I should really finish these. Part of the delay was work related, part was computer issues, and part was just procrastination. I feel that familiar deadline pressure though with the show coming back soon so here goes.
Concrete Revolutio 9
Truthfully though, I think the biggest issue I ran into was finding the core of this episode as it had eluded me since I first watched it. I was able to appreciate the mystery surrounding the Hatakeyama family and how the unexplainable yet existed in a world that was eager to order itself. Once it was pointed out to me, I could appreciate the episode existing as a nod to the enduring quality of
Sazae-san complete with a writer of that property working on this episode. Still, I felt as if I was missing something and Id given it quite a bit of thought before I realized what it was. This ep is about the reunion of a son with his family after an extended absence. Im not referring to that of Minoru Hatakeyama though but rather Jiros.
I think this episode is deceptive upon first viewing as the viewer is missing context around Jiros departure. Were well aware that a divide forms between him and the Superhuman Bureau somewhere along the line as made clear in the first episode. This, much like episode 6, exists in this sort of nebulous in-between space that begins with the end of episode 13 and ends once Jiro adopts the new costume and takes a more proactive approach to things.
Were aware of the relationships Jiro maintains between Emi & Magotake. The team at large is Jiros extended family though as we see above in the screenshot of the desk in Jiros bedroom from episode 3. The pictures in the same room as JIros shrine to the Rainbow Knight. In fact, we see these two things one after another from Raitos POV. This is Jiros inner sanctum where the things most important to him surround him. This is also reflected in his interactions in the future segments of each episode. Lets take a look at which members of the Superhuman Bureau appear there and ignore the supporting cast beyond them.
Code:
Episode 1: Kikko, Fuurouta
Episode 2: Fuurouta
Episode 3: None
Episode 4: None.
Episode 5: None
Episode 6: Fuurouta, Hyouma, Kikko
Episode 7: None
Episode 8: Hyouma
Upon first viewing at this point in the show, were unaware of Magotakes role in events as hes more or less presented as the token scientist character and not actually a member of the Superhuman Bureau even though he consults with them. Akitas noticeably absent as well but dialogue in this episode as well as the foreshadowing in the ED inform the viewer why. Kikko spends her time in the future segments in pursuit of Jiro, Hyouma is antagonistic to him, and Fuurouta maintains this sort of bittersweet yet amicable relationship with him. The conspicuous absence here is that of Emi and this is the only future segment she appears in during the first cour.
L: Episode 2 (Shinka 41), R: Episode 9 (Shinka 44)
The swirling emotions of the Superhuman Bureau are readily apparent in the above and imply Jiros absence is temporary to them. Hes not yet entirely at odds with them but we can see the seating order is maintained even after he departed from the Bureau in Shinka 43 with his seat left open for him upon his return.
Were aware just how futile this sentiment is as well given the stance he made explicitly clear in episode 1 too. The show loves to play with contrast and it does so here as on one side we have Minoru eager to return to his accepting family after thirty years of separation and on the other we have Jiro resisting the family he left behind throughout.
Jiros involvement with the Hatakeyama family in Shinka 44 begins with him observing them from afar as seen above. At first glance (and upon first viewing), one could interpret him keeping his distance due to his role of observer but later events begin to muddy this when re-examined. Magotakes phonecall with Claude that Jiro listens in on in episode 12 marks the beginning of the divide between him and his adoptive father. Jiros own moral code had already left him at odds with the Superhuman Bureaus goals as seen in him sparing the life of Grosse Augens host in episode 1. While it feels like a specious claim at face value, the distance Jiro maintains from Magotake is representative of the divide thats grown between the two. On its own, I dont think Id make that claim here but its visually supported later which Ill touch upon when it comes up again.
Rather than confront Magotake, he approaches Hyouma to air out his grievances.
Hyoumas been consistently antagonistic in all the future segments since Jiros departure from the Bureau at that. Even here hes shown to be competitive in an attempt to outdo Jiro. His exact issueswith Jiro arent discussed in the first cour but the attitude demonstrated here is the same as when Jiro confronts him in the beginning of episode 8 and outright tells Jiro not to bother because hes faster than him. Perhaps Hyouma is resentful for the hole Jiro left behind in the Bureau. HIs affiliations in episode 8 arent clear given the grey tones the show paints with but its not entirely out of the question to consider that the helmeted Daitetsu might have been fulfilling Claudes role as a replacement Jiro.
Again in a show of consistency, Jiros presence results in surprise from Fuurouta and Kikko and leads to internal conflict that weve seen present in their roles in the previous episodes future segments. Kikko considers which is more important to her: Jiro or her role in the Bureau while Fuurouta has no answers which we see come to a head in episode 2 when he faces Campe.
However between Kikko realizing Jiro's around and questioning which is more important to her, Hyouma gets another shot iin. Im not entirely sure if we knew Jiro quit the Bureau before now, just that he was at odds with it for one reason or another. I think it could reasonably be inferred that he left/quit but Id imagine theres enough leeway that one could interpret earlier interactions as a possible betrayal one way or the other. We do know his trust was violated based on the events involving Claude in the upcoming episodes though. Id check myself I had extra time but thats sadly lacking at the moment.
We can see the rift between Hyouma and Jiro widening here too as their ideologies clash. Hyoumas pro-government stance rankles Jiro and his desire to protect superhumans, implying the danger to them comes from the government now. This is true in this case albeit its the American government thats now the danger.
As the Bureau engages the rampaging robot, its shades of episode 5s MegaGon encounter where the Bureau attempts to intervene yet falters in doing so. Theyre a fractured organization at the moment and without their full power. Theres no Jiro to save the day this time around for similar reasons. By turning his back on the Bureau, he gave up Equus which was a cipher for his power. HIs lack of resources is accentuated by his increasingly shabby appearance whereas he was once presented as rather dapper, his familiar suit now shows signs of wear that were never present before. Its a transitional look though as that sort of shabbiness is incorporated into his last costume as the hem of his coat, the cuffs of his pants and the red scarf he wears all have a frayed/worn quality about them.
This might sound like a reach but Jiros suit maintains this same look when Fuurouta confronts him at the Mountain Horse venue in episode 6 which chronologically takes place a month after the events of this episode.
The conflict of both families finally converges once the Hatakeyama family decides to sacrifice themselves o stop the American robot. If there was a moral in this episode, itd be present here as Jiro and the Bureau attempted to protect them and failed. Despite teaming up with one another, the divide in their family was its undoing. Had Jiro had the resources and support of the Bureau and the Bureau had Jiros strength, Id imagine wed have resolution similar to the MegaGon encounter. Instead both sides are left impotent as the divide between them grows. The sacrifice of the Hatakeyama family should have served as an object llesson for everyone associated with Jiro. Theyre a family made whole once again and united in purpose. Only then they could make the impossible happen. They gave their lives to stop the robot even with the risk of their immortality being compromised yet surpassed their enemy as a unified front. Sadly, neither Jiro nor the Bureau learned from this.
Past this, we should return to the Jiro/Emi relationship. At the beginning of the post, we see Jiros desk. We know theyre in a relationship together and its safe to say Jiro cares for her. Hes a really stoic character and not very expressive throughout the show but as asserted above, his bedroom is something of a sanctum of his and her appearance in both photos hints at her importance to him at that time.
During the encounter, she learns from Fuurouta that Jiros present and makes it a point to attend the battle herself to resolve it. When she does appear, we get one of the weirdest Jiro faces in the show as a bit of expressiveness leaks in. Hes practically cracking a smile there. This too should have been something of an important event for those two as they were reunited after so long however
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After the Hatakeyama family apparently die together, Emi offers Jiro a chance to return to the Bureau. In one of the coldest acts in the show, he doesnt say a word and walks away from them once again. Id been wondering if perhaps this is why Emi had been absent from the other future scenes in the show thus far. Shes rejected by Jiro yet again. Maybe she had no further use for the Bureau without Jiros presence. Theres two cuts in the PV for the second cour that feature Jiro & Emi together with considerable agitation in the body language in both. Its hard to say for certain but I cant imagine theyre on amicable terms after all of this.
Finally we have Jiros parting from the Bureau once again but after the Hatakeyama family had revived and escaped. Jiro engages in a shouting match with Magotake about their respective ideals but I like this shot because it ties back into representing emotional distance that Id mentioned earlier. Theres one scene earlier where Jiros standing side by side with Magotake and Hyouma but I think I can give that a pass as they had fallen into their pre-departure roles if only briefly. Im not going to pretend this is any sort of deep analysis of a shot but I think theres some intent here based on the previous visual elements of the episode. At face value, we have a literal barrier separating the Bureau from Jiro and if one wanted to be extra pretentious, an argument could be made that Jiro could return to them if he literally turned back from the path he was on but theres something else thats neat here.
Say Jiros a fixed point and you drew a line from him to each of the other characters present. The two closest to him would be Kikko and Fuurouta which ties into the strength of their feelings towards him. Emis present in the middle which seems somewhat fitting and then we have Hyouma whos grown outright resentful of Jiro. Once again though, the greatest distance lies between Jiro and his father.
Timeline (as of this episode)
October 14 Shinka
Magotake Hitoyoshi discovers GaGon in the old ruins of an island in the Indian Ocean.
December 16 Shinka
Minoru Hatakeyama Is taken as a prisoner of war by U.S. forces in Hawaii.
August 17 Shinka
American forces begin including superhumans in their war campaign in response to Japans use of GaGon.
November 29 Shinka
Jiro loses control of his power and rampages through Tokyo.
January 34 Shinka
Rainbow Knight kills Giganto Gon. Hiroyuki recovers a baby kaiju from its remains. Rainbow Knight rescues Jiro during GIganto Gons rampage.
May 38 Shinka
The Daitetsu Incident occurs during which the Rainbow Knight kidnaps superhuman children. Rainbow Knight is killed.
July 40 Shinka
Judas and the Diamond Eaters are stopped by Earth-chan during a robbery.
Januar 41 Shinka
Beasts begin to appear around Japan. Grosse Augen appears to combat them.
June 41 Shinka
The comic band Mountain Horse develops powers after being exposed to the superhuman power of
The Beatles performing at Budokan on June 30th.
July 41 Shinka
The members of Mountain Horse explore their new powers but opt to keep it secret as to not affect their careers.
In Ginza, Jiro enlists Kikkos aid to stop a transaction between one of Japans top astronomers and an industrial spy who is revealed to be an alien known as S Planetarian. Hyoushi, Daishi, and Emi observe from a planetarium in Shibuya. Grosse Augen soon appears to combat the S Planetarian but is apprehended by Jiro with the help of Kikko and Emi. Jiro violates his mandate by not eliminating Grosse Augen but allowing its host to use the body of the S Planetarian.thereby saving the hosts life. The device being sold to the astronomer is shown to be easily affected by radio waves rendering its data unreliable. Daishi suspects the
Gemini accident in the US was also the work of an S Planetarian in an effort to conceal the location of their home base in the Scorpio constellation.
August 41 Shinka
Earth-chan appears to defeat one of the first beasts made by Beastly Radio Wave Japan.
Fuurouta encounters the Black Fog after freeing Campe from a pet shop. Hes soon apprehended by the Superhuman Bureau who decide to keep a close watch on him. Realizing he can safely enter the Black Fog, he takes the virus the Superhuman Bureau had contemplated using and eradicates the Tartaros Bugmen aside from Campe who he inadvertently saves.
November 41 Shinka
Raito Shiba and the Superhuman Bureau independently investigate Beastly Radio Wave Japan.
February 42 Shinka
A bombing at the Haneda Airport catches Raito Shibas attention and he chooses to investigate as he feels it falls under the jurisdiction of the police force. The cause of the explosion is revealed to be the Type B Android Mieko Kohrogi. Raito learns of the existence of the Type A android and their function to combine to form the Ultimate Weapon which he assumes to be a bomb. He sets out to destroy her but offers her a place with him at the last minute, a life where she doesnt have to become a weapon. She rejects him and apparently self-destructs in a nearby canal.
April 42 Shinka
Master Ultima returns from Mars. The Superhuman Bureau discovers the connection between the rising beast population and Beastly Radio Wave Japan. Jiro destroys their factory after being attacked by a beast.
July 42 Shinka
Imperial Ads sets out to popularize beasts in Japan at the behest of one of its senior advisors. The space beasts Master Ultima brought back from Mars have been repurposed as weapons of the U.S. military and stationed across the globe. Shoji Matsumoto recovers one of the dead American space beasts after it was allegedly disposed of near Kikaijima Island.
August 42 Shinka
MegaGon is created by injecting the space beasts corpse with a blood derivative of Jiros.and its subsequent absorption of the young GaGon. The Superhuman Bureau attempts to destroy MegaGon via subterfuge at 1:30 am August 8th. They fail but Jiro appears to defeat a rampaging MegaGon.
September 42 Shinka
Earth-chan repels Master Ultimas attempt to bring the U.S. militarys beasts into Japan.
October 42 Shinka
Fuurouta is assigned by the Superhuman Bureau to become Mountain Horses assistant in order to keep tabs on their boss.
An ether factory exploded and revealed the presence of the Hatekyama family to the Superhuman Bureau by virtue of their survival.
Judas, a formerly evil superhuman, registers with the Superhuman Bureau despite Earth-chans attempt to stop him, believing hed become evil once again. Protestors fight against Japan joining the global initiative Defense Force of Earth. Japan joins the DFE regardless.
November 42 Shinka
Angel Stars debut as officially sanctioned superhumans. Mountain Horse prevents chocolate laced with a drug that inhibits superhuman powers from being distributed but lose one of their members in doing so.
January 43 Shinka
The old nemesis of Rainbow Knight, Eye of Lucifer, appears to collect artifacts related to the Rainbow Knight. Its revealed to be Yumihiko Otanashi aka Datetsu Maki after Jiro (disguised as Rainbow Knight) confronts him.
September 44 Shinka
Minoru Hatakeyama is released by the U.S. in order to track him and kill his family once and for all. Jiro briefly reunites with the Superhuman Bureau but fails in his intervention.
October 44 Shinka
Jiro attempts to recruit Mountain Horse who decline. He encounters Fuurouta but rather than fight, the two leave on amicable terms.
April 46 Shinka
Kikko and Fuuroouta encounter Jiro on a train. He escapes and Kikko pursues only to encounter Grosse Augens original host and learn how Jiro saved him five years prior.
February 47 Shinka
Type A android Kaoru Honda returns to Japan after 28 years but in military custody. Raito Shiba liberates him and takes him to the now inert form of Type B android Mieko Kohrogi. where he intends to have them form into what he believes to be a bomb that he would detonate at the
Winter Sports Grand Prix in protest of the current government which he feels is corrupt. Jiro appears to reactivate the type B android, revealing the ultimate weapon to be a combination of the Type A and Type B androids now known as Megasshin. Raito and Jiro engage in combat directly after.
April 47 Shinka
Megasshin, Judas, and Jiro retrieve Earth-chans inert form from the Ikuta Laboratory.
October 47 Shinka
Jiro & Earth-chan confront Hyouma and the now grown Daitetsu Maki amidst a mountain of discarded helmets.
August 48 Shinka
Fuurouta faces the now grown Campe who seeks revenge on him for killing the Tartaros Bugmen. Jiro intervenes to save Fuurouta.
