Two Chaikas, with two very different outlooks on life, clash.
What They Say:
Episode #6: “Red and White”
The Review
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
When we last left off in Chaika, the Chaika we know had been taken hostage by a group escorting a Chaika we didn’t know. The revelation that the impostor Chaikas might not exactly be impostors but simply ‘other’ Chaikas throws a very interesting wrench into the works. Especially when you take into account that they are all collecting remains. None of this matters at the moment though, as each group wants their Chaika back and so they arrange for an exchange.
Watching this all go down are enemies to both groups. Out of all the eclectic members of Gilette’s posse, Matheus has proven to be the most interesting. He can control the magical beasts and is the one who sent that man eating unicorn in episode one. He tries again here, with a flock of laser cockatrice, to no avail. Both trios call a truce and manage to escape after slaughtering a significant number of the critters.
The two groups try to find a different place to make the hostage exchange once again. That’s when Red Chaika makes Toru a very interesting offer. She tries to buy out his loyalty with the promise of double the fee and a place in the upcoming war she will bring to restore her fallen empire. Even the dragoon is curious to see if he’ll take up the offer. After all, Red Chaika is a fine warrior and Toru says all he wants to do is fight.
There’s really never any doubt that Toru would turn it down. He says it’s a matter of honoring the deal he made, but he’s not fooling me. Even after Red Chaika tells him that his sister and the dragoon are welcome to come along, it’s all comes down to our Chaika. Red Chaika sees no need for more than one of herself in the world, as so battle begins. It’s a swift exchange of blows, and yet Toru almost gains the upper hand yet again in the rematch before Red Chaika’s forces withdraw. White Chaika’s group presses onward, but to where?
Meanwhile, Gillette’s forces have been recalled from their Chaika hunt. Politics send the rebuilding forces off to quell some very benign peasant labor troubles at just the wrong moment. I feel bad for Gillette, I really do.
I was worried about the pacing of this series, because as of the beginning of this anime season all we knew about Chaika was that it was going to run just the 12 or so episodes most one season anime do. Now we discover the second half of the series is airing in the fall, so some of my concern has been relieved. Hopefully it means there will be plenty more surprises in store.
In Summary:
It’s not surprising that Toru, Akari, and Chaika would have their share of enemies considering the mission they’re on. However, the number of adversaries is growing too quickly for things to continue on as they have. The trio is going to have to come up with a plan, unless they think that their small group can take on the world. Although it appears that Gillette’s group will have to back down for now, as well as Red Chaika’s group. Perhaps it’s time for White Chaika to seek some answers about herself and what is really going on, even if Toru claims not to care about her motivation.
Episode Grade: B
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment: 27” iMac running OS 10.9.2, via Safari 7.0.2, FIOS 15/5 Mbps connection. Your milage may vary.
