Comet Lucifer

Episode 7

This episode of Comet Lucifer is filled to the brim with useful life lessons. Don't eat strange mushrooms that you find in the forest, even if you cook them first. If you're going to tow a giant robot over rocky terrain, find something more reliable than a flying sports car. Don't tell the nice lady at the local bakery if you run into a girl with supernatural powers, since she's probably a government spy. If you're being chased by homicidal mech pilots, the safest way to escape is by falling down an enormous waterfall. Now that I think about it, not all of these seem especially applicable on a daily basis, but I'll at least stand by the one about not eating wild mushrooms.

A flying car breakdown forces Sogo and company to take a break from their road trip this week, allowing Gus and his crew to catch up and launch another attack. After narrowly escaping the nighttime raid, our heroes end up in an area that features some bizarre landscapes and strangely-colored plant life. Felia seems to feel right at home, but it's not long before her presence causes a giant floating ring to rise up out of the ground. Meanwhile, Do Mon discovers the identity of Agent Honeybee, the not-so-mysterious figure who's been helping the government track Sogo and Felia. After a tense confrontation, he sets out to catch up with the kids and confront Gus.

In terms of pacing and overall storytelling, this is one of the strongest episodes that Comet Lucifer has put forward to date. There's a nice mix of frantic action, simmering tension, and peaceful interludes on display here, and each scene flows relatively smoothly into the next. While there are no big surprises or clever insights to call out, this episode is a good example of the show getting its fundamentals right and avoiding any major mistakes. Even the comedy, which hasn't always been Comet Lucifer's area of expertise, manages to offer up some entertaining moments in the opening scenes. It's just a fun, easy episode to watch, which is exactly what a series like this needs to provide on a regular basis.

While there may not be any big ideas to mull over, there is some interesting character development to be found here. The flashback to Do Mon's past as a soldier continues this show's pattern of older characters being surprisingly compelling, and it makes me eager to learn more about his relationship to Gus. The outing of Agent Honeybee was more or less inevitable, but Comet Lucifer does a decent job of building up the tension in her conversation with Do Mon. Even if the series sees fit to give her a cheesy redemption scene somewhere down the line, this subplot has been handled nicely without becoming too much of a big deal. The main characters also put in a strong showing, with Sogo finally displaying some emotional depth in his chat with Felia while working on the car.

Having action scenes take place at night is often a convenient way to cut corners in animation, since there's naturally less for the audience to see in the dark. So Comet Lucifer deserves some credit for blocking out and animating a reasonably impressive fight even after the sun goes down. I also continue to be impressed by the way the show's various mechs match the personalities of the characters who pilot them. Gus's machine has a slightly more practical look than the ones used by more eccentric characters like Pack and Alfried, which helps sell the notion that Gus is the most experienced soldier in the group. The three of them still do too much comical blundering for a team of seasoned killers, but at least they look the part.

Speaking of things that look good, I'm going to shift into broken record mode and heap some more praise on Comet Lucifer's background art. The abrupt transition from a normal forest to a bizarre patch of alien flora should be jarring and ridiculous, but the show somehow manages to sell it. Rather than relying entirely on the characters to "ooh" and "ahh" over their surroundings, the show uses bright and saturated colors to smack the viewer over the head with the idea that we're not in Kansas anymore. I catch myself thinking, “Oh, that looks pretty cool,” at least once in every episode, and it usually happens during an establishing shot of a new location. Like the mechanical designs, the background art may not be enough to carry the show on its own, but it helps keep me excited for what's coming next.

This episode continues Comet Lucifer's recent pattern of getting a little better with each passing week. Many of its worst habits have been ironed out, leaving the good points free to drive the series forward. Focusing on the basics may not help it stand out within the genre, but these gradual improvements are allowing the show to finally deliver on its potential as an upbeat sci-fi adventure. The next big challenge will be bringing the higher-ranking villains out of the shadows without compromising the show's entertainment value.

Rating: B+

Comet Lucifer is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Paul Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow more of his anime-related ramblings on Twitter.