So Ra No Wo To

So I just watched episode 3. Reallly dug this one. The relationship blossoming between Rio and Kanata is made of win. I felt really bad that Kanata pushed herself so hard that she got sick. I, on the other hand, felt really good about Rio doing whatever she could to help her. I'm not sure what to make of the flashbacks right now, but I'm guessing that Rio has some connection to the woman that played the trumpet for Kanata when she was young. I don't think it was Rio's mom, though. What do you all think?

Hm... there were some parts of the episode where I think the reality for the younger girls are just slowly sinking in, like drips from a faucet. I think Felicia and Rio are already mature enough to be aware of it.

I initially thought "why only 5?" at the start of ep2, but it became apparent to me that Kureha's depression isn't simply due to loneliness - they're being much left behind and ignored in the middle of nowhere by the army higher-ups, seeing their broken-down machinery, often-delayed supplies and platoon base made from a post-war school.

Not to mention they're only 5 (excluding the pet owl they just got), and the best the army sent them is an inexperienced communications bugler. Yep, and to think they're supposed to defend the border. Cruel army.

But there may be something more to it.

Actually it gave me a hunch that the country setting is that of former Japan's, except that the Japanese traditions and customs might have been extinct as well after a big war or so.

So the girls get on an initiation trip... well except Felicia and Rio. The "No Man's Land" was just a barren waste of desert-esque land, a byproduct of something. Ruined buildings, towers... I see. Since it's 'the end of the inhabited world'. I'm kinda wondering what sort of time period they lived in at the beginning of the series. They're more like a generation or two that lived after a war or a catastrophe broke out in Japan (ref. Episode 2) a long time ago.

I kinda liked the spaghetti western-style guitar theme they used while they were seeing the sunset on the No Man's Land.

And they got on an onsen ruin in a cave to boot. Nice episode overall ^_^

It is a sort of post-apocalyptic setting. Some people have wondered about what kind of military would not only remove their draft, but also be willing to enlist teenage girls in their ranks. Add in the "winged demon" legend, and things are just so strange.

That onsen part was so fucking random though. It was even a human-made onsen and not a natural one.

Yes, the "winged demon" part. That kinda gives a bit of an afterthought. It definitely is strange. Especially in episode 5 on the first old-era observation device they reached where Kanata touched the pink board and random Japanese kanji floated out of it. Adding their mecha in the fortress (not to mention the part where they play a war game inside the mecha as well), I think they had an advanced civilization long ago, and the current people are just around its ruins and technology remainders.

Dunno about the winged demon part. ^_^

And now we have "invisible reapers". Usually, stuff like that isn't brought up in a anime unless they plan to explore it, same can said of the "winged demon", No Man's Land, and the advanced ancient artifacts. So, I'm wondering if this "Anime no Chikara" project is actually going to have multiple anime based on the same "world" or not.

Well, if you died by having your superiors telling you to jump into the grinder, I doubt you'd (not) come out it with a personality full of rainbows and sunshine.

Anyway, it was surprising that we got such a serious episode. It will be interesting to see how the Princess is involved in all this since she has be shown to have encountered 3 of the 5 characters.