Gatchaman Crowds Rewatch – Episode 8 Notes

Note, the following are notes from my rewatch, and as such, might contain spoilers for the entirety of the first season! Not fit for reading as you watch the episodes for the first time. Like yesterday, I had much to say about this episode, thus only one episode this time around.

Return to the Gatchaman Crowds Project page.

Thoughts and Notes:

Link to the original 2013 write-up on episode 8.

Pai-Pai, “I’m the worst!” Self-recrimination, he knows he failed. Hard.

He even knows he’s not a leader. He always knew, but did his best, to try and keep them safe. That’s a form of leadership as well, even if he’s not up to the task.

“Don’t blame yourself. Everyone knows well enough that you are no leader, Pai-Pai.” Yeah, even Sugane didn’t say anything about Hajime walking over Pai-Pai, just over common sense.

Pai-Pai is from the Sugane school of thought, where “I wonder if I can protect it” resting on “I wonder if I can sacrifice myself for it,” but as Hajime would tell him, that’s not fun. That defeats the purpose. It’s about doing your best.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, if you save someone’s life, your own life will…” and that’s a continuation of his talk with Pai-Pai.

And here’s the answer from Utsutsu – “It makes me happy, so it’s fine.” Whichever you choose is fine, so long it makes you happy. That it’s what you wish to do.

Right, OD taking care of everyone, but also raising his death-flags, “You’ll be fine, even if I’m gone,” after Pai-Pai goes “Thanks for always.”

Right, everyone’s down, and it’s time for Hajime to be their sun. So they lost once, and thus lost all confidence they could win, or should even try. Berg-Katze got to them where it hurts, in their will to fight.

Sugane is about logic, they’re already losing, so why try. He’s already defeated by past defeats, of others.

The contrast to the prior screenshot is stark, and the “fake” use of ‘play’.

Here it is, the most important line, “No one having fun would stop what they’re doing just because someone asked them to,” and here is Sugane, knowing she’s right, but “And?” So where do we go from here?

“He won’t stop, so neither can we!” Because they’re heroes, and he’s the villain. But she’s also saying, “So we should be having fun too!”

The grand reveal! The opposite of everything he’s ever told her. Hajime the anti-Sugane, the anti-masks. The pro-fun.

Sugane is trying to call back the food, which is impossible, especially since Hajime is having fun, and as she just said, she won’t be stopped by someone asking her to stop.

There are real ramifications here. People put in their best efforts, online, for others, and end up hospitalized.

And so, people hospitalized while accessing an app, 50, out of thousands if not millions, enough for a panic.

Power given by Berg-Katze, and then taken away from him. No more revolution, at least, not by Rui. He’s glad Rui used his power, but now after he did, when he’s supposed to be at his most powerful, he still took him down, to crush his hopes. And will now show him his power, his dreams, subverted. Because it’s not enough for him to have humans destroy the planet, he’s also after the personal despair.

The demagogue’s prey, the malcontent.

Identity theft, just like Pai-Pai who is no longer the leader, Rui is no longer the owner of GALAX, no longer GALAX’s friend, no longer himself.

The Hundred malcontents, those who wish to take Rui’s revolution, who’re fed up and cynical. Blood and fire for them. They want to have the power.

Umeda, even he has things he cares for, reasons to want to update the world, and more than just “power”, but his family. But his way of defining himself was taken from him, so he thinks it’s over. Omaeda is like Rui, both had a power given by an outsider, which they grew to define themselves by, taken by the one who gave it. Hm, how does this relate to Hajime’s talk? They stopped not because they were asked to, but because they were forced, is this what they plan to do to Berg Katze, or that they weren’t convinced, and thus trying to reclaim this power and lashing out around them when they can’t.

“I definitely object!” But Pai-Pai, no one cares :<

Sugane isn’t sold on Hajime’s plan, but he thinks it might revive Jou’s spirit. Jou doesn’t object, or even care for the plan, but he wants to hide himself.

“But it’s better than giving up and doing nothing!” Shounonsense heroes are us!

SarcastiCat showing Pai-Pai what’s what. He reminds me of Utsutsu, in his fondness of OD and gloominess.

Utsutsu being thanked, the best feeling in the world.

“You should all be ashamed of yourselves,” in a pre-school, where the working adults of the media are acting more immature than the kids, so Barrachi steps in, with a smile.

And he even points it out.

“We’re not here just for fun and games,” which is the issue, and trying to get the Gatchaman to work according to their agenda and priorities.

Barrachi and OD, hitting it off.

Kids know, the real strong has no need to prove their strength and just sit back. But also recognizing “soft strength,” the fact everyone makes way. They know the really strong adults aren’t those who can punch holes in buildings, but who can make others do it for them.

Hajime, reaching out, getting aid, crowd-sourcing her question. See my own write-up for the episode for more about it. Preempting Katze, reaching out to Rui.

I mean, she’s there to get recognition, so why would she avoid it? And the barbarians got Pai-Pai!

“But GALAX isn’t that safe either, lately, maybe we’re better off relying on heroes.” See, people want someone to turn to, and will replace one for another. GALAX tried to make them step up, but they relied on it. But here, Hajime asked them a question, and told them to take precautions themselves.

Umeda helped others, and now he expects a reward. He didn’t do it for fun, or because it was “right”.

“Who’s gonna fix my life now?” Turning to outsiders, in both anger and when in need of aid. Even as one of the Hundred, but then again, they never wielded power of their own, not really.

HOW DARE THESE KIDS LITTER?! DESTROY THE WORLD! DESTROY ALL THE WORLDS!

Of course, the world doesn’t change because the people within it don’t. Umeda is trying to change the world and thus the people, a dictatorship of fear. Rui is trying to change people first and foremost.

Berg Katze going public, following Hajime’s lead.

“Just kidding,” the quintessential troll.

“When kids are out of control, it might be because they want something, and that thing is love” speaking of Berg Katze and internet trolls?

Pai-Pai doesn’t love himself, nor believe himself worthy to give out love, so he also thinks others are playing with him, toying with him, when they’re not.

Just having fun, the same way.

“Here, names and titles don’t mean anything.” The true flat society, where everyone is equal, and similar. Same desires, and acting on them.

People often don’t like being told they changed, because you like to think of yourself as perfect, and consistent, and consistently perfect. And you don’t want to admit old you was so flawed, or new you, if you liked old one better.

And still a kid sitting aside. Forced to consider the outside world, on the verge of growing up, reminding Rui of ramifications, rather than of letting go.

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