#fmp!iv

Some of the highlights for me:

Sousuke and Chidori work out a plan using Chidori’s Whispered abilities to jam the frequency of the bombs and allow Sousuke time to infiltrate and rescue Tokiwa. Chidori’s still showing some signs of not completely trusting Sousuke’s intentions; his bluff to the baddies was so effective even she was momentarily worried he was actually going to go through with it. This is yet another hint that she’s going to start acting on her own, because she isn’t yet able to sit back and trust that her allies will be able to do what needs to be done. 

Chidori wanting to be of more help to Sousuke and him brushing her off and wanting to keep her free of the conflict are two of the things that probably lead to the inevitability of the episode’s conclusion for them. Giving Chidori time to brood is always a bad decision because she’s impulsive and altruistic and leans higher on neuroticism, so she doesn’t perform well under pressure unless she has specific tasks to focus on. This shows their teamwork isn’t optimal yet, because Sousuke isn’t using her the way she needs to be used in order to not be reckless. But Sousuke’s motivations are out of love--he wants to protect her from danger, possible death, and getting her hands dirty. Unfortunately, that’s not an option for Chidori.

Sousuke’s plan was really cute, and a part of me wishes he’d succeeded. Getting the ex-pres to announce that Sousuke had released another round of poison gas was heartwrenchingly cute, especially given the situation. The students, used to Sousuke’s stupidity, race out of the building, but not out of fear or panic--rather out of a calm knowledge that things would work out because Sousuke was always doing things like this. This allowed them to be evacuated safely. The bomb jamming was fantastic. 

Sousuke interacting with Tokiwa was a gut punch from beginning to end for me. Her first instinct, even with a bomb strapped around her, was to make sure Chidori was safe of all things. Her confusion about Wraith impersonating her teacher enabled them to throw the baddies off course enough to get the upper hand. Unfortunately, the shrapnel hitting her as they were trying to escape foiled the plan and began the road south that results in the episode’s conclusion. Sousuke’s reaction to Tokiwa being injured near-fatally was hard to watch--his horror is multi-faceted and includes his PTSD, his sincere friendship for Tokiwa, as well as his horror that he’s failed Chidori. This sends him into berserker mode, and he starts taking down Amalgam’s mechs one by one. 

What’s most tragic is that ultimately Sousuke’s plan was an effective one--the baddies were routed and they were going to give up, until Leonard intervenes. I must admit, Leonard is a wonderful villain (he was looking very Griffith-esque this episode), and his knowledge of Chidoris’ and Sousuke’s psychology as well as the advantage his own Whispered powers give him make him a credible danger to them. It’s hard to tell how much of his professions to Chidori are sincere and how much are his arrogance, but at the very least this episode makes it clear that he does have some sort of genuine interest in her that isn’t merely manipulative--he actually seems jealous of her affection and devotion she gives to Sousuke freely, and how far she’s willing to bend over backward to keep him safe. Also, this is completely superficial, but I love Leonard’s mech. It reminds me so much of Graf’s gear in Xenogears, another favorite of mine. 

The Whispered exchange between Chidori and Leonard was painful on several levels. One was that Chidori was so desperate--Sousuke’s life means more to her than her pride, her integrity, and her true feelings. She’s willing to pretend to love Leonard in order to get him to leave the people she loves alone. What’s worse is that Leonard is fully willing to cash in on that desperation in order to puff up his own ego and force her to say things to him in front of Sousuke that aren’t true. At least he’s fully aware that nothing she’s saying to him is true, but that makes his actions all the more despicable that he’s willing to put people’s lives in danger out of sheer pettiness. Whatever his interest in her is, it goes beyond her abilities and makes me wonder if the reason we’ve never seen her past is because she herself has blocked it off--perhaps there’s more to Leonard’s fixation on her than we yet know. 

Sousuke’s declaration that he’ll bring her back and her inability to acknowledge his words were definitely the hardest part of the episode to watch. Even if Sousuke manages to reach her, she won’t be able to help him by that point or even work with him--he’s going to likely be working against her own abilities in order to free her. Amalgam is going to tie her hands and use her abilities for their own purposes, and Sousuke’s going to have an uphill battle alone to bring her back. Yet, his promise to the people she loves is heartening to me, because it demonstrates his determination and his resolve, two things he’s going to need if he intends to be successful. 

And last, precious Al. Snarky Al, who understood Sousuke so well and had a deep, if robotic, affection for him. Their bond didn’t get to blossom for long, and it’s sad to see it go. I don’t know what’s next for Sousuke, but Al’s premonition of their separation and then his final moments with Sousuke are going to make it hard to accept any other machine for Sousuke in the future. Hopefully Al 2.0 can be crafted for Sousuke, but only the novel/manga readers would know, and I don’t want to be spoiled. For now, it’s just had to see how much Sousuke has lost in the span of only four episodes.