Plunderer

Episode 22

“In which a love goes unrequited but might actually save the world.”

Most of this episode is focused on bringing Lynn and Licht's relationship to its final conclusion. Lynn has been in love with Licht since he saved her back in episode 3—despite his constant sexual harassment. Yet, ever since Hina re-entered the picture, Lynn has been a bit of a third wheel. When Licht needed someone, it was always Hina who rushed to his side. And this is why Lynn's relationship with Licht was doomed to never move beyond a crush.

Lynn fell for Licht because he supported her when she needed it. But Licht isn't looking for people to rely on him. In fact, that's the thing he wants the least. After all, the last time that happened and he took on all the responsibility, it ended with his friends dead and him in a catatonic state. He's Looking for the opposite: someone who could support him.

While Nana tried to be this, her guilt, self-loathing, and shared history with Licht made this impossible. Hina, however, just steamrolled in, determined to give him unconditional support. She didn't see the man he was, she saw the man he could be—and was prepared to help him become that. Lynn never really had a chance.

But while she couldn't win Licht's heart, that doesn't mean she hasn't touched the lives of others. Lynn may be a klutz and not the sharpest tool in the shed but no one in the series exhibits the heart that she does. And in her lowest moment, as she's bleeding out and unable to rouse Licht, she gets proof of this. Seemingly out of nowhere the villagers she befriended arrive to bandage her wounds—giving her a chance to convey her feelings and bring Licht out of his coma. She may not be the love of his life but her connection to him is more than strong enough to save those they both care about.

The rest of the episode is mainly about Doan: He is not the high school bully we remember. He's not motivated by some survival of the fittest mentality—exploiting the weak to get a comfy life. The war changed him—and it's obvious that he did as much killing as Licht with his talk of killing women and children. However, that doesn't mean he's proud of what he did. He merely thought that it had to be done.

However, now Licht has decided what they did wasn't worth it. Doan can't accept this. The only way he was able to get through what happened—the abandonment of his friends, family, and the rest of humanity on the barren planet below (in addition to the killing)—was to hold onto the idea that the alternative was worse. Either everyone starves together or some live happily while others starve.

Over the centuries, he has clung to this idea as his personal dogma. He is enraged that anyone, even Licht, would seek to undo what has been done and make their sacrifices moot. He would even kill his classmates from long ago to stop the destruction of the world—and the fact that they have an original ballot implies they are planning to do just that.

However, deep down he knows that his world is built upon the lesser of two evils—and the lesser of two evils is still evil. This is why he holds out hope that Licht is not dead—sparing Hina and the others till morning. He wants Licht to prove to him there is a better way after all this time—regardless of what that means for his conscience. Unfortunately, the bad guys have an additional leash on Doan: Sonohara.

Back in the past, Doan claimed that he bullied Sonohara to keep her safe. Whether that was true at the time or only became true as the war went on, he certainly cares for her now. He is dismayed to see her under the control of the drug again but feels that on the baddies side with him, she will be safe.

And so Licht is set to fight a battle he has little chance of winning—with the lives of Lynn, Nana, Hina, and Pele hanging in the balance. Good thing there's a hero on the way that's more than able to even the odds.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• When looking at the characters' actions and their motivations, something interesting appears:

   ✘ Licht is both hero and villain—he wants to destroy a corrupt world in revenge for a 300-year-old wrong.

   ✘ Doan is both hero and villain—he wants to protect the people of Althea to prove that all he sacrificed wasn't in vain.

   ✘ Sonohara is both hero and villain—she is both a kind soul who wouldn't harm a fly and a violent psychopath seeking death.

   ✘ Alex is both hero and villain—he wants to protect his son and the world that gave birth to him no matter the cost.

   ✘ But Jail Murdoch is a hero in the truest sense. He's not out for atonement or throwing himself headlong into a sunk-cost fallacy. He's fighting to save everyone—be they from Althea or the Abyss.

• Ok, let's talk about “Miss Green Grocer.” This is one hell of a long play. She appears as a joke character in the fourth episode that can match pace with a running Lynn while trying to sell her a radish—but that was actually a hint at her true identity. Now we see that she knows about the Aces (well enough to recognize them on sight) and has an intelligence network capable of telling her Lynn is in trouble. This means she's clearly military yet she's siding with Lynn and not Schmerman. I know things are hectic but we'd better get a follow up with her when this is all over.

• I'm glad that Licht has finally gotten over some of his BS and accepted not only his own feelings but also the fact that pushing Hina away helps no one—and it certainly doesn't keep her safe.

• By showing once again that Pele knows how to use advanced tech—tech reserved for the secret police—they're not even trying to hide Pele is a double agent. However, it's clear that he cares for Lynn more than his job so Licht is willing to trust him with the task of saving her.

Plunderer is currently streaming on FUNimation.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.