Metallic Rouge

Episode 9

In the textual sense, this is a clarifying episode of Metallic Rouge. Our meeting with the alien Visitors is full of explanations and contexts for why things have happened and are happening, and that should be a relief for any (probably most) audience members befuddled by the anime's squiggly storytelling. However, this episode clarified in a broader and more analytical sense, which has helped me more accurately assess my feelings towards it. In other words, I had an epiphany: Metallic Rouge has no unifying thematic or narrative direction apart from the philosophy of "fuck it, we ball." That may sound bad, but I don't think it has to be. In fact, I liked this episode a lot!

Let me explain myself first, and I can't think of a better example than how Ash processes Noid's death…because he doesn't. As I wrote last week, the human security forces casually murdering Noid was a perfect inflection point for Ash to start critically reevaluating the basic tenets of Nean enslavement. The literary canon is overstuffed with stories about people who don't think twice about oppression until it affects them personally, i.e., moving in that direction is a narrative no-brainer. Metallic Rouge, however, ignores that. Sure, there's a scene of him looking at Noid's body sadly, but it never digs beneath the surface of his reaction. The plot is more concerned about bouncing exposition off him and linking him up with Eden so they can fly in to help Rouge and Naomi in the end. The story's moving parts take precedence over the emotional and political depth.

I don't believe this results from lazy writing; I'd wager it results from too much writing. Nobody is lamenting the lack of plot threads, twists, characters, settings, worldbuilding, or weird names in Metallic Rouge. The show moves breathlessly from one setpiece to the next with hardly any time afforded for lingering. This echoes a complaint I had about Witch from Mercury, where I feel that an extra cours or two (to align with the length of most classic Gundam anime) would have made a richer show with a more satisfying final confrontation. Metallic Rouge, not to be outdone, is aiming to wrap up at least two cours' worth of material in one season. Rather than pare the story to a manageable size—for example, by cutting characters, factions, or subplots—it has employed a hydraulic press to cram everything in. The plot moves, but it moves too fast to find footing. The characters are all here, but they're flattened. The themes and social commentary are apparent but neutered, simplified, and frequently contradictory. Its mosaic of influences is vast, but it stops short of synthesizing them in a novel and compelling way.

That said, I think Metallic Rouge somehow mostly works thanks to its strong style, forward momentum, and devil-may-care attitude. It may not always be going somewhere, but it always feels like it's going somewhere. And the characters always have fun, even when they probably shouldn't be. This is why I enjoy this week's episode: Naomi and Rouge are back together! Before I focus on that, though, I like the ridiculousness of the opening Alter melee. It quickly devolves into nonsense, but it's entertaining nonsense. And I also like the scene with the Visitors/X Noah. Their designs are neat: a potent blend of otherworldly marine elements with human components they have to slap on to communicate with us. Their visage alone tells us they're amoral weirdos trying to swindle us out of a planet. Anime is a primarily visual medium, so delivering compelling visuals is over half the battle.

Most importantly, however, Naomi and Rouge are indeed reunited. While I've said this plenty of times before, it bears repeating how much the show lights up when it focuses on them and their friendly (and not-so-friendly) banter. Case in point, Rouge's first encounter with the Visitors would probably be a tense and dour moment if not for Naomi's incessant aloofness and Rouge's slack-jawed disbelief defusing the whole situation. Their riffs add character to an otherwise dry injection of exposition about who created whom and who is terraforming what. This is where the show's chaotic alacrity works in its favor. Amplifying this aspect is the return of animator Norimitsu Suzuki, whose distinctively expressive character acting (you may remember it from episode five) gives their reunion the playfulness it needs. It's not all fun and games; Rouge gets in a highly deserved punch on Naomi. But overall, it's satisfying to see them on the same team again.

I'm a tad more optimistic about the narrative's long arc after the confirmation that Naomi is a Nean, too. That means both of our leads are manufactured people dangling on a set of strings pulled in contradictory directions by humans and aliens, and it means that Metallic Rouge might ultimately have something to say about humanity and liberty. Or it might not. Like I said in the intro, I've accepted this anime's inherent shallowness—a consequence of its design. As long as the individual episodes continue to deliver, I will continue to laud it on those terms. But I do wonder what Metallic Rouge would have looked like if it could emulate not only the mood, music, and visuals from the anime of yesteryear, but their episode counts as well.

Rating:

Metallic Rouge is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Steve is on Twitter while it lasts. He is not a biomechanical android in disguise. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.