Sidonia no Kishi: Daikyuu Wakusei Seneki – 09

「任務」 (Ninmu)
“Duty”

No one likes to wait. There are plenty of things one could do in the time we spend waiting on people, on lines, or just the train to arrive, and it’s one of the more frustrating aspects of the daily routine. The fact that we can’t do anything about it’s necessity doesn’t make it any better, and it goes double for circumstances where the lives of those you care for are on the line. When it comes to combat, one of the more under-discussed aspects are the feelings of the soldiers on standby and the families that await their return, and as we see this week in particular, it’s always a struggle to stay calm and collected no matter who you are. The fact that you have no say in what happens—no ability to physically affect the outcome—is a powerlessness no one wants to feel, and Tanikaze finds out just how difficult it is to be in that exact situation.

Perhaps more cruel is his major role in Izana’s deployment as part of Planet Nine’s recon team, and it goes to show that the peaceful moments of past weeks are merely a mask covering the darker aspects of Sidonian society. The fact of the matter is that not everyone’s an ace pilot like Tanikaze—nor do they receive the privileges, equipment, and treatment he and others in the upper echelon receive. That’s not to say pilots like him didn’t ultimately earn them or to say it’s not reasonable to prioritize given the circumstances, but the fact remains that for the average pilot, that difference—however small it may be in skill or treatment—brings with it enough uncertainty to make anyone go mad.

It figures that this would lead to desertions and the belief that leaving the Sidonia would be better, and despite the generally cheerful start to this episode, there’s a lot more here than just fun and games. All things must inevitably have their end after all, and it looks like the fun times are all but over. The use of the Hayakaze Mobile Support Armor, the engagement of the recon team with a new Gauna-subtype… all herald the beginning of a fight that could either make or break humanity’s fight, and it’s a great watch seeing how both the Gauna and humanity are constantly evolving in regards to the weapons they wield and how they fight.

The question that remains is who’ll end up in the lead before it’s all said and done, and it makes you wonder just what else Kunato/Ochiai has up his sleeve. Will they complete the Graviton Emitter in time for the big fight? Is that yet another Gauna/Human hybrid in production? Who/what must be sacrificed to ultimately achieve victory? Just three episodes remain…

 

Preview

22 Comments

  1. sealouse

    All I want to know is what did Tanikaze say to Izana.

    • Zephyr

      Knowing him, something along the lines of “I DO ACTUALLY QUITE CARE FOR YOU!” except… not in the meaning Izana would probably want to understand it as. Lol.

      • WorldwideDepp

        He see her as a Friend something like (now) Sister. because she was the first friend he made, after going to the Surface and she supported him on free will

        So, Soulbuddy like Suna and Takeo now. Because his love heart is with Hosijiro. And that’s no Spoiler

  2. SerRompalot

    It’s a shame we’ll never get to see the Type-19s or Mizuki destroyers in action in the anime.

    • Exukvera

      Unless there is a season 3.

    • celebrinen

      All I wanted was Yuhata and the Mizuki and now I’m sad.

      They can make it up to me with S3 and a Blame series.

  3. Longhaul

    This is easily my favorite arc in the manga so far, get hype!

    No high cost prototype is a shame though, it was sexy as hell.

  4. fishies

    I’m disappointed with this second season so far. There’s a lot more focus on Tanikaze’s harem of women (or Gauna) without any real reason except for his piloting skill. Instead it would’ve been more deep if the series looked into the toll the Gauna War exacted on the Sidonia crew and there seemed to be a lot of room to flesh characters out like why people want to be pilots, their motivations, dreams, growth, shortcomings, etc. But sadly so much screentime is about Izana and Tanikaze dancing around each other waiting for someone to make a move, while Yuhata (whom I’m rooting for), Tsumugi, Samari are on the bench waiting to be substituted in (homage to Women’s World Cup starting today).

    There are glimpses of that but it’s more a minor part this season. Last season, you saw more of the fear, terror, trauma, uncertainty and how characters reacted in those situations to loss, impending doom (Akai, 1st girl that was eaten, Tanikaze fighting Benisuzume etc). Now it’s just Tanikaze’s relationships with the females around him. Little is shown on his feelings except that he seems dense and pretty stupid to what’s going on around him for an ace pilot. The characters seem more flat this season. I’m surprised they can’t genetically program all pilots to be absent of emotion or fear but can make them photosynthesize, immortal, cyborgs, and cloned. And a lot of the episodes just seemed cheesy and I’m pausing the episode in frustration because in my head I’m often saying “Oh Come on, I’ve seen this pattern before…sigh…” maybe I’m too old for this anime or I’ve watched too much.

    The background setting and story is intriguing like Shingeki no Kyojin but I feel first season is better than this. Oh well, gotta watch this too the end.

    • celebrinen

      They seem to have reversed the way they did things. S1 was essentially a highlights reel showing off all the fights and skipping huge chunks of everyday life. I don’t know why they are doing this much everyday harem hijinks this season.

      To be fair though the events shown are faithful to the source. You won’t get much more focus on other crew and pilots even in the manga. Samari, Sei and Lala haven’t been given a lot and they skipped Sasaki sama’s backstory which is unforgivable.

    • Eraser

      while Yuhata (whom I’m rooting for)

      Are you sure that your complaints about the second season are not due to the fact that Yuhata’s ship is still in port? I think Tanikaze is the only flat character in the show, but it is somewhat realistic for a person who lived his entire life with his grandfather, doing simulator non-stop.

      • WorldwideDepp

        yeah, behave with the other gender, no one told him that. he is now slowing understand them with his puberty feelings. So for the other gender, he is still emotional a Kid

    • otaku_sucks

      I agree to everything you said about Season 2 of Sidonia no Kish. As you pointed out, much of supposedly description of everyday life of Sidonia no Kish is nothing more than dumb, cliche, uninteresting, childish scenes around the relationship of Tanikaze with his girls.

      In other words, the production staff of season 2 of SnK decided to focus more about than before, which is the real cause of degeneration of the quality of this show.

      I’m not pausing to see the show, still watching. But it is true that season 2 of SnK is clearly much poorer as SF Anime than Season 1.

      Disappointing.

      • otaku_sucks

        correction :

        In other words, the production staff of season 2 of SnK decided to focus more about than before, which is the real cause of degeneration of the quality of this show.

        ==> In other words, the production staff of season 2 of SnK decided to focus more about typical ugly Japanese Otaku favorite-friendly stuff than before, which is the real cause of degeneration of the quality of this show.

  5. celebrinen

    Yes, that thing is another chimera. Considering its impact on the story introducing it so late could indicate S3?

    Manga spoiler ahead, will not affect watching the anime in the manga the 2nd chimera had the GBE, there wasn’t a gauna gun

  6. WorldwideDepp

    I just wait in how they will now fit in some Special Person


    The Twin Tail Person

    For that they must somehow include the Colonists. But here in the Anime. Are they travel ahead to this Planet as some kind of Pioneer? or are they left behind? I am a bit confused about the timeline

    If left behind, they must use now the new Automatic Carrier system, that Izana ride with the others to save fuel and travel long distance. But then there is no space for cargo-hold like survivors. They need some kind of better Carrier with Payload capability to make a Rescue operation now reasonable, IF the Colonists are left Behind. If they are on the Same Planet, then we will get an Double Rescue Episode. Izana and the Special Twin Tail Person broadcasting an SOS Signal to the Lost Moonbase

    Lucky for Izana, her new Cockpit Arm enhancement save here her Life. And she got used to it the hard way

    Tanikaze is on the Edge, because Izana is a very close friend like Tsumugi and Green hair one

    Perhaps we are lucky and get to see the Human body Parts left inside Tsumugi from her Mother. But this gives this Scene (in the Manga) some kind of Claymore influence. Even if here the Manga was first. If you want to show us this scene, please be gentle. It is Tanikaze rare moments with the Person he really loves from heart

  7. urgh….as a manga reader, I am confused with the story order…

    and I thought they are supposed to be meeting that twin tail robot girl by now, right? but instead of that, they are going into this final benisuzume confrontation arc…whereas the benisuzume herself is already killed in S1….

    so that means the twin tail robot girl will make appearance in S3?

    • info600

      Unfortunately the rescue’s supposed to be BEFORE your spoiler event. They shuffled a lot of stuff around just so everything “makes sense for anime viewers”.

  8. jhpace1

    Izana Shinatose – the girl her ‘grandmother’ Yure Shinatose wants Nagate Tanikaze to pick
    Tsumugi Shiraui – the alien girl whose ‘mother’ was Placenta-Shizuka Hoshijiro, but Nagate doesn’t know it yet
    Yuhata Midorikawa – the chaperone/friend of Izana and Nagate

    People always say the relationships matter more than the technology in sci-fi/space opera, but it’s really a fine line to walk between the two. We’ve had clone immortality, advanced cybernetics, advanced power source/engineering, impossible weapons, inscrutable aliens, and history as a precious legacy.

  9. WorldwideDepp

    Eo 10:

    Epic!!


    Tension like Gravity, Fights, Teamplay, Cockpit Camera FoV, Izana’s “Brain skills” and her Artificial Eyes… Sound Effects…

    in short: Epic

    and some Archenemy appears again, this time a bit “better looking”. You can say. Daughter against Mother fight on!!

    Sidonia no Kishi. I am glad to know you. You fairly gain the right to be Top Notch

    Must see for Sidonia no Kishi Fans!!

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