Guilty Crown EP 09-10 Roundup7

Summary:

I can honestly say by this point that I may have been overdramatizing the Guilty Crown series, giving the illusion that it was (for the most part) perfectly sound in most respects. However, episode 10 came as a Falcon Punch to my face—and also my ears—with something like 110% too much crying/PTSD and far too many leaps backwards in terms of development, and at the absolute wrong time, no less. Episode 9, in stark contrast, was great to begin with—keeping the ball rolling with Hare’s long-term plan to insert herself into Shu life (and preferably inside his arms). It even appeared as though the theme might even continue to fill the remainder of the episode, however, plans to visit the mall are cut short when Yahiro makes yet another plot-stealing entrance (damn you Yahiro~). Anyway, with all of the oddities in plot, character consistencies, and whatever else makes a series worth watching, I’m going to make this one brief. . .and probably very unsentimental :3

In essence what episode 9 encompasses is a good attempt at a love drama that gets rudely interrupted by action-packed explosions and too many serious faces. The return of Shu to school even set the stage perfectly for romance, and Kanon’s “Lemme take care of our club activities so you can go shopping with Shu” business was a dead give away (and her screaming ☆Lucky☆ out the door was the second dead giveaway for all you slow people). Now pile that atop a romantic train ride to the shopping district and you’d think we would have even something vaguely resembling a kiss. . .or a hug, or even a peck on the cheek. But Yahiro’s cry for help was enough to sever that subplot and send us straight into an ordeal involving Yahiro’s brother Jun, in critical condition from an uncured Apocalypse Virus infection. Yet despite my affinity for action and the ongoing conflict between Funeral Parlor and GHQ, especially the always eventful run-ins with Segai’s gang of badasses, there were simply too many strange sequences and unnatural lapses that caused me to sit and stare at the screen thinking, “What is the point?”. For starters, I was definitely concerned by the way the plot progressed from point A to point B—ie. watching the two sneak through a maze of buildings to access Yahiro’s hideout, Shu discretely (he’s alone in an airplane hangar) calling Funeral Parlor for backup, sitting and waiting, running, panicking, you get the idea. Not to mention that little scene where Segai orders his snipers to fire at Shu and Yahiro without any intention of hitting them, only furthering the awkward atmosphere.

The one positive that I will remark is the incredibly symbolic final sequence as Jun’s virus is transferred to Yan’s attacking Enlave (when is this guy just going to die?) triggering an ‘out-of-body’ encounter involving Shu and Jun. Considering that I sway more to the side of the visuals of a series including the creative deeper meanings being conveyed, the metaphorical sequence really sparked my interest, at least for the moment. With the heavy burden finally being lifted from Jun’s shoulders, he then pleads with Shu to end his suffering using Yahiro’s shears-shaped void. And instead of demonstrating maturity to move on, Shu slips into what I can only describe as psychotic depression while sporting a creepy face to compete with that of Yuno in Mirai Nikki’s first episode.

In my defense, I can honestly say that I try to always take a series at full face value, disregarding poor reviews, deterring trailers, angry bloggers, etc. almost to the point where I will attempt to write something good about even the stinkiest of storylines (Yuru Yuri second season announced). But the single most thing that I cannot stand is whining, especially in anime. Unfortunately for Guilty Crown, somebody decided to make the male lead a fragile pansy with superman abilities—it works with sexy railguns and teleporters, but in this case it can dynamically counteract the gradual steps in development that took so long to set in motion. From Shu’s unsightly screw up during a mission, disappointing talk with Ayase, calling Inori a monster (and breaking her conveniently fragile ‘song crystal’), proved just as frustrating for the other characters as it was for us to watch. I understand that the premise behind his character is a reluctant and understated hero, but when he burns bridges with almost every character in only one episode my patience and faith begins to wear thin (did I mention how annoying the whining was?). Though I suppose it is to be expected since he’s obviously devoid of many qualities of leadership like Gai, and his unpredictability often hampers the ability of other characters to progress in the series (Hare, especially). In the end, his thoughtless, “Let me be close to you, Hare, because I know you love me” ploy came as a blatant slap in the face, so I’m definitely glad Hare was still coherent enough to turn him down. There’s no doubt in my mind that this sudden depression in Shu’s life is only a precursor to a dramatic ‘save the day’ type moment, but one has to wonder what the writers intend for Shu’s character as we have yet to see those redeeming qualities, or even just a little independence.

By the latter part of episode 10, things almost appear to mirror the previous with a terrible beginning and a promising conclusion. The shift from Shu’s self-battling to Gai and Funeral Parlor’s daring attempt to reclaim the rock, which appears to directly correspond to the infection of the Apocalypse Virus, was the redemption this episode needed—and the gateway to the final stretch of fourteen or so episodes. Where things now stand, Gai and his band of favorites (including Inori sporting her *brand new* ultra space-outfit) are caught in Segai’s elaborate trap just as GHQ activates the stone’s Genetic Resonance that causes rapid viral outbreaks within a wide radius, replaying almost exactly the events of Lost Christmas ten years earlier. Also, in connection to Inori, there was also an extended flashback of the mysterious girl who looks uncannily similar to Inori, but she identifies herself as Shu’s onee-chan, bringing up even more questions relating to her significance to the plot. Right now, I am very much supporting the notion that the series would be greatly benefitted if Shu were to quietly slip away to make room for Gai as the real main hero—in fact, Gai mentioned that the Void Genome could be retrieved if Shu were to die. Whatever the case, I’m pleased with this newest development with Funeral Parlor attempting to stop the Apocalypse Virus from being used as a biological weapon, and as long as Shu stands clear of the important sequences, things should unravel nicely.