Subculture Anime Blog

Love does not discriminate between human and machine!

Summary:

After spending the night with a certain woman, Koji leaves her before she wakes. Rina attends to her usual activities elsewhere. When Rikuo and Masaki enter the Eve cafe again, Nagi takes note of how often they have been coming. This makes her guess that they are skipping classes, but Rikuo proves her otherwise. While getting the boys’ drinks, Nagi suggests that there are plenty of people to talk to in the cafe if they desired to do so. Masaki states that he only wishes to know more about the cafe, not wanting any needless interaction, but the boys’ attentions are soon brought to Koji and Rina getting along together as usual. When Nagi returns to the boys, and seeing their interest in the couple, she invites Koji and Rina to sit with the two. Setoro suggests that Nagi not do unnecessary things when she returns to the counter, but she simply expresses her belief that things would be more lively this way.

The boys’ conversation with the couple is initially awkward, because of the lack of things to say among other things, but Rikuo eventually takes interest in Noji’s camera phone. While looking through its features, he brings up a screen with all the photos contained within it. When Rina sees a certain photo, one with Koji and the woman from the morning, she becomes somewhat angry. She simply tells Koji not to leave her alone, however, before leaving due to a reaction in her leg.

Rikuo spies on Rina a short distance away, soon learning that Rina has an injury in her leg. In an open injury, her robotic parts are revealed. By the time Rikuo is forced to reveal himself to Rina, he suggests that she should see a repair personnel. Because of the type of work she does though, and her need to follow her master’s orders to the best of her ability, she is unable to do this. When Rikuo expresses his worry about Koji’s pictures that Rina saw, she assures him and herself that Koji’s kindness will not change. Rina starts to return to everyone else, but before she does, Rikuo takes the chance to tell her about his experience with Sammy. Rikuo tells Rina to expresses her feelings, even if they are towards a human. When Rina wonders how he is able to say something like this, she and Rikuo himself realize that he has developed feelings of love.

Masaki meanwhile confronts Koji, and after seeing that he has no pictures with himself and Rina, he wonders if he is having an affair with a robot in secret. Koji denies this, but to Masaki’s shock, he soon reveals that he is a robot himself. Koji’s wish is to save his master, who looks very similar to Rina. Koji’s master would rather be attached to him than another human being, so Koji sought to learn from Rina to save her. Koji requests that Masaki would keep this complicated situation a secret from Rina, and by the time Rikuo and Rina return, Masaki implies his agreement.

In the following days, Rikuo and Masaki both become shocked after relaying the information they gathered to each other. As it was never said that Koji was Rina’s master, this meant that her master was actually an unknown VIP. Further more, both Koji and Rina saw their partner as a human being. With Nagi’s confirmation, Rikuo realizes that even the androids in the cafe cannot tell between humans and their own. While observing Koji and Rina despite this irony, Rikuo realizes that love between androids is very similar to that of humans’. When Rikuo returns home, he notices that Sammy has started to wear a pink band on her head. When Sammy wonders if this is to his tastes, RIkuo can only become embarrassed.

Preview: Nameless.

Impression:

A pink hairband. Nice. This episode was easily the most humorous of the three so far, as I found myself laughing throughout most of the it. The typical perverted jokes with Rikuo looking down Rina’s shirt were one thing, but the dramatic effects caused by the imitated camera made things all the more hilarious. As usual, I also liked the use of symbolism throughout the episode. I’m fairly certain that the separation between men and women’s bathrooms was suppose to be an illusion to discrimination between android and human, and the drama that Naoko was watching at the beginning of the episode seemed like foreshadowing to what would be happening throughout the sequence. The futuristic interface from Koji’s phone made my artists’ eyes flare as well, and the use of dramatic irony made me appreciate this act all the more.

With all of these subplots being introduced, and the hint of even more appearing within the next act, I can only wonder if the story will really end within six episodes. As the next episode won’t be appearing for another four months, the possibility of a second season could even been brought up. Although this series appeared to be a simple si-fi romance at the beginning, it’s definitely starting to look like there’s going to be much more under the surface. Rikuo’s developing feelings for Sammy through all the events still takes the cake for me though, and that’s easily what I’m looking forward to seeing the most by the end of the day.

This episode can be viewed on Crunchyroll with subtitles.