Xam’d Episode 14 - Meanderingly Shocking
This is suppose to be an OSHI episode, but I have a hard time bringing my emotions into the game.
But there are plenty of shocking moments and some … twisted-Ghibli visuals. It’s surreal yet at the same time touchingly sad and easy to empathize. I don’t know, it’s like if you took all the human-ish monstrosities from Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke and globbed them up into random shapes with faces and voices, and have it cry.
But of course, as with many other previous episodes, the direction focuses on some mundane thing as the storyboard revolves around these items. Today it’s the hand.
Too bad Alto-hime doesn’t wear glasses.
The episode begins with a bluer-than-blue flashback scene where Haru does her Miu impression.
The scene where it flips back to normal time with the episode title was really impressive. It sets the tone for this episode…only if it wasn’t so low-tension. (By the way, notice her watch?)
Maybe Furuichi can try Nakiyami’s hand for size.
I guess not.
Tentacle monster? Nah, that’s just Furuichi’s attempt at a confession. He’s gotta tell people his true feelings without flashbacks! You can do it, Furuichi!
Oops, looks like that doesn’t work either.
As expected from episode 13, Furuichi was actually holding a Hiroku the whole time. I’m not entirely sure when it happened, but according to Furuichi it was in episode 1. Somehow, because of Furuichi’s envy, he was able to keep his identity and avoid turning into stone. He made an effective Xam’d if he wasn’t emoing the whole time and sloshing Haru back and forth inside his tummy.
Well, there were some sentimental scenes with Furuichi afterwards. But that’s the end of that.
Ahem.
As we recall what happened last episode, Akiyuki was trying to sneak around town. Fighting with another Xam’d kinda made that impossible.
Still Akiyuki managed to get away by taking Kakisu hostage.
They had a chat, somehow. Akiyuki was able to talk telepathetically with Nakiami and Kakisu. Weird eh.
Gadget check! Semi-automatic pistol is semi-automatic! And gold color!
The episode ended a little inexplicably, but I won’t spoil it for you. What was odd about it is that they didn’t quite explain how Akiyuki ends up in the mess he gets in at the very end. Maybe that’s for later.
The only members of Zanbani that had lines this episode are Ishu and Akushiba, for the preview as usual.
I’m not sure who’s buried, but it’s probably that one Tessic(sp?) girl who attacked the ship.
Anyways, this episode is very OSHI. It sets up the next few episodes easy because how Akiyuki ends up is…well.
Good production quality even if a lot of this episode is relatively static.
Go watch it and let me know how you think! I need more people to go OSHI with me.
Oh, I thought Akiyuki talked (and not telepatically communicated) to Kakisu? At the time, his voice seemed to lack filter effect, unlike usual telepathy portrayed before.
Other than that, oh yeah, this episode surprised me in a good way. Hopefully Akiyuki doesn’t lose his self too.
I didn’t think Xam’d can talk by making sound the old fashion way. But you might be right.
Not sure what happened to Akiyuki, but I guess that’s what “lost memories” is all about.
And when I thought Furuichi will live…
“Now I’ve seen everything”
- “Have you ever seen a man eat his own head?”
“Well, actually..”
OHSHI.
I like how Kakisu is able to tell a lie then go back on it within a split second.
I had this nice screen shot of Kakisu but it just looks like he’s smiling and not “evil” smiling, so I didn’t put it up.
Yeah, the Furuichi thing is…odd, at the very least.
About Furuichi getting hiruko back in episode 1–if you have access to that episode notice that after the explosion, Furuichi is clutching his leg right where we see the Hiruko later. Haru is also clutching her arm… so she may have one too.
I also think Akiyuki was ‘talking’ normally to Kakisu. I think the Xam’d is like a cover or exoskeleton over his body, rather than a transformation. So the ‘mask’ on his face is actually a mask, and his normal face is below it. Nakiami obviously has some affinity to Xam’d, so telepathically talking isnt’ a big deal. I mentioned the possibility of Haru having a hiruko earlier. She’s already received telepathic messages from Akiyuki and Raigyo in an earlier episode, possibly because of that hiruko (as opposed to some kind of mystical ability).
Definitely a focus-shifting episode.
Come to think of it, yeah, he can talk with the mask on as we saw at the end of the episode. Maybe that is what he did with Kakisu.
Good point on Haru having a Hiruko. I hope they explain all of that at some point.
WoW this was an absolutely amazing episode, definitely worth the wait. As much as I hated Furuichi, I felt pretty damn sad for him in the episode and I couldn’t believe for about 5 minutes…actually, as I write this message, that he had done what he had done…. biggest and most sudden shock in anime history for me. But still great episode….. I wonder how they can top that. I am actually going to say that he will be missed since he (in a way) reconciled for his actions. R.I.P. Furuichi
Hmm so Furuichi has the ability to absorb his own head? That was just weird…
But it’s still less weird than the whole Xam’d concept in general :/
Defintively a OSHI episode there. What Furichi did has got to be one of the things that made go the most “Holy crap, WTF!?” since Code Geass XD.
So Haru ended up confessing here. Kinda rare that we see that sort of confession before the end (or near it at least, and even then it often enough doesn’t even go as far as a “I love you!”).
Interesting how Kakisu almost doesn’t seem like a bad guy here - and how he switches from saying one thing and doing another on more thna one occassion
About Haru having telepathic abilities, just because she has them doesn’t mean she has a hiruko. When her mother died she could hear her mother’s voice. But the wound on her arm makes it possible though. We should look out for Haru’s sister. Kakisu said he was interested in her.
The bit with Haru’s sister probably will play out in episode 16.
lol nice job, furuichi became an hero, kinda anti-climatic though.