Senketsu reminded me a lot of Venom at the beginning of this series, so
it’s amusing to see those parallels continuing on, later into the game, when a
lot of interest centers on simply mixing-and-matching this evil symbiote’s wearers.
It’s probably only a matter of time before somebody wears both super-suits at
once (while wielding both scissor blades, natch), is it?
This one episode more-or-less distills the series on the whole, I
reckon. We start off with another uncomfortable T&A scene at Raygo's bathhouse. We see boundless
creativity unleashed as Satsuki and Ryuko do battle on the high seas, with
plenty of quick-change super-moves from the Four Horseman. Mako gets her moment
to get at the touchy-feely stuff in her wonderfully histrionic way. And then
there’s that artfully, abstractly, absurdist film-with-a-film scene in the
faux wedding chapel that shows, once again, how this is like one big rock opera.
However, it’s the moments where Ryuko spouts off vitriolic monologues
during her rampage that particular strike me. For one, it’s undeniable
cathartic to see twenty episodes of stewing hatred between her and Satsuki
finally coming to a bubble. Getting back to what I was saying about
this one installment reflecting the whole series, though, I can’t help but see the... nature of her monologues representing some of my complaints about the tone of the series.
See, no matter how passionate and fiery Ryuko’s rhetoric gets, you kind
of have to do a double-take as a viewer, because you know she doesn’t really
mean anything she’s saying. We know she's going to snap out of it - - even if the words sounds like her true opinion, at times - - so we're just playing along. It’s a smaller case of how the series’ larger philosophical
dialogue about clothes, original sin, menstruation, exhibitionism, etc. has been playing out, as far I can see.
We know it’s silly, and that's all well and good. But when the fight goes on - - and the gag just keeps going - - it gets harder and harder to play along. I just can't picture this series tying up on any of its thematic points with any sense of resolution by the end. .
Watch, “Incomplete” and decide for yourself, then
read my comments about the previous episode.
About the Author
 | Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk |
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