Xam’d Episode 10 - Girls on Film
Yet another edition of “omo blogs anime like, for giggles and not to tell people what Xam’d is about, because it’s way too cool and you just have to watch it on your own.”
I still think this is either a Tower of Druaga or Mario Bros reference.
Akushiba does not betray. Right off the bat in episode 10, he tells us the story of Raigyo’s meeting with his Hiroku, Nakiami, and the crew of Zanbani. Just as promised as last episode’s preview.
Akiyuki’s color scheme is way better. But then again, all the flashbacks in this episode is off-color somehow. We see how did Raigyo get Xam’d. And it is not pretty.
Nakiami was so young!
.. so is this why she likes to pick up stranger Xam’d?
Anyways, thanks to the flashback, brief as it may be, we got a glimpse of what the crew looked like 5 years ago. Akushiba and Ahm sported different hair, but overall people looked like who they were.
This episode ropes in a lot of characters we haven’t seen in a while, like Akiyuki’s folks. And Haru’s dad, who celebrates with her daughters on Haru passing the training and becoming a full-fledged military ASP pilot.
I really liked the design of that war memorial.
This episode, to my strained mind, is also a giant chain reference of photographs, of memories, and how hair style change represents some kind of bookmark between chapters of our lives?
Let’s start with Haru.
This is Haru, 2 years ago.
Haru, today.
It’s a nice picture, but she’s kind of just hiding something or very depressed. Something like that. Thankfully at the end of the episode Haru says something about why she’s still doing it, despite having been able to contact Akiyuki. I don’t buy it 100% but she seems to have some resolve to move on towards becoming a soldier.
It’s serious business!
And yeah, Akiyuki’s got himself a fine one.
Onboard the Zanbani, Raigyo wanted to take a group picture of the crew. The girls are excited, naturally. Yunbo does people’s hair. The crew gathers.
Needless to say, the boys are startled.
But what is this, did Nakiami took this time and reflected on her own course and resolution? She apologizes to Ishu…probably for causing trouble for her from her Xam’d habit. Or something?
It also turns out that Raigyo’s camera is no ordinary camera. Because it shows people with Hiroku things! “Spirit camera” is what he calls it.
(A photo of a TV showing a picture of a man holding a photo of himself holding the photo taken by the cameraman pointing at the photo the man holds with a stick-thing. Say that 10 times fast).
And yes, that picture Akiyuki is holding is the first picture in this blog post.
But yes, Akiyuki gets his picture taken too. Has he changed?
Akiyuki 5 years ago, at the hospital with Haru when her mom died.
Maybe he changed before his picture was taken?
Akiyuki faces the monster of thenext week! Raigyo will tutor him in the way of aeral combat, next up!
Omo-chan check…
This week: Nakiami’s bottle fairy!
Overall this is another buildup episode; but more like a checkpoint episode where some key backgrounds gets revealed, focusing on character motivation than setting exposition. The main thing is how Haru is getting a grip on all of this. Kakisu also makes a move trying to rein her in by a bit of blackmailing. Prosis is also quite funny in her moment.
I suppose I should also mention the whole crosshair thing; Furuichi aimed his ASP rifle at a practice target; Raigyo aimed his camera at a real target…. both blew up. There are just way too many parallels in this episode to not pay attention to them.
So, is Haru still chasing after Akiyuki (Furuichi is an arse -_- ) ? Thanks for the nice summary btw. Hopefuly SCEE will start a video service here in Europe… I feel bad about not paying.
It’s really clear that Haru still has very strong feelings for Akiyuki, but it isn’t going to be a chase. Haru will just do what she thinks is best for her sake and her friends and families, so it seems.
How Akiyuki handles/returns Haru’s feelings and how that clashes with all that mumbo religious things and the Xam’d probably will be the focus on the second half of the series.
But right now they didn’t setup what’ll happen next, besides that Zanbani might go to war.
Raigyo’s picture of Akyuki was hilarious. I hate when I think I got a great shot and the person is making a weird face like that!
I think it is quite funny, although it’s like they stuffed that detail in there when there’s all this other stuff going on.
Wasn’t that tower part of what Haru saw during the mother-child humanform battle. Just saw 10 and 11, reading your next post now ^^
Why, yes, yes it is!