Comet Lucifer

Episode 9

Honestly, I should've known better. If there's one person you really don't want to get attached to in a coming-of-age story, it's the main character's mentor. The young protagonist can't learn to stand on his own as long as there's a kindly voice of experience to lean on, and that usually means the closest thing to Obi-Wan Kenobi is destined to bite the bullet. I knew all that, but I still let Comet Lucifer lure me into caring about Do Mon. You win this round, anime.

Right from the start, it's clear that this episode aims to move the plot along in a big way. Sogo, Felia, and Moura arrive at the Altar and find the area swarming with enemy mechs and aircraft. Meanwhile, Do Mon is hit by a stray bullet while breaking through a roadblock on his way to confront Zoneboyle. Sogo and company get off to a better start in their attempt to reach the Altar, but Gus soon arrives on the scene to make their task even more difficult. As the kids fight for their lives, Do Mon sits wounded at Sogo's mother's grave and looks back on the past few years. His musings run parallel to the battle scene as Sogo finds a way to pilot Moura's mecha form and send Gus packing. There are smiles and happy reunions for all the protagonists except for one, as Do Mon follows a familiar face into a fatal trap.

From an emotional standpoint, this episode is dominated by Do Mon's final trip down memory lane. The glimpses we get of his efforts to raise Sogo lead to a powerful moment when Do Mon worries that their fight by the river has led Sogo to hate him. It's a heavy blow for the audience to take, especially since Sogo spends a large portion of the episode telling other people how grateful he is to Do Mon. It works well enough that the remainder of the episode actually struggles to maintain that intense level of emotional involvement. Having Do Mon's thoughts echoed in Sogo's actions is a clever idea, but it also takes us too far out of the moment. It makes me wonder what would have happened if the old guy had just been given a few uninterrupted minutes to say his last lines and leave the stage.

Despite all the shouting and explosions, Sogo's battle with Gus is the weaker of this episode's two big scenes. It's not bad by any means; the script follows a clear and effective path toward having Sogo rise to the occasion and defeat his enemy. Still, the approach is just a little too tried and true to be really memorable. From the convenient arrival of Roman, Otto, and Kaon to Sogo's unexplained ability to act as Moura's pilot, the narrative deck is noticeably stacked in the heroes' favor. There's never any probable cause to doubt that they'll come out on top, which takes some excitement out of the battle. That's acceptable if you approach Comet Lucifer as action-adventure comfort food, but the show misses an opportunity to deliver a truly compelling showdown here.

The mech battle itself looks fine, but it's one of the few areas where this episode is able to deliver consistent animation quality. Giant robots and fighter craft dart around in suitably cinematic fashion, dodging missiles and firing ridiculously big guns where appropriate. The same can't be said for the characters, whose facial features look rough around the edges in the medium and long shots. There's a lot of character movement going on here, which is preferable to using more static shots to keep the quality consistent in my book. Your results may vary. The animation quality does at least maintain a relatively high standard when it really counts, as the visuals hold together during the episode's key emotional moments.

Comet Lucifer still has a big question to answer when it comes to the purpose of the Altar. The functions of this big glowing ring will play a big role in determining where the story goes from here, but we still know next to nothing about it. If it forces the characters to take some big risks and make some difficult choices, then it will have served its purpose in the story. If it's just a big ol' “fix the world” button, then I'm prepared to throw my hands in the air and storm out of the room. However, the fact that I'm invested enough in the outcome to care about what the Altar does is a good sign. It means that despite all the little issues and shortcomings, Comet Lucifer has been able to maintain and even increase my interest late into the season. Let's see if it can keep that up now that one of the more compelling characters is out of the picture.

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.