Some small children just know how to whip up a nice mecha or two.
What They Say:
“Messier”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
While the first episode of this series was intriguing, it was hard to figure out what to make of it. This second one at least starts make things clearer, but it’s not necessarily heading in the most positive direction.
It would’ve been pretty annoying if the episode didn’t begin with every character questioning what the hell was up with the goldfish mecha that cute little Hozuki popped out of after taking out their first enemy, so of course that’s exactly what happens. Her response is that she just happened to find some blueprints and threw this highly improbable masterpiece of technology together. Sure enough, when duty calls later in the episode, she pulls out another mechanical wonder of a size a little more suited to infiltrating a building. We’re two of eleven episodes deep, and both so far have ended with the problem being solved by this unassuming little girl pulling out some big machine and piloting it to save the day. It’s as bizarre as it sounds, it’s very questionable given how casually she brushes it aside, and it’s pretty funny due to its absurdity. And this is all because of Galileo, no matter how much Geshio wants to claim that’s not the case.
Oh right, Galileo! So yes, we get some more mentions of Galileo, the fact that these girls are his descendants, and his mysterious inheritance, which some very powerful people are determined to get, insisting that the Ferraris must know something about it despite their pleads to the contrary. The other girl who’s been with everyone since she saved Hazuki from her first assailant early in the previous episode, is a massive Galileo nerd, to the point that having Hozuki write her name on a piece of paper makes her giddy, calling it the autograph of a descendant of Galileo. Just as all the problems this family is faced with stem from their heritage, their only source of outside help so far comes to them because of this heritage. Other than her relatable nerd babbling about Galileo, none of this really seems connected to Galileo yet; they could’ve thrown any famous name in there and these two episodes would’ve functioned largely the same.
So I guess Hozuki’s impossibly prodigious expertise in creating these amazing machines come from Galileo’s ideas? That’s really the only connection really made at this point because, while this episode offers plenty of explanation, especially in comparison to the fascinatingly nonsensical first episode, it still doesn’t give much of an impression as to what this is really all about, and why Galileo is the important one. Maybe the secrets behind his inheritance will be revealed late in the series, but if everything up to that point is comprised of some organization throwing bad guys at the girls and Hozuki throwing a mecha back, it will not only get a little stale, but will become annoying in its obfuscation.
In Summary:
We learn a great deal more about the plot in this episode and, perhaps most importantly, what the deal is with Hozuki’s goldfish mecha, thanks to the very understandable inquiries of the rest of the cast (although she mostly just dismisses the question and doesn’t find anything unusual). She continues to show off how unbelievably impressive she is in this regard, enemies continue to take her family captive while she conveniently escapes, and Galileo’s name is thrown around more than ever. Does it all work out nicely? I’m not sure this direction is exactly optimal.
Grade: C+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Custom-Built PC, 27” 1080p HDTV.
