B – The Beginning: Season 1/ Episode 11 – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Another twist is presented to liven up the end of the season, or series, and… well because of all that led up to this point, it kind of falls flat.

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Network
Netflix
Director(s)	Kazuto Nakazawa, Yoshiki Yamakawa
Writer(s)	Katsuya Ishida
Air Date	3/2/2018

You Are Not My Brother: Koku, Minatsuki, Laica

The battle we have been waiting for happens and, well it was as one-sided as expected. But, what makes the situation interesting is the realization that Minatsuki is a Reggie. One better maintained than the others, which we have seen need the serum less, but a Reggie nonetheless. As for Laica? Well, his focus at the time was getting the hell off Moby Dick, with Yuna, and hoping the explosions he rigged would kill Koku.

Surprise – the explosion didn’t even burn up his clothes.

Commentary

Okay, let’s go over that last sentence one more time: The explosion, a massive one at that, didn’t burn up Koku’s clothes. Between that and the fall, his left arm blade was broken, but that’s about it. Come on now… I get this is sci-fi/ fantasy, but there is a reason the best of either genre is rooted in reality. It’s easier to suspend your need to over analyze and pick things apart when it is an embellishment on reality than a completely presented falsehood.

But, hey, about Minatsuki being a Reggie, that was kind of cool right? It would have had more impact if Minatsuki played a real role on the show but, you got to give a C+ for effort?

Hello Again, Old Friend: Gil, Keith, Lily, Laica

With Lily up and about, already hot on Keith’s tail, Keith is just having a conversation with Gil, reminiscing about old times, before they have their battle. From what it seems, whether Keith talks to psycho Gil or the other one, there is a form of camaraderie there. Psycho Gil even remembers the good times they had at boarding school, swapping notes and things of that nature.

However, what is missing is where did things go wrong? Erika was killed because, like Gil has a need to kill, and Keith a need to study, she had a need to be emotional? Really? That is the reason? As for the killing of Keith’s dad? Well, at best, it seemed like a business decision. The production of Reggies were the main purpose of keeping the facility open and with Keith’s father actually producing a god, it kind of made the Reggie project obsolete in a way. Which was a problem.

Especially because Laica, who I guess is the real Minatsuki, was a next-generation Reggie. Not only was he stable, and could be high functioning past 20, but he also was able to be implanted with Koku’s other eye. Yes, Koku should actually have 2 eyes which allow him to manipulate memories but only has the one. Now, as for whether Gil was the one who pushed for Koku to lose an eye of Keith’s father made the decision, that’s hard to say. All we know is that Gil was the one who planted the idea in Laica’s head that he was just created to be spare parts and that Gil filmed Keith’s dad dying, and the whole destruction of the institute, among other things.

Commentary

Here is my thing, it is nice that Gil is explaining the Laica and Minatsuki situation, him not being mind controlled because he, up until the last episode, was controlling things, but there are still some details missing. If not, they were just dropped on us and apparently I didn’t pay attention. Such as, why Erika and why kill in such a brutal fashion? Her being emotional seems like such an empty answer to what perhaps is the foundation for this show. Because, while I’m sure Keith is upset about his dad, Erika seems to be the real drive for all we have seen thus far.

So, for the reason of her death to be her being emotional, it seems like such a cheap cop-out. Not one which makes Gil seem crazier but the writing of the show seem as if it wasn’t handled by just one person but constantly changing hands. Leaving Katsuya Ishida, who is the noted writer wherever I look, seemingly the one who tried to salvage what was already done. While leaving some things they didn’t get or like in, because otherwise they’d have to completely redo the story from scratch and they didn’t have the tune to do so.

Taking Fate Into My Own Hands: Laica, Yuna, Koku

Ignored in episode 10, but apparently important, is this story about two maidens and what appears to be the fate of Koku. To make an uninspiring story short, basically there is a tale of two shrine maidens, which would be Yuna and Izanami, they choose the king and he chooses one and the other dies. That’s about as far as the story goes in episode 10.

As for this episode, it doesn’t really get developed much further. All we know is, Koku and Yuna are more than likely going to die by either the fate of the cycle or Laica’s hands. For with the prophecy, so far, going as planned, it doesn’t seem anything will change now.

Commentary

What you have to appreciate about this show is there is a true effort to make it so, at least the major characters, all have their own life and story. Some better developed than others, but we’re given enough to fill in the blanks. With that said, it would have been nice if this whole maiden story was presented way early as something Minatsuki, or Laica now, was trying to fight against or trying to reconfigure with him as king. Because while the show is ending better than it seemed it would towards the middle, it still remains a bit of a disappointment.

Other Noteworthy Facts & Moments

• Izanami is #5
• It costs about 8 figures for Gil’s embalming lab.

Low Points

1. Last minute twists which barely feel built up to combined with Gil’s reasoning for killing Erika seemingly about answering the question just enough so the show can move on.
   

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