Yep, hated this week’s episode. And I know I’m probably alone here. Everyone else seemed to have loved last weeks episode, so I’m sure that they will love this weeks as well. But I just can’t force myself to feel anything for these new characters they’re focusing on. And I don’t know if it’s just something I’m missing here, or if the show really expects me to care about these people who I know nothing about.
Episode Summary
Yu and Ayumi reunite with their brother and find out the origin of special abilities. Yu is under base rest so other people can’t get to him. But there was a mole in the organization and everything goes to shit. Yu has to go alone to try to resolve it, but is forced to use collapse to save his own life. Meanwhile, Kumagami and Nao, who were captured, are underground while Yu collapses. Kumagami protects Nao by shielding her from falling debris, but gets impaled to the point of near death.
Episode thoughts
I really don’t want to write another article about why I hated another episode of Charlotte, especially since it seems like I’m in the minority on the matter. But believe me when I say I really like this show and hold it in rather high regards. So if it seems like I’m being harsh, its only because I have come to expect a certain quality from this show. And while these last two episodes weren’t bad, they haven’t been in the same quality as everything that’s come before it. Go look at my episode ten review here and see what I mean. There’s just something with these episodes that is ruining this show for me. But it’s not like I don’t know why. So hear me out, because I am going somewhere with this.
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But before I get to things I have problems with, there are still things I like about this show. And if anything this episode still has some of the essence that made Charlotte a good show. For one the animation and framing are still top-notch. And that combined with the pacing of drama, almost made me feel something when Kumagami died. But that probably had to do more with Shunusuke’s reaction to his friend dying and the way it was shot. Another thing that this episode is doing is giving us somewhat of an end game with the whole super power plot. And that, well that’s a good thing and a bad thing.
So those are the things I liked about this episode. And since I feel like I can’t have enough of a buffer I’ll say it again. This wasn’t a bad episode. But the thematic elements that I’ve learned to love from watching Charlotte are being wasted, and for me thats unforgivable. If i’m not harsh than I’m not being true to my feelings for the show. And the last thing I would want to do is do a write up that isn’t how I feel.
One of the main reasons I talked about the last episode not working for me is the new characters they introduced. And this episode, again, feels like a bunch of wasted emotion. The show is shifting its drama to characters that have been either insignificant or non-existent until an episode or two ago. And the tone of the show is making it seem like I should be emotionally touched when these tragic or touching scenes happen involving these characters. But I’m just not. And I don’t think I missed any special development for these characters that would make me care,
During the whole torture scene with Kumagami I was watching it with a blank stare, while only wincing at the attempted edge factor the show was trying to incorporate. But again it didn’t work because I wasn’t emotionally connected to the person getting tortured or the person torturing. A good example of torture would be when Yu went on his rampage after Ayumi died. Sure you don’t care for anyone who was being tortured but you cared about Yu and the effects his torturing was having on his mental state. The only time I cared here were the brief moments with Nao in peril. That is, until her scene in her underwear took me out of it and made me question, why?
You know, that’s the word that crossed my mind the most during this episode, why? I feel the show is losing it’s direction and loosely trying to find some conclusion. All of the events that cause conflict seem really ass-pully, as to force a conclusion that could’ve been written better. And it’s felt this way ever since Yu got his memory back. But that’s not to say the sequence of events don’t make sense. It’s the thematic direction of the show and the fluid ways things tie together that has been compromised.
All the progress with Nao and her brother have been lost, and it seems like we’re heading towards a doomsday ending. And yes, the events may seem intense from a shallow glance. But the thing that hooked me on Charlotte was the well-developed characters and how they dealt with the situations that would follow. It’s been three episodes now and Jojiro and Yusa haven’t shown up at all. And Nao has only shown up to be someone who gets amazed by info or motivation for Yu. It feels like she’s slowly devolving from a character, but to be fair everyone is doing that a little. Nao just a little more than I thought she would.
Like I said I think the show is suffering from wasted emotion. It’s trying to piece together its complicated plot that it took too long to reveal. While at the same time caring less about the characters and just using them as vehicles for the plot. And I just can’t find it in myself to care for vehicles, I really can’t.
During the whole scene with the chauffeur and his hostage family, it didn’t feel like it had any emotion behind it. I’m sure emotion was intended. But it just felt like I was watching a script play out. It felt like just another stepping stone to get to the conclusion they wanted and nothing more. Also the explanation and reasoning behind his hostage family is the insulting in how dumb it is. And the reason that Yu can’t just go back in time or the hostages will know is also stupid. Its like the writers realized that time travel could solve everything too late, so they needed to put this in or else the rest of the shows conflict would be too easy. Again another example of letting the importance of the plot ruin the tone of the show. And as far as I’m concerned Charlotte has been ruined. But there’s nothing I’d like more than for it to prove me wrong. So go ahead Charlotte, you got two more episodes. Prove me wrong!
