Gatchaman Crowds insight

Episode 12

We learned the truth of last episode's attack on “Gelsadra” this week, and it played out exactly as you'd expect. Having decided the people would only be shaken out of their vindictive atmosphere by the shock of tragedy they couldn't assign to some alien aggressor, Hajime used Berg Katze's powers to take the form of Gelsadra, and have the Gatchaman attack her instead. Then, chastened by this tragedy, she hoped Tsubasa's pleading would lead them to take more caution in their next vote, and think for themselves as empathetic, individual human beings rather than as units of a group dedicated to social harmony and their own sense of rightness rather than any actual humanity.

In making this choice, Hajime essentially reenacted Rui's first battle with Rizumu on a larger scale. Like Rui, Hajime was willing to stake her life on her belief in human nature, her conviction that we are fundamentally capable of being better people than the atmosphere or our worst actions might lead you to believe. Where Rui's faith lay in Crowds, and Rizumu sought to disprove that by demonstrating one single person can betray those expectations, Hajime staked her feelings on humanity in general, guessing that our overall instincts will, when we're presented with the harsh consequences of condemning others, lead us towards empathy.

This contrast was made explicit through the link of Tsubasa and OD's behavior. Just before each of these acts of faith, OD pulled Tsubasa aside, and remarked that sometimes our ideals can be more important to us than our very lives. When Rui made this choice, Tsubasa was unwilling to respect those ideals, and so impressed her own in order to fix the situation - but this time, she holds back. Not only did this demonstrate she'd learn to respect the differences between her own beliefs and those of others, this choice also reflected a new development in her understanding of heroism. As she later declares on Millione's show, she now realizes that heroism can expand beyond saving the person in front of you. Sometimes you have to think about the big picture, and Hajime attempting to awaken our more thoughtful selves is about as "big picture" as you can get.

Though the backtracking required to reveal Hajime's plan made the first half of this episode occasionally feel a little slow, it was scattered with all manner of wonderful scenes. The major discussion prior to Hajime's plan was one of these, as it included not only OD's exchange with Tsubasa, but also some nice back and forth between all of the cast, as they once again butted heads over their very different philosophies. Jou remained Jou to the end, declaring that he “found it hard to believe that by doing this, everyone will realize their mistake.” Jou's made a variety of interesting choices this season, but they generally stem from a stable core of a belief in “saving the world,” a loyalty to the tradition of classic heroes, and a massive pessimistic streak when it comes to the behavior of the average person. And Tsubasa and Hajime had some great lines as well, leading to Hajime's declaration that “the people who defeat me are going to be the ones I believe in.”

But the best of these pre-fight scenes, and one of the best scenes in the show altogether, was the final conversation between Gelsadra and Tsubasa. Thinking over all that had happened, Gelsadra mournfully wondered how things had reached this point, to which Tsubasa answered “we didn't realize the danger of embracing this atmosphere.” And when asked why they didn't see the danger, Tsubasa came out with one of the most important messages of the series: “our thoughts agreed with everyone else, so we felt safe.” It's a simple line, but it explains so much of the dark side of group behavior. When we feel safe, we don't feel the need to question our actions - when we feel righteous, and everyone around us is validating that belief, a group atmosphere can justify any action. As Berg Katze said before, the power of the Kuu-sama is that they believe in what they are doing. A strong atmosphere can justify any sort of witch hunt or violence, and sometimes it's only when “we're alone” that we realize what we were agreeing with was not a considered sense of justice, but a communal emotion acting in its name.

From there, the episode moved to reprise the fight from last week, the audience now privy to every nasty thud and crash Hajime suffered. This sequence was possibly the series' biggest visual standout, with the base composition and mirrored shots of Hajime and Tsubasa in their suits being beautifully elevated through the mix of visual styles presented through the underlying character art, the evocative nega-world style of their suits, and the filtering choices added as Hajime took more and more damage. Horrifying strokes of pure red splattered over the static-CG alternate reality of the Gatchaman suits, until Hajime impressed one more time upon Tsubasa that she was a true hero, and collapsed.

The second half of this episode was more slow and pensive, but that was intentional. Given the full context of Hajime's sacrifice, the people of Japan were once again asked what they wished to do about Gelsadra - but this time, the former prime minister cautioned “please don't reply as quickly as you usually do.” As Hajime slept off the damage of her final battle (a sendoff to the Christianity metaphor first raised by Gel and Tsubasa's Garden of Eden, now completed with Hajime sacrificing herself for the people in a world marked by inescapable knowledge), the people were cautioned not to vote with their immediate emotional guts, but to think this important choice through for themselves. This was the companion message to the “atmosphere breeds false, violent confidence” one of the first half - in order to make the important choices that dictate our communal lives, we need not just confidence, but also slow consideration.

Hajime was defined by slow consideration this season, gathering her thoughts one episode at a time and bouncing her feelings off the views of everyone around her. In the context of Gelsadra's meteoric political rise, that thoughtful strategy ended up letting things get very far out of hand - but if we can't create a culture that embraces serious individual thought, society is doomed either way. And so, given a month to decide, the people of Japan make their arguments, and consult their friends, and decide. In the end, Gelsadra is allowed to remain on earth by a slim margin - which is how it should be. If we all agree, something is very, very wrong.

Gatchaman Crowds insight ends without any easy answers. Like in the first season, the prime minister only seems to have learned to abuse the new hip thing to maintain power - instead of relying on Crowds, he now shrugs that “it's all our faults” in the face of criticism. Millione only fake-cried at Hajime's fate, and is likely still scrabbling for ratings any way he can. The future isn't fixed, and society is still an open question.

But that's how it goes. One anime isn't going to save the world, but it's always nice to see one try. I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and was happy to see it pull its ideas together this well. Alternately building on and savagely critiquing the ideas of the first season, Gatchaman Crowds insight stands as a worthy sequel, and one of the most compelling, thought-provoking shows of the year. G-G-G-GATCHAMANNNN!

Rating: A

Gatchaman Crowds insight is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Nick writes about anime, storytelling, and the meaning of life at Wrong Every Time.