Episode 07 – “Place of Warmth”

Perhaps it was because of the semi-conscious drowsy daze in which I was watching, but much to my own surprise and against all odds, I enjoyed this latest episode of Comet Lucifer. With more characters entering the stage, in the form of Roman and Otto, there are more opportunities for interesting character interactions that go beyond just Kaon thinking about why Sougo won’t look at her. Even the previously eye-glazing mech fights become more enthralling, mostly due to Roman’s over-the-top hilarity, which would not be out of place in a Gainax/Trigger anime.

I normally don’t like the self-centered, bigshot archetype of characters that Roman finds himself a part of. For those of you familiar with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Roman is very much the Groose of the group, and I think this particular combination of characters benefits from the size of his ego, especially given Sougo’s incredibly mild disposition. Some of my favorite moments in anime are when a group of characters interact with each other for a first time, acting like a team rather than simply just aquaintances brought together and talk to advance the plot. The gang getting together to cook mushroom soup? Pretty good stuff.

The overarching narrative is beginning to come together as well. No longer is it simply just Team Rocket chasing after Pikachu, but now we’ve gotten a slightly better look at the cultic organization behind it all, in addition to another group behind that group. If this sounds vague and inspecific, we can attribute that to the semi-conscious state I was in while watching this episode. The point is that Comet Lucifer actually brought surprises, regardless of whether they’re meaningful or completely unexpected.

For example, outside of several foreshadowing shots that were purposefully placed, I would have never guessed that Malvina was working for the enemy. And what is Do Mon’s exact relationship with Gus? The fact that this series has got me asking questions about the plot is huge turnaround from where it was a week ago, and it can only go up from here, right?

“I’ve had a bunch of harrowing experiences, and nothing made any sense at all.” ~ Sougo Amagi

B.W.