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. This post should’ve gone up, but between power-outs and me being incredibly tired all week long (back to school! And work too), I just couldn’t get it out. The first editorial is expected later today! I also shuffled the dates some to allow an editorial every other day, see you soon.
Return to the Gatchaman Crowds Project page.
Episode 9:
Link to the original 2013 write-up on episode 9.
Hajime knew Rui is a boy from the get-go, regardless of the dress.
Sugane realizes he can’t really see past others’ masks, unlike Hajime.
Indeed, had Rui been wandering the streets since he’s been ousted? Hiding his pain, hugging himself, scarred. This is his story.
Rui thanking someone who’s helping him, letting them come close, without masks. So, he’s always been relying on others, but this time it’s immediate connection.
“3% battery”, of course this show understands people, and of course Pai-Pai is the media relations guy.
Hajime, giving work to others and then not helping. But she’s making sure Pai-Pai is feeling useful.
“I’ll get fat, Hajime.” Daily life in this show, as well as Hajime still trying to solve Berg Katze’s riddle are the best.
Utsutsu’s special corner, of things given to her by Hajime and JJ. And stuff.
And here comes the doxxing and the hate.
Hajime is trying to cheer Rui not by “This is nothing,” but “See, I’m getting it too,” which then goes on to say, “See, and I’m still fine, and don’t let it get to me!” it’s true, but also showing him how ridiculous it seems when it’s about someone else, so he should know it’s ridiculous about him as well.
But see, here’s the other part of it via Utsutsu, who can’t listen to it even if it’s about Hajime.
It’s not that Hajime is “fine with it,” but she’s “fine”, and her goal was to get Rui off of it. Off the net. So, we started via connecting to people, but once we find our peerage, we no longer need to let in the whole wide world.
When you look at the internet, what you find is yourself. Don’t internet while angry or sad.
And Rui is laughing because a picture was tried to use as a weapon against Hajime, but it ended up only bringing her joy, as she ignored the context. She’s not unaware of it, but ignored it.
Here it is, 0550, “You are the G Team’s sun”!
And she’s doing it not for sympathy, but to show a counterpoint to “the dark heart,” she’s saying people are naturally decent.
So, that’s the answer to the riddle – other people’s misfortunes. That’s the sweet thing.
A festival, right after Hajime said festivals sound like fun, and that she’d sing.
The Dark Heart just waited to be revealed.
Even Sugane is shocked at seeing Hajime apparently troubled.
You can’t turn off the festival, nor the black heart, nor humanity. So Hajime doesn’t know what to do.
“Lack of initiative,” or “initiative in the wrong direction”? Cause it’s not the same, and Rui personally or nearly-so ruled out almost 30k users? Boy’s been busy.
Right, he provides the gun, the target, and eggs you on, but he’s not “starting the fire,” he really is like the bully waving his hand in front of your face and saying “not touching!” but no one’s buying it. He’s egging them on, he is creating terror. Such as when he stabbed people and such.
Of course, Umeda has his followers who seek national power, a revolution, but most of those Berg Katze gave powers to just now won’t join with him, they just wanna have fun.
And back on my recent “justified Xenophobia,” there’s tension here between “This is human spirit,” and the original instigator being an alien, as if we can’t start it all on our own.
People on the internet turning to someone to save them, back to square 1 for Rui, and also wanting the world to be re-simplified for them, that’s what heroes are for.
“This situation is completely unexpected! We must seek JJ’s advice!” But JJ told them of this “carnival”, and he only tells them of stuff that’s about to happen, he doesn’t tell them what to do about it, he expects they know – they’ll keep the peace.
“If JJ is like God, he probably won’t do anything,” not how most people want to hear God spoken of, but then, that’s why he has his angels, Charlie’s Angels! Err, the Gatchaman.
“But you and I are already friends,” unlike JJ, who’s not exactly a person.
Asking him what he wants to do, as a friend, where his answer is simply his answer, because as a leader means he has to weigh all sort of things, rather than simple desire.
It’s all our faults, so it’s all our responsibilities. To do what we can.
Everyone around Rui, picking up, even “It’s not the time to be gloomy” from Utsutsu, a momentous event. Almost final episode level, heh.
Jou isn’t interested, which is why he doesn’t appear. Hiding behind his regular person mask, the only one he feels he’s worthwhile of.
“You used to make fun of these public apologies all the time!” Berg Katze is the internet in full force here, in how when someone makes a statement and later says something else, even when they say they’ve been wrong before outright, we keep dragging it up. We demand people do better, but act as if they’re hypocrites when they try to do so, so no wonder they dig in deeper.
Silly Rui, trying to convince people not to do something that’s fun for them. Even if they might agree, it’s still fun, just like smoking and gambling.
Appealing to Pai-Pai’s twin desires, to avoid being shamed, and yummy food. He’s a simple pandaman.
Jou’s all out of flame, as the flame Gatchaman, very symbolic.
Sugane wanted to write to Jou, but he doesn’t have the words, not yet.
Berg Katze is free, Gatcha “bound by JJ,” except he never tells them what to do. He seeks freedom, where any social ties to him are imprisonment.
See, a declaration of freedom, not that they’re bound, but to make clear they’ll be acting on their own, and for their own.
Episode 10:
No, not the internet! Mistaking cause and effect. A return to episode 3.
Link to the original 2013 write-up on episode 10.
Reporters wearing construction helmets, giving rise to an atmosphere of panic, and “we could be next.”
People not using their powers for the right purpose, Umeda is encountering the same thing as Rui did before.
And Rui still reaches out to X. X is his sounding board, who he usually overruled, his own inner self, so to speak.
Hajime can’t see Berg Katze, though he’s visible on his own screen. She sees right through him, she doesn’t register him. Because she doesn’t understand him, or because he’s hiding, or because she doesn’t consider him important?
“Hajime-tan” he calls her, a diminutive name.
A poem, he’s replaced JJ, usurped him.
Even in the midst of his revolution, Umeda still cares for his daughter, still must. Because his power’s all virtual. Still no flesh followers. Not the recognition he hoped for.
Umeda is also worried because he lives in Tachikawa City, and it’s easy to destroy other people’s stuff, but harder when it’s close to home. Same as when he’ll get doxxed. It’s one thing to dox others, but quitedifferent being doxxed yourself.
“Is everyone ready?” And now it’s clear who’s calling the shots. Not Pai-Pai, who’s afraid. Also not Sugane, who’s only a blade for others to wield.
Yes, even if they’re terrorists, this is Japan, you can’t attack civilians! :P
Utsutsu’s hand of life and hand of death.
“The internet is too dangerous,” at least while under the control of trolls. It’s a tool. It’s about how it’s used.
“Did you go through the proper channels?!” Like Pai-Pai, a way to avoid responsibility, to ground yourself. But also as the man at the top of the pyramid, the way to reassert your importance.
“We’ve been approved to carry weapons, but we can’t use them!” LOL
The adults together, helpless in the face of uncompromising anger.
“Killing me won’t change this nation,” indeed, a revolution without evolution, he’s just a figurehead anyway. And they didn’t do anything to the underlying structures, of which the police and such are just manifestations, but also inhibitors of change, so maybe.
Power doesn’t assuage loneliness.
“In times like this, I’ve always asked myself, “Do you love this planet?””, of course he’s going off of Hajime’s recent question, but it’s to help a fellow “leader” out, and we all do it, apply our new knowledge of ourselves retroactively, as if we’ve never changed.
Prime Minister Sugayama looking like an adult Umeda is probably by design. What you see once you attain power isn’t what you see when you wish for it
Yes, scared. Scared of change. Scared of opposition. No one is in better position to make change, but you’re still scared. He’s the exact person he’s talking about, about how everyone’s only about self-preservation.
OD’s most important thing, his friends.
Yes, he’s scared. But even if you’re nobody, even if there are those better than you, you should still do what you can, when you can. There’s still someone relying on you.
Sugane’s declaration of love, for Jou, his older brother, his surrogate father. His mentor and idol.
Saved girl has giraffe’s shirt, she’s quite Hajime-like.
Say yes to cross-generational love! Make your dreams come true as you carry in your hands someone of the other gender 50 years your senior!
Fire, to burn the world, or to light the darkness. A tool.
“Are you saying my subordinates should be the only ones to sacrifice themselves?” Asks Pai-Pai, as he’s hiding away. And again with self-preservation, part of what it means to be a leader, and why things don’t change. He’s not willing to take the first step.
“Are you the devil?” “No, I am you.” See my old notes for this line. You are the devil, the devil is within you, it’s all us. No gods, no devils.
Also, right, “Ume-chan,” as in “fate”.
“I made it so they’re only done rare,” or “slightly charred,” Jou, far too cool. Old-school.
Episode 11:
The call to action, what got GALAX going. The call to /heroism/.
Link to the original 2013 write-up on episode 11.
Here we are, when production couldn’t keep up. First half is the recap that actually added content, such as how Utsutsu feels towards Hajime. Going to mark which section is which, as it should be. Not gonna say a lot about the recap, there’s the write-up for that.
(Recap, insert into ep 11)
OD also wears a mask, feeling unaccepted.
Origami, changing shapes, but you can never really erase the past creases.
“I found myself starting to want to be noticed by you,” – “I turn to you, like a flower leaning towards the sun.” You want acceptance and approval.
Yes, think about it, calmly, but then act on what you decide. You can run away from situations, but not from decision-making.
Pai-Pai wanted to be nurtured into becoming the leader. It’s not that he never wanted to lead, but always did, and never felt adequate.
Right, “reveal your names,” says the masked hero, who now knows the value of taking the mask off.
(Proper Episode 11’s first half)
Right, to people living far away it doesn’t feel real, until it happens to you. Such is internet trolling.
Friends might be separated, but in the end they’ll find one another again.
Hajime quickly cutting through the crap, if being the Prime Minister is meaningless, then why doesn’t he quit? And if it’s not meaningless, and he believes, then let him act on it.
The mayor driving around on a bicycle himself, spreading the news. Doing what he can.
Seeing responses in real time, heh. Crazy kids these days.
“You think someone else will fix it, and when they don’t, you’ll bitch and moan!” Exactly, this is Rui, who complained others couldn’t solve things, but then couldn’t solve them himself, and then Umeda. Things aren’t simple.
He’s shirking responsibility, crowd-sourcing it to GALAX and its users, but it’s the right thing, even if he’ll have to take responsibility, both for movement of power and of funds.
Order? Not on Berg-Katze’s watch! So, more chaos! Or so he attempts, but here we go with “Humans are generally good,” because all the current CROWDS users are those certified bad, so everyone else, the vast majority, is good, and trustworthy.
Berg Katze is relying on power unleashed and then overused, and used for the wrong purposes, and collateral damage. He’s expecting Shiki. But this show is far more optimistic.
Yup, half episode originally, but man did it feel like end-of-episode content, unless they cut some content from here to make it fit.
Episode 12:
A time for changing perspectives. A time to believe what he always preached.
(Episode 11’s proper second half)
Not thinking of ramifications. We’re stuck in a traffic jam? Let’s remove the blocking cars! But what you do to others, they can do to you, which will quickly bring things down, and will show you peer pressure.
Berg Katze is playing a game, so even obvious baits work on him, because it’s part of the game, but also because he wishes to accept the challenge and still crush the enemy, to truly rob them of hope. Also, if they turn destructive, he’s won anyway, right? Right? Well, maybe not, but he’s telling himself he won’t be bored, at least.
Hajime is far too happy at being overwhelmed, because here is reaching out to others, relying on them, and everyone being equal. By reaching out.
Of course, person versus person is the same as crowd versus crowd, but people will take time learning that. I think I wrote about it in my write-up after the episode’s 2nd half.
“Everyone’s carrying on with their lives without knowing what’s right,” indeed, and the Concrete Revolutio theme, as it is for many shows.
“I can’t do this alone,” which everyone reaches as the final step, rather than the first.
Violence will change the world, to a more violent one. And in a violent one, it leads to revolutions, where you remain in place.
“They all love other people having a tough time!” Well, we’re certainly drawn to watch it, to be entertained by it, so we have interest in more of this appearing, and its creators have an audience. To be a solution, we need to either say no, or at least stop consuming it.
But, we do enjoy it.
Hajime found her mated pair, he’s her opposite in what he finds fun, but her likeness in trying to understand people and in searching and doing what he finds enjoyable. She also wants to get to know him, no masks, no invisibility.
And now Hajime has a riddle for him, “What makes a hero?”
Well, violence got him to change his opinion…
And OD thought of letting go, because it’s easy, until he was reminded of what he’d lose.
Here it is, the most NGE reference in Gatchaman Crowds. And of course, the crucified person, Berg Katze.
Stabbing OD’s soul with the method of communication of their silent God, eh?
“Find your own, personal game!” The ultimate gamification, where you set yourself goals, and seize the initiative, what he wanted people to do, but stopped them from, up to now.
But feeling excited doesn’t mean it’d work, X. Though it’s a good first step under Hajime’s tutelage.
And this is where this episode should’ve ended? Probably under “Play the CROWDS,” to mirror episode 3 and 5.
(Episode 12’s second half. Proper episode 12’s first half?)
So, those from without, to whom it looks like a movie join. It also means no frustration and fear over the situation, and in a game, we often choose to be the good, much better than we might really be. And yes, sometimes we choose to be much worse too :P
Never tiring hands with super strength, gonna make those riceballs! It’s so charming how the show took such a mundane activity and melded it with the supernatural, showing how it could be used for everyday life. Gamification, man!
See, GALAX users already know what to do, to push back those who create trouble. The anti-trolls.
Pai-Pai giving orders, so cute :D
See you guys in a few hours for the next post! Keep your heads up!
Everyone wants to be useful, so the civil workers feel left out. But, isn’t it all about their goal? Well, humans aren’t so simple.
But yes, “Focus on what only we as civil servants can do!” And what’s that? Hm.
“What makes a hero?” she asks, after announcing we’re all heroes, so she might have an answer, or knows how to get there.
And Berg Katze expected the world to be over by the time he’s out, not in a better shape than before he got involved.
Before Berg Katze hid, now he announces his presence, but no one cares. Everyone’s too happy to pay attention to the troll.
The last few minutes feel like where the post-half-point should’ve been, certainly. A few seconds early, just as the mid-point for the episode was just a wee bit late, right.
“No matter what happens, I’m just me,” which was followed by Berg Katze over-taking her theories, and here she is, where she promised to go on a date with Berg Katze. But also reminding her mom she’s no Goddess, just her daughter.
Right, our dear post-ED section.
Right, incorporating CROWDS into daily life. I’m sure I covered this bit in my write-up.
Decision by committee, crowd-sourcing and “wisdom of the crowds,” but also “Decision by committee,” at least while elections are upcoming.
“I am not the sole leader,” so why are you the prime minister? Though yes, you lead for the people.
Dat feeling when politicians try to win you over by saying crap.
“Take care, Hajime.” The first time Pai-Pai doesn’t call her “Newbie”.
Geekorner-Geekulture. 