2014
12.07

Cross Ange Episode 10 – Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Norma [The Juude]

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What an incredibly brisk episode this was. We start with a public event of the torture and execution for Ange which quickly is quelled. Ange and Momoka are rescued by Not-Kira, the former gets disciplined plus detained for a week as punishment, and fully reconciles with Hilda (apparently brought back right after her dirt road beatdown last episode) as they bond over Norma things. Things like say… someday getting back at the world for being so stupid with their rabid hatred.

When a Norma comes along, YOU must whip her!/If she says she’s a human, YOU must whip her!

This lacks the big emotional core of the last episode, but it serves as a great payoff after that cliffhanger. I was expecting Ange to go into another existential funk again for a chunk of the episode, but she instead parses through the last nine episodes and decides to die with as much dignity as possible. Hard for me to really hate the character now, especially after that scene as well as her epiphany of how all the friendship and teamwork stuff she said in the first episode was a load of bullshit. I like the righteous tone established at the end of the episode, bereft of any deep desire to reconnect Ange with her old life, for it indicates we may just hit the second half running.

Every time this guy appears it’s like a passive-aggressive ‘fuck you’ to the character who first had that design.

I wish I could say more but the episode was without so much shock-inducing material that I’m really at a loss to take issue with anything. One could argue that the briskness meant we didn’t have enough time to really linger in the mainland. Then again, who would want to? Fuck that place. I could argue that Not-Kira still being a well-meaning if bumbling idiot tripping into Ange’s magical place is kinda old, but eh. It’s already established he’s that kindof a sadsack, and the show keeps making sure to punish him for his transgressions through continued beatdowns. I guess it could also be argued it may have spent too much time with Ange and Hilda in a cell at the end, but they needed to compare notes on their magical adventure, nip that animosity in the bud, and detail what the others thought of their desertion.

There is one thing I can argue about, how strangely the rescue of Ange went. No I’m not talking about Not-Kira falling into her crotch again but how it was shot. The entire build-up to that point was filled with many crowd shots eagerly begging for her to die. However when Ange is rescued the only focus is what and who is on stage. There is no cut to that Hover-Quidditch lacrosse player wondering what’s going on, no audience reaction shots, or even goading to get her killed. They’re just… missing for the entire scene and do not even get a reaction shot after Ange tells them to fuck off before shurikenning her brother so badly that his blood splatters onto her evil, racist, cripple sister princess. It’s a strange aesthetic decision to completely focus on such an abrupt event without showing the other people trying to figure out what is going on.

Anyway, now that we know we shouldn’t really care for the mainland, hopefully the reconciliation period with Ange and Hilda vis-à-vis the rest of Arzenal is short, and that they get to work soon in tearing the world a new one.

Rondo of Notes:

  • Seriously this moment is heavily amusing and cathartic. Cutting his cheek was nice, but to cut it so deeply that blood splatters upon his sister? Brilliant.
  • I hope Crazy Quiz Girl (aka Vivian) gets some background information. Outside of Hilda she’s the only one excited over Ange returning. I have to wonder why she’s like that. Even the big-bosomed, big-sister type is disappointed at Ange deserting.
  • Looks like we may no longer have an emphasis in keeping the perspective in one place. Now we’ll be cutting back and forth between Arzenal and the Misurugi Empire.
  • The episode preview banter had a point. Usually in this kind of shows an accord or friendship is made AFTER a death, but here… not. Charming.

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