With Waku’s funeral, it seems apparent that he has died. However, is it the nudge of Jun that has caused his death as he plunged down the water and drowned, or is it something else. There is no mecha action for this episode, but we are brought through the aftermath of the death of Waku, the first pilot who had been on the Zearth.

Without any real help or belief from the external parties and adults, what will these children face as they return to their own lives. Who will be the second pilot that will be chosen?

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Episode summary

Everyone was investigated by the police on why they had embarked on this trip, and most of them gave answers such as simply as a trip for fun. Kanji even said he came because he was bored, but when pressed on about the cute girls, he smiled and said perhaps. When they asked about where they went, Kirie was hesitant, Chizu and Moji said that they went out after noticing the huge mecha as the television showed the remnants and clips of the mecha battle, with 2130 deaths and 213 injured. Aiko was clearly freaked out by the whole incident when questioned. The investigator then asked who they were with, as each kid named a few names until Kako said Waku.

When asked on where Waku was, Moji said he was always alone playing soccer, Nakarai added that Waku was someone who acted individually. There was also investigation by the police on the students of the school. When the investigator questioned Kodoka and said that some of them said they were with Waku, Kodoka questioned back, asking why the police could hold underage kids under custody for so long. A new report stated that Waku’s body was washed up the shore, with Kodoka stating that he was one of the many deaths. The flashback after Jun denied the push was shown as Moji,, Daiichi and Kanji believed that he did not do it because it was a very gentle nudge. Moji also told everyone to keep this under wraps because it would be dangerous.

Aiko was crying with fear, with Kako making cynical remarks, only for Ano to say that it was just normal to cry after such a death. They were discussing about the amount of casualties, as some worried that they might be implicated. However, Honda said there were many more in the vicinity, and that would not mean that they would be suspected as long as they said nothing. Kodoka said that all of them were idiots, as they should worry about themselves more since they could not escape from this game of death rather than worrying for a dead Waku.

When Takami said that they were the pilots of the mecha, they looked in shock but released all the kids. From the interactions, it was clear that Kako had a mother who was pretty harsh, Kodoka did not have a good relationship with his father considering his brother picked him up, Chizu having an atrocious relationship with her family and that Kanji stayed in the same apartment as Jun and Kana. Jun also asked his father not to pick them up as Kanji gave them a lift back home. The police were also discussing about the revelation that the children might be the pilots, as they continued to do research on it since it was too ridiculous.

Aiko then avoided the chair she often sat down, and asked her mother how she could react if she said that she was one of the pilots, only to get laughter. Going over to Kanji, Kanji asked them to have a meal together when they reached their apartment. Inside the house, Jun was clearly irritated by Kana’s gurgling of her mouth, but ignored her existence afterwards.

Takami then explained to her father, a parliamentary governor (I think?) that they initially thought it was a game but they were willing to take on the duty and the consequences. His father said that she need not worry since the government had set up a department for it and the police was working on it still. Takami then realized that her father did not believe her and questioned whether she had ever told a lie. With that, he told her that she promised to check out what the government was up to and called the secretary to record what they had just said.

A few days later, Moji was at Waku’s funeral as he called Ano first, before Ano called Takami for everyone to come over. As Moji put down the phone, Waku’s father passed him a cup of orange juice and smiled grimly as he patted Moji’s shoulders. Moji was there the next day in the morning, as everyone was here except Kanji, Jun and Kana, as they said it was reasonable for him not to come after that incident. However, he did appear. In the mortuary, the police checked with the pathologist as he smiled, saying that they were here to spy on him, but they asked him on the condition of Waku’s death by drowning. The pathologist said that Waku did not die of drowning.

At the funeral, the children told Waku’s father to take care but he thanked them instead, telling them that they had been through the last happy days of Waku before he died. In the little speech before Waku was cremated, Waku’s father expressed that his son was really nothing great except for his infectious energy and he apologized for his son’s troubles to everyone. However, Waku’s father said that he was his dear son and he regretted that he did not spend enough time with him due to being so busy at work as they broke down, with some of the girls also breaking down.

The pathologist, taking out the record, said that Waku did not die of drowning but in fact had no bubbles or foam in his body. His body was as clean as a normal human, except that his life was sucked out. As the body was cremated, the chair in the cockpit seemed to burn as the next person to be chosen was starting, with Dung Beetle in the middle. Kodoka then realized that he was the next pilot as the chair stopped.

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Thoughts

Updated list of alive kids: Click here for the picture

Ok, I will want to start on something really interesting. If you look at the chart, the first kid that is dead is Waku, who is in fact the first child that has gone through the verification that Kokopelli has gone through. Kodoka is in fact the second one. Does that mean that the characters are going to pilot it in order. If so, that will mean that all the guys will die first before going to the girls.

Perhaps, it’s only coincidence but it does seem to have some logical link to when they sign the contract of verification and the order in which it was signed. With that, it does make sense for Kokopelli to be the first, Waku to be the second and hence Kodoka to be third. Does that mean Moji will be the next? NO! I hope that it’s perhaps a strange coincidence but if anything, I also updated the photo image with the order of the children who signed it up at the bottom right corner of each picture for everyone’s reference.

To go on, I also must say that Moji shows an exceeding amount of maturity in the way he leads the group. Yes, there is no real leader but it is clear that Moji is the one that organizes the crowd, other than the people who could care less (Kodoka, Kako). The means in which he told everyone to calm down when Jun nudged Waku was excellent diplomatic action.

On the episode itself, I find myself completely disgusted and somehow impressed by the cold demeanour given by Kodoka in this episode. For some reason, I tend to be very impressed with such characters, especially when it is a mere child. The crab burning incident really reeks of something devastating in which he sees killing as merely killing, and it made no difference since the life was going to end.

For some reason, he will definitely relish the chance of causing carnage in my opinion. I think the next episode will show the battle between Kodoka and the enemy if I am not mistaken. His respite at the police investigator is often evidence of his cold-blooded thinking. A pity he will die, since Waku’s autopsy proved something as explained slightly later. I also think his idea of looking more intelligent with Kokopelli’s spectacles is quite screwed in his thoughts, and I am somewhat thinking: Why is this kid not a serial killer yet?

I found the aftermath of the funeral to be conducted in an excellent way. Even though Waku’s death ended, it was ironic that his father only realized his mistake on the post mortem. It is never something good for a parent to be sending his own child in his last path toward the afterlife. The speech is also pretty tear jerking, and I found myself close to tears when the speech ended. It is so sad that Waku never has a chance to tell his father how much he would wish to hear it.

Waku’s death is also examined by the pathologist to be a case of clean death, and they find that he is already dead before he was in the water. That also clearly shows that Jun has absolutely nothing to cause Waku’s death. Still, I wonder if his life force is taken like that. I wonder big time. The interactions when the children were picked up also gives quite a few hints about the background of the family, including Chizu and Kodoka’s family. They clearly seemed to be a rather screwed up family relationship, particularly Chizu Honda, who looks like a completely emo kid without showing her emo side.

In all, this episode reveals a bit more about the death of Waku and the impending future for the children. Also, it leaves to wonder whether and what the government will do when the next attack comes. Lastly, I wait in anticipation to see the background story of Kodoka.

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