Impression:

I can hardly believe what I just watched. Pasts were revealed to an extent, alliances were formed, and losses were felt. I almost can’t believe how much stuff they are throwing into this series this quickly. It is time to get down to business.

The thing that she can’t let the kids do is clean up the blood that was left by Aina’s body. There is no miracle medicine in this future world because that girl stayed dead. I would be a little more sensitive about the matter if it wasn’t for the fact that I am so used to people recovering from ridiculous injuries in anime. The entire school took it pretty hard, but it really got to Inuzuka. He is starting to feel really powerless in this situation. It is a little late for that now because Yamada has been looking for the ability to fight for quite some time now. On that note, some very interesting questions were brought up in this episode. In times of war, should gun control laws be lifted in the name of self defense? To what extent are you willing to go in order to protect those around you? What is your role as a leader in this situation? What is the value of a life? All of these things get lost in times of peace. Unfortunately, we don’t all have the luxury of putting these issues in the back of our mind.

Remember what I said about Cain knowing more about the Valvraves than he was letting on? Well, things have gotten pretty interesting. He sent out another attack on the school which nearly led to its destruction. Luckily, Haruto agreed to team up with L-elf and his Lelouch-level mind got them out of the ordeal fairly unscathed. There are two major things to take away from this. The first is the mark on Cain’s neck in this picture.

It seems like he may hold the same power as Haruto and Saki. A connection to the Valvrave technology, and possibly this new race of beings, could be the root of the corruption and great power within Dorssia. Apparently, the girl that shows up on Haruto’s console was referred to as a “bride” when Cain was talking. Things are really starting to pick up on that end. The other thing that we need to take away from these events is the hierarchy at the school. The president continues to feel like he is being undermined by Shouko and he is making some very rash decisions regarding the fate of the school. If you add that to the fact that L-elf, a former enemy that was responsible for a lot of the chaos, will now be playing a big role in the school government and you have the makings for a ridiculous internal conflict. I almost can’t handle how crazy things are getting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Opinion of the Show:

I was on board last week and I am on the bandwagon this week. What was once a confusing and odd experience has become one of my favorite series from this season. At the current rate of growth, it could become my favorite by the end of the season. What has changed? The series has decided to take itself seriously. It was the terrible singing and horrible writing regarding Haruto’s character that got to me early on. Now, they are focusing on the political and military aspects of the ordeal. The clashing of egos at the top, the wavering morale of the students, military strikes that actually take lives. We are looking at a proper representation of the situation that was set up by the writers. There is even this crazy story about the origin of the Valvraves and the altered state of the pilots to worry about.

I am very glad that they touched on this issue. JIOR law prohibits the private use of firearms. However, Yamada knows that you can’t lock up the guns when you are at war. This impasse makes me glad that I live in the United States of America. What if your country was suddenly thrust into a war? Wouldn’t you want to be able to defend yourself? If your first response if that the military and police force will protect you, then you have obviously never had to deal with war. Heck, you have never had to deal with common crime if you are that naïve. The president is looking for control over the situation, but he is not equipped to handle this situation. On that note, none of the students or teachers are prepared for this. Yamada may be a hothead, but he sees the need to protect the school and the means to do so. I am totally on his side in this situation. We saw in the preview for the next episode that L-elf was holding try outs for new pilots and the blue Valvrave was moving. I wonder who the new pilot is going to be. The story makes me think that Inuzuka is a likely choice because L-elf may think that Yamada is too wild to be a pilot at the moment. I would like to see them both in that role at some point in time. Unless the president loosens his grip on the gun control. I would then like to see Yamada in charge of protecting the school from the ground because I think he is definitely suited for that. Overall, I am way too excited to see how L-elf is going to affect the nation’s growth and whatever it is that Cain is plotting.