METALLIC ROUGE episode 7 squanders its lead character

WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS

Metallic Rouge Episode 7 Review/Recap “Appropriate Gear” (⭐️⭐️ 1/2 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Director: Ikuro Sato
Writer: Tsukasa Kondo
Storyboard Artists: Kentaro Kawajiri, Kenta Yokoya

Seven episodes deep into Metallic Rouge, a number of mysteries proceed to hold within the air just like the black gap mills seen over Venus on this episode. Episode seven, “Appropriate Gear,” digs into a few of these mysteries.

Threads, subplots, or offhand feedback from earlier episodes return or get reference in “Appropriate Gear.” Some of these items transfer the sequence ahead, deepening our understanding of the characters and themes. Unfortunately, relying in your enjoyment, different mysteries stay both frustratingly obtuse or tantalizingly hidden.

Let’s discuss in regards to the visuals

Before moving into the episode, reward have to be directed towards mechanical designer Tomoyuki Hirao (Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time). Episode seven serves as a showcase for his or her ability. This episode has terraforming tools on Venus, two new gladiator types, and heavy arms army cyborgs. It’s laborious to make every baroque Immortal Nine armor look distinctive and a part of a sequence, however Hirao does it simply. Hirao does distinctive design work for the completely different machines in each episode. Fans of mecha anime followers ought to pay attention to his work.

The episode additionally opens with one of many sequence’ most visually hanging sequences within the present to date. Remember somebody mentioning Neans colonizing Venus a few episodes in the past? The opening scene depicts the nightmare of terraforming that planet. Dark purple clouds tub the sky and the fiery panorama is totally inhospitable to people. It’s the proper surroundings to pressure Neans to work.

Someone bursts into flames. Frequent lighting bolts zip by means of the clouds. Miniature black holes (courtesy of Visitor know-how) cling over the planet to regulate gravity. One of the present’s extra fascinating mysteries is why anybody needs to colonize Venus.

The Gears are out of alignment

Metallic Rouge focuses on two of its greatest mysteries on this episode: Naomi Orthmann’s agenda and what the Immortal Nine need. Each query remained frustratingly obscure up thus far. Naomi clearly operates on her personal agenda whereas mentoring/monitoring Rouge. The Immortal Nine clearly signify a menace, however many of the members we’ve met need nothing to do with them besides chaos agent Hell Gallion.

This episode solutions the query of Naomi Orthmann’s position in all of this. Last episode Naomi revealed herself to be an Ochrona operative. Audiences on this episode be taught her position at Ochrona is “the Divine Facilitator.” What precisely a divine facilitator does stays unclear, solely that each the heads of Ochrona and Alethia defer to her.

The revelation of Naomi as a Divine Facilitator and the way individuals work together together with her provides extra layers to her character. Her English and Japanese voice actors Cassie Ewulu and Tomoyo Kurosawa proceed their wonderful work including to the various layers of this wealthy characters. Everything we learn about Naomi from the early episodes will get solid into a brand new mild.

Suddenly her intimate information of The Great War, the Visitors and the Usurpers makes extra sense. This casts her relationship with Rouge in a brand new mild, although. What could have appeared sisterly could now be extra manipulative. Her agenda isn’t defined, however her use of the phrase “The gears are out of alignment” would possibly provide hints of a extra sinister character.

Even although she turned Rouge over to Ochrona, Naomi and Rouge’s “brother” Gene Junghardt are working collectively. Their dialog originally of the episode reveals Gene is now not a vice director at Alethia. Rouge’s investigation of The Immortal Nine was outdoors of Alethia’s authority. Meanwhile Gene’s secretly investigated The Puppetmaster however not sharing that info together with her. Since Naomi bought him out to Ochrona, it’s solely truthful.

The authorities businesses stroll right into a bar…

Previous episodes dropped mentions of the antagonism between Alethia and Ochrona. As the 2 businesses argue what to do with Rouge, this episode sheds some mild on that battle and the why of it. Alethia has direct contact with the Visitors, and Ochrona doesn’t. Additionally, Alethia has no investigative energy. They exist solely to construct and monitor Nean exercise.

Even although they’re mentioned in each episode, Ochrona stays a nebulous entity. Audiences know that Alethia governs Nean actions growth however with restricted energy. Ochrona solely goal to date is an impediment to Rouge and Alethia. Seven episodes into this sequence, and it’s irritating that one thing this key to its plot stays sketchily outlined.

So about The Immortal Nine…

(*7*)

Photo: Bones/Crunchyroll

The different large thriller of the present is the Immortal Nine and their precise targets. Some perception into that comes from Jill, the reporter from episode two, who returns to free Rouge and divulges herself as Flash Silvia. Jill is the one individual to date to voice a particular philosophy for the group. The Immortal Nine hate how people have enslaved Neans and need to throw off the yoke for his or her fellow Neans. There is one thing refreshing after seven episodes of anti-Nean sentiment listening to a Nean converse with anger towards humanity.

Free will continues to be a dialogue subject in each Metallic Rouge episode. A Nean, who aids Jill/Flash Silvia, dies after failing to cease her from murdering people. The Asimov Code forbids them from permitting hurt to return straight or not directly to people. This anonymous Nean although acknowledges that he selected to not cease Jill.

Both Jill, and later Alice from final episode, confront Rouge with the query her if she’s making her personal decisions. One of the extra irritating facets of Rouge’s character is her passivity. The Puppetmaster confronted her, asking if her decisions have been her personal. The exhibits’ creators have given The character no time to mirror on this. The different Neans preserve mentioning she has free will. Characters like Gene and Naomi imagine she’s on their leash. Rouge actually must make her personal choices if future episodes have her away from Naomi.

Oh yeah, Ace and Alice, the twins from the final episode, present as much as save Rouge. To nobody’s shock, they’re members of the Immortal Nine; Double-Headed Aerkos. What is shocking although is that they’re a definite character sharing the identical physique and each conscious of one another. This is a enjoyable science fiction idea that the animators had enjoyable giving completely different physique language to every character.

They additionally serve the primary individuals to actually confront Rouge on why she’s killing the Immortal Nine. The thought was introduced within the Puppetmaster episode, however Aes and Alice ask in regards to the morality of the actions. Both clarify they need nothing to do with the Immortal Nine. So why is she searching them? It’s a very good query.

How actually united is the Immortal Nine? Other than Hell Gallion, the opposite two members Rouge encountered up to now appeared to need little to do with them. Sarah Fitzgerald and Dr. Afdal each appeared to be hiding. Aes and Alice admit to hiding from Jill. Is this actually a terrorist group, or just some Neans making one final grasp for freedom?

VERDICT: Somehow so much occurs on this episode however little or no of it actually issues. There’s some nice scenes in right here just like the opening scene on Venus and Flash Silvia combating the army. At this level, there’s extra mysteries launched although than time allowed for Rouge to develop as a person. Some of those mysteries present intrigue; Naomi’s agenda, the terraforming of Venus, the Visitor and Usurper battle. Other mysteries although simply frustrate with their sluggish lack of growth, primarily Ochrona.