11.09
Yep, my suspicions were true. We’re back to Arzenal again this episode, Not-Kira’s absent, and to top it all off, we have a maid episode. Turns out that strange maid person in the intro (noticeable in the first shot after the title and in one shot with the dog), smuggles herself into Arzenal this week to… I’m not really sure. I guess she’s been having a sad because the mistress she’s been servant to for ages is gone missing and she wants to relive those glory days.
A lot of lockers were harmed during the making of this episode.
I say that because I can’t really divine much of anything from her unsuspicious, dim, demeanour which is punctuated by her yelps of “Angelise-sama! Angelise-sama! Angelise-sama!” The show continues to dance around the goings-on in the outside world, and I’m getting stir-crazy from it. They ALMOST get around to it with the inclusion of the maid but it’s sacrificed at the altar of animu comedy tropes starring her and Ange, who is a lousy foil to the maid’s hijinks.
How lousy? Ange’s reaction is to be apathetic, get angry, and be very mean and distant to her suffering maid. I guess (again) it is a defense mechanism as it reminds Ange of the past and puts a damper on her looking forward. I’m getting major whiplash from how Episode 5’s end reveals her softening up to her comrades to this where she’s back to the Lone Queen Bitch of Arzenal. At least reveal a bit more doubt and uncertainty in her behavior? Or have some interaction with her new comrades about the situation? Fresh out of episode 5 the ones who have the most positive feelings about her are relegated to background observation of the goings-on in this week’s episode. Groan. It’s only around the last third we’re finally given a short flashback of the maid’s feelings for Ange, and all one has to do is go through all that nonsense for the one meaningful part. Double groan.
The Norma-er The Community, The Deeper the Roots!
Then when it is time for the maid to leave (and then get ganked by the regular humans to avoid leaking Arzenal’s existence), Ange buys her. Lulz, slavery and it works because money can buy anything on that bloody island. That leaves a lot of questions as to why Normas don’t buy one another willy-nilly and Arzenal isn’t divided into a set of plantation areas but… I’m trying to make the heaviest looking shrug right now but it will never suffice when it comes to how I feel about this episode’s ending.
But hey look on the bright—I mean… less dark side. We will be spared from a shocking, potentially, misogynistic/sexist/whatever scene next episode of the maid being horrifically ganked or tortured. In return… she’s still alive, still chipper, and still calling Ange “Angelise-sama.”
Cross Ange will never let you win.
Rondo of Notes:
- Slightly altered opening this time around. Lots more detail in some sequences, including some extra sunlight one point as well as some implication of enemy Paramails. I guess the Japanese princess is this show’s Athrun, what with her Paramail being Infinite Justice-themed and all. Here’s to hoping they remain opposed to one another instead of just joining forces near the end to stop whatever mean, bad man will be the end boss. That’s happened twice already (or maybe thrice if you count Gear Fighter Dendoh).
- I’d have probably thought a bit more of this episode if I didn’t know the maid was going to eventually join up with Ange based on the opening. Fukuda knew once long ago that he didn’t have to reveal all major plot elements in his show’s openings. Why couldn’t he do the same here? It is something that can be tolerated however, just as long as he doesn’t lie in his openings, which he has done before.
- Yay we may actually have some action sequences once again next episode. I hope anyway, for all I know we’ll be back to truncated action sequences near the end that cut to random moments like Ange naked in some guy’s bed.
Previous Cross Ange Analsis:
- 11/03/2014 – Episode 05
- 10/26/2014 – Episode 04
- 10/19/2014 – Episode 03
- 10/12/2014 – Episode 02
- 10/10/2014 – Episode 01 (as part of Part 1 of the Fall Clusterfuck)