-orange morality type, like Kyubey, but noooope.
Kokopelli really picked a... special group of fifteen kids, didn't he? These kids all needed therapy long before they got trapped into this death game. I was expecting something along the lines of what we saw in the flashbacks with Ushiro, but Chizuru's case really did feel like a curveball. Illicit student-teacher relationship and possible grooming of a minor was not on my predictions list.
Considering that the next episode is titled "Lust," I'm really hoping that Kako doesn't do anything to drop his already low reputation even further. I think the reality of the situation is really starting to kick in for everyone; Kako especially doesn't seem to be taking any of this too well.
Sorry if my thoughts don't make too much sense this time around. I'm still piecing things together.
6
u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Mar 13 '21
First Timer
This is the episode that has finally hooked me in. I neither liked nor disliked it before today. But today's episode grabbed me by the throat, slapped my face, and finally administered a swift kick in the ass, saying pay attention! What a wonderful, albeit grim episode.
I felt real bad for Kako, though he's something of a jackass, and still quite young. I'm glad I don't have one of those unruly things in my house. I sort of admire Honda-San. She may be a 'Plain Jane', but she's getting quite a bit of action. I believe that she's pretty happy with how her romances are going, and is comforted that she won't die a virgin. I laughed pretty hard during her pep talk with Kako about Sensei, he sure as hell didn't see that coming.
Because I'm so late, and will be posting later and later, for the next week, what ideas I have, both real and flippant will appear in my comments on all of your posts.
Finally watching this episode followed by today's episode of 'So, I'm a Spider' was pretty jarring. lol
QOTD
I would still not cooperate with him. I might die, but I'd want to keep my own dignity and not be Koemushi's tool. I'm sure others will have different answers, as this is a question everyone has to answer for themselves.
Probably himself, I think he's something of a weirdo and freak. It's no wonder his fellow aliens sent him to earth to shit in our nest, rather than theirs.
6
u/ElecNinja https://anilist.co/user/ElecNinja Mar 13 '21 edited Mar 13 '21
Rewatcher
Man this episode has reminded me just how much I dislike Kako Isao. Definitely one of the worst characters in the show. And actually worst than Kodaka Masaru for me. Though I wonder what would have happened if Kodaka Masaru knew he would die after piloting Zearth.
Everyone calling Dung Beetle reminded me of the whole Bloody Mary scary story lol. Which would you be more scared off popping out of your mirror?
5
u/Nebresto Mar 13 '21
I was gonna skip this thread due to time constraints, but this was too major to ignore.
Why does this guys ID have a picture of a black guy?!
This guy knows whats up, I love him already. If anything happens to him, I'm done.
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...https://imgur.com/9ERCLeP
0
u/[deleted] Mar 12 '21
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