天下制覇

I weep for Japanese robot toys without their kung-fu grip action or ability to leak gak.

Impressions:

The reason I find these kinds of episodes so frustrating, here and all over the damn place in Japanese animation, is because nobody actually does anything to solve their problem. Well, and that this multi-episode 'arc' is about feeling a little down and… that's it. But anyway, all they do is sit around, remember the good times, maybe explain why they feel urpy (to the audience or another character), and issue is spontaneously resolved, nobody having actually done anything, and no character change at all, let alone growth. Sometimes I like to imagine this is an outlet for Japanese culture's collective inability to deal with its massive depression/self-esteem issues, like some kind of bizarre propaganda. "Feel better, Mopey." "Oh, that's all I needed. I'm healed of my angst and ready to contribute to my friends and the betterment of society. Praise Amaterasu."

So here we are, with an episode that is about a quarter flashbacks, and half of which are recycled footage, where the characters get together, think about their feelings, and then feel better about themselves and contributing to the beterment of society. If you were in a coma from 30 seconds from the end of episode 7 to the end of this episode, then congratulations, the only thing you missed was the continuing implosion of the American political system. And of course, they're amnesia buddies, which means that everybody and everything is exactly where it's meant to be and society is functioning perfectly to bring everybody together again as they are all meant to be. Praise Amaterasu.

Next Episode: