Mono no aware

This will get a second season, right? Right? As much as I praise various anime titles for being outstanding within that ‘anime’ context, it’s a rare thing indeed to experience one that transcends the genre convention – simply put, it’s great storytelling, full stop. No question. The long waits between releases, the short episode running times and the ONA distribution all worked to build up my anticipation for each instalment and leave me wanting more every time but the fact remains that it’s not only good anime; it’s just good.

For every question answered in this episode (which is, I might add, a full ten minutes or so longer than the previous five) I reckon it posed another. But whatever. The way it effortlessly sways the viewer’s emotions every which way then leaves a bittersweet aftertaste is something to be treasured, really. I can’t stress how rewarding a rewatch is though, because there are little details that are important yet all too easy to miss; I’d love to see this in full HD. The Crunchyroll DtO option isn’t bad in itself: all good entertainment is worth paying for, after all.

The Code:LIFE thing crops up on the cover of a book in the café but also gets a mention in the technical specs for the android type assigned to the Ethics Committee’s covert surveillance. It appears that Code:LIFE is the A.I. developed for the more advanced androids, such as that Calvin-4 model and, I’m guessing, other modern versions such as Sammy and Shimei. I’ve never really thought about standardised operating software for the androids, but I guess it stands to reason that they have a common OS if they’re mass-produced, or prototypes thereof.

The surveillance had me wondering again how the Ethics Committee operates: are they a government organisation, or an independent party acting more legit after the infamous Tokisaka Incident several years previously? I’m siding on the latter at the moment, with an additional theory that they also take it upon themselves to act as a freelance detective agency who bring alleged android-related cases to the official authorities’ attention. They seem to be a pressure group from the TV spots and interviews, but they have quite a lot of resources at their disposal (androids, a huge-ass HQ and so forth) too, for all their protests at being a ‘friendly’ organisation that has the public interests heart.

I can’t recall if the position held by Masaki Sr. was revealed before, but it’s a development of a type the show excels in. The dim view that Masaki Jr. takes on androids, therefore, is down to what he saw to be abandonment by his own house-robot, Tex. What follows is well and truly in the tradition of the series: an ambiguous premise, truths revealed that toss any ideas the viewer may have on their heads, before a tear-jerking finale with a dash of humour. I’m not sure how emotion can be wrung out of a literally expressionless face, but Tex manages it. Less is more taken to the logical extreme:

The comedic elements in Eve no Jikan are always balanced well with the dramatic ones, which is no small feat given the concise script and the gravity of the issues addressed. The moment where the barrier between android and owner momentarily breaks down is always a highlight, but this time it’s followed by a brilliant and unexpected fall back down to earth as Masaki prepares to leave with his robot only to find the pathos of the moment broken when he has to carry it up the stairs. It was so unexpected, yet plainly logical, I couldn’t stifle a chuckle in spite of myself.

Joking aside, the Masaki/Tex dynamic was yet another variant on the master-android setup and used a very clever demonstration of Asimov’s Three Laws to drive the proceedings along. Who wouldn’t feel for Tex as the gears in his simple mind turned and worked through the dilemmas to help his owner in the only way he knew how? Even though this show of loyalty is merely the result of simple programming?

It’s certainly a turning point for Masaki in that he is finally able to understand what happened to Tex and why, so will no doubt react to the goings-on the Time of Eve somewhat differently from now on. If nothing else the superficial lack of sentimental attachment to a house-roid is stripped away, showing a bond that may go even further than Rikuo’s; they certainly share the view of androids as being effectively family members, which is quite something. Oh yeah, I had to take my hat off to Rikka’s attention to detail, again.

I recognised a certain item in the background as one of those solid state low-wattage guitar amps that Marshall make for the student budget/bedroom practice market. What struck me is how the artists included things like this to give a really lifelike depiction of the characters’ surroundings: little things like display screens, furniture and personal effects make the production values a cut above the ordinary and add a heightened sense of realism and reiterates the near-future setting. No wonder it takes Yoshiura and co so long to brew an episode up.

As much as this feels like the end of the series, Rikuo’s narration just before the closing credits, not to mention the operation that the Ethics Committee have set in motion, makes it feel like the beginning of another. Every episode has so far dealt with one particular character or pair of characters in turn but there are still some who haven’t yet had their time in the spotlight. Setoro and Nagi, two people who have been in all six episodes, are still an enigma to me. In the case of the former, he simply knows too much to stay in the shadows; as for the latter, I’m still half-expecting Yoshiura to do a Mizu no Kotoba on us…hell, even Pale Cocoon proved how he loves to write in a last-minute plot twist.

On an even bigger scale than this one I mean. Given Naoko’s attitude to androids, her view on how Rikuo and their mother treat Sammy, and her nonchalent domestic behaviour in general, I found this to be a really sweet way to round off the episode. If there’s one thing this show has shown me so far, it’s the the importance of those trivial, everyday human things. Or how awesome it would be if an android served me coffee in the mornings.

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• Eve no Jikan (Time of Eve) Act 5: Chie & Shimei
• Eve no Jikan (Time of Eve) Act 04: Nameless