Impression – Comet Lucifer, Episode 02

Episode 02 – “Under One Roof”

Last week, I mentioned that this series lacked a strong hook to bring into its world. Well, I’m here to tell you that I am now hooked. Whether it’s the sassiness of the talking rock snake mech, Moura, or the priceless innocence of Felia, it’s kind of hard to say, but I think it has to do with what I was talking about before, specifically the attitude of the series. The first episode introduced a bunch of characters, but none of them really jumped out as anything particularly memorable. Fast-forward to this week’s episode and Moura and Felia instantly feel unique, right from the moment we meet them, helping to bridge the gap between the viewer and the world within Comet Lucifer.

The gap that still remains, however, are the two storylines running parallel to each other. One features our main cast with Sougo, Felia, and company, while the other focuses on a mysterious, militaristic organization whose apparent leader’s motives are poetically cryptic, at best. Throw in a psychotic criminal and we have two practically different anime series jammed into one. The only connection between the two thus far is a mech fight that I honestly zoned out of because of disinterest. Gotta say though, I love the sound design in this series. From the grinding machinery in the opening shots of the first episode to the roaring punches exchanged by the robots this week, these objects are convincingly loud, powerful, and otherworldly.

There’s only been one mech anime that I’ve really enjoyed, and that’s Suisei no Gargantia. Perhaps it’s because the mechs in that series went beyond simply being a weapon and beyond acting as a ploy for real world toy branding. The mechs in Suisei no Gargantia possess sentience, personality, and, in Chamber’s case, complex emotions. So when we see that one of the mechs in this series is actually a sentient piece of rock, I get excited, and I’ve become invest in the world of Comet Lucifer.