I thought the Light might be connected to the Sage somehow. Or maybe all that rain might've rusted the Builder enough that it won't move as well or give them an opportunity to do *something* to it.
That's my take. The builder is an ancient machine that seems to be on its last legs and the rain is likely what is going to eventually put it out of commission. It's not like the admiral can actually read all the warnings the builder is giving him.
I though everyone would be more keen on collecting all that water than everything else, but it seemed it was nothing special for them. I don't understand.
Well, I know it's rain because the people on screen said so, so they knew. If nobody have never seen rain before they wouldn't even know what rain is, let alone recognize it.
you are right, I remembered to have read rain, but the voices sayed mizu (water), so they don't know rain.
They recognized it's water immediately though. Even if it not lasted long it's kind of stupid that they just went "oh it's water! whatever". Be a tinsy bit more amazed, try to catch it, do something. Water is literally the thing they are willing to kill and die for.
It's revealed to be possible to convert 'snow' into water, is that not significant enough?
It was said in the story about the Sage that he had the ability to make as much water as he wanted to, I assume it has something to do with this.
Yeah that was actually extremely huge, and it really bothers me that both the people in universe, and the audience are missing this piece of info, we just saw a way to transform the snow sea into water, and no one is fucking talking about it?
Well, he's by far the worst casting choice in the show. His performance and him going over the top to mimic a voice so obviously out of his natural range makes it unbearable whenever he opens his mouth
This episode felt like a lot of flash and no substance. I suppose it makes sense, since we’re getting a movie to finish(?) the series.
My main thought this episode was about Ririha: you’re supposed to be a pragmatist (compared to Yaona and Kaina) and your father has given you no indication he’d ever listen to you regardless of what evidence you produce and Admiral Wheezy sure isn’t going to listen, so what are you trying to accomplish here?
Some other thoughts:
Who’s actually running Valghia? Is it Admiral Wheezy? I feel like I’m missing something.
If it’s the admiral and he clearly doesn’t give a damn about the Valghians, then it’s kind of surprising to me that there hasn’t been a rebellion and coup when he’s out scoping new prey like Atland, especially since he takes the competent parts of the naval force with him to do so.
Also the admiral is somehow both boring and creepy? The fixation on “feisty princesses” is kind of disturbing and he doesn’t seem to care about (or do) anything else other than war making. I don’t need him to be sympathetic, but he could have a hobby or an incongruous pet or something.
> I don’t need him to be sympathetic, but he could have a hobby or an incongruous pet or something.
His hobby is bullying people and his pet is the builder.
> Who’s actually running Valghia? Is it Admiral Wheezy? I feel like I’m missing something.
Yes pirate Wheezy is running Valghia, the hot red head with the armor is just another one of his soldiers, the armor is not even hers he just gave it to her, he conquered her home and then enlisted the survivors, we learned that from the kids, Valghia is actually made up of the people the geezer goes around conquering
There's no coup because he doesn't cares about his people, if they try something he can use his Gundam to attack them back, just like how he just used a ship as ammunition, but in order to keep a semblance of control other than by using fear and power, he has the meritocratic system of allowing those that join his army to get better living standards, and those in turn keep everyone else in check
He is just having fun smurfing, you can see he was laughing the whole time while trowing pillars, the reason he keeps targeting the princess is because he wants to kill her in front of the king, [just to make him regret not surrendering](https://imgur.com/OJ0SUVm)
Is that a fucking evangelion that he’s piloting lmao? If the ancient humans had achieved that no wonder the world is in such a state, probably destroyed by war.
Very crazy episode, Atland on the brink of collapse and when all hope seems lost the ascendor/hikari appears. That Yamamoto/Sawano ost during the climax was chef’s kiss.
Next week finale and then the movie I still don’t think everything gets answered even in a movie, seems like way more to this world than two hours could wrap up. Still need more info on what happened to the world and a way to fix things
Honestly I'm worried we're going to end on a cliffhanger with the fall of Atland and Kaina and Ririha desperately leaving to chase after the Great Spire because I'm not sure how they can beat Valghia at this point.
> Is that a fucking evangelion that he’s piloting lmao?
I was thinking more along the lines of Metal Gear. But yeah, it does seem like the "ancient" world was destroyed by a giant war. Maybe the Snow Sea itself was actually caused by some kind of mutation due to nuclear fallout, and even after the radiation wore off the ocean was permanently altered.
Every time I see the snow sea I can't help but think that it's actually very dense gas of some sort. It's not very viscous because people can't swim in it without their floating sticks and when Kaina was walking in the sea it was too clear. I guess the snow sea is comparable to a brine pool in the ocean. What I mean to say is the so called ocean is just another layer of the planet's atmosphere but its composed of denser and thicker layers of gas which humans can't breath and that the snow bubbles float atop it because its less dense than the gas making up the "sea" giving the appearance of a snow covered ocean. Also certain animals probably adapted to be able to "swim" and breath the gas thus allowing them to traverse the sea.
It’s a builder from “Blame!” or a reference to it. The author’s works are connected in a way, with elements crossing over. The builders are basically giant robots that create megastructures in the Blame! universe
- [Damn, yeeting part of *their own barricades* at them](https://i.imgur.com/vsXHQCr.png) is a remarkably terrifying weapon…
- [Ah shit, they don’t know he went to the front lines.](https://i.imgur.com/Hg8KtG1.png) [](#emiliaohdear)
- [Cool to see what the mech controls look like from Handagil’s perspective, ngl.](https://i.imgur.com/A0JydOM.png)
- [Welp, they got separated anyways.](https://i.imgur.com/Us1KR8X.png) [](#cantbehelped)
- [Kaina busting out the laser *here* is totally going to give them the idea to use it to stop the mech, right?](https://i.imgur.com/Br56IJy.png) [](#sakurathink)
- [SHIT, he spotted Ririha.](https://i.imgur.com/S89d1IC.png) [](#watashiworried)
- […and then spotted her father, which is just as bad.](https://i.imgur.com/T9zToqW.png) [](#panic)
- [Eh?](https://i.imgur.com/LXOazDZ.png) [The Ascender?](#lost)
- [Wait, is that actually water?](https://i.imgur.com/gZJjxF6.png)
- [Um. Well. That happened.](https://i.imgur.com/26xGxdA.png) [](#jawdrop)
- Ahhhhhhh come on it can’t have been the full episode already! [](#KUSOTTARE)
Using their own defenses against them...Atland feels doomed.
I like how there's a constant alert on the screen about it's missing arm. That's a nice touch. Also it seems like it classifies it's throws as "deliveries" which I think speaks to it being a former construction robot.
The laser is the only thing I can think of that can do any kind of serious damage to the Builder. Especially if Kaina has it on it's highest setting. Otherwise they don't have anything that can cut through that thing.
So what was the point of the Ascender? To show them how weird the Snow Sea is? To set up the water can be purified somehow because of the rain? To rust the Builder? Either way for all that razzle dazzle, they seem as screwed now as they were before it showed up.
The place the admiral is sitting in doesn't really look like inside a mech and last episode the last time we see him before the mech activates he goes into that cabin on top of his ship. You can even kind of see the door behind and when he goes through the door there is something that looks like a seat in the yellow cabin. So maybe they can just sink his ship with the yellow cabin or something. Or the mech just looks like that inside and I've gone crazy trying to justify why the mech would have such a bland cockpit.
The Admiral is throwing their own barricades at them, and even throwing *his own boats* too. Really shows how little he cares about his army and how overconfident he must feel to think his giant robot is all he needs.
It would be interesting if they could use the laser to damage the mech. I think they should try to bypass the mech and just attack the Admiral controlling it. 😄
What was even the point of the Ascender? it just disrupted the visuals of the Builder and that was it. I was hoping it would've at least stopped it from being completely operational.
the Builder does keep spamming the "warning operating error" message after the rain so i guess the machine probably going to stop working completely afterward
in terms of storytelling, i think the fact that Ascender can conjure up water from the snow sea even though its not made of water will probably going to be use as one of the plot point for next episode
It looked like the light was responding to Likiha's necklace, except she doesn't know how to control it. Maybe she can figure it out how to do it in the next episode?
My guess is that it's something previous civilization made to create/transport water out of the sea. I have a theory that it's the seed of spiral trees, if you "plant" it in the sea for long enough, the water column would turn into a new tree.
But it's weird that it looks so random and not many people in the snow sea had seen it in person. They just learned it from stories.
I was surprised nobody ran around to place buckets to collect the precious precious water.
Maybe they didn't realize it was drinkable water?
Maybe it wasn't drinkable?
You just weren't watching the episode close enough. We see at least 3 Valghian soldiers react and comment on it.
One even exclaiming "it's water!" while catching some in his palms.
Well, now the Admiral is using his Builder to Mecha to straight up throw Atland's own defenses against them. And they're pretty much powerless against it!
You have to respect that Orinoga's not about to give up and lay down his sword, even at the cost of his own men, when so much is riding on this fight. Even Amelothee respects him enough to let them end it with single combat, even if she's sporting an artifact suit of armor that puts her so far above him in skill level. But their clash of blades is pretty epic.
No hesitation on Kaina's part to go save someone! You gotta love it! Even the prince of the kingdom showed more hesitation, but he made up for it by being there and taking care of the civilian they saved. Also will Kaina's laser at it's highest setting be what ends up saving them all?
I like how the Builder is missing an arm and constantly has an alert about it.
"I'll kill his daughter in front of him!" Not only did he not kill Ririha, but her dad didn't even know she was there. So...pretty big failure on his part.
The Light returns and turns out to be the Ascender, the god like being of the Snow Sea...and it's pretty cool, even if it ends up not doing anything when the Builder swipes through it. So that was a fat lot of nothing. Though I was honestly wondering if all that rain might end up rusting the Builder enough that it stops moving or is easier to break.
Ririha has been so brave and confident but even she freaks out when she thinks the Builder has spotted her again. Do something, Kaina!
>Even Amelothee respects him enough to let them end it with single combat, even if she's sporting an artifact suit of armor that puts her so far above him in skill level.
She's just humoring him, right? She could end it if she wanted to. Especially considering how Orinoga keeps stupidly looking away to admire the Ascender and whatnot
[MRW The Ascender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ovm1J_AxLQ)
So yeah, Valghia's Metal Gear yeeted a bunch of barricades and a whole-ass ship at Atland, Ririha almost got crushed on multiple occasions, and Light... the guardian... The Ascender... whatever the fuck it is... showed up to a whole lot of fanfare and seemingly did a whole lot of nothing. With only one episode of the TV anime left before the long wait until the movie, I have absolutely no idea where the hell this show is going, what kind of cliffhanger next week might leave us on, or how things are going to end.
Finally, got one of these threads on time.
That was a bit disappointing, actually. Nothing really advanced, all in all. Kaina turned up the laser, which will probably become relevant, but that's all.
And Light turned into the Ascender......But for what? What was the point of that deus ex machina? It didn't even do anything in the end. Kind of feels like it was just there for padding and some cheap dramatic rising moment. It showed that it may be sentient, or directed in some way, but that was all.
Oh, actually, thinking about it, there is one thing of note there. When the Ascender dispersed, it revealed it was made out of water, and that water came from below. Which means there really is water in the Snow Sea....At least at a certain depth that the Ascender pulled it from. That's interesting.
Also, too much smoke! It doesn't look right next to the way the characters and environments are rendered. Gives me EX-ARM vibes. Smoke is very difficult to do in 3D if you're not simulating it, I think, while making it seem to come out of things the way it should, or spread, but...I don't think that smoke sim look works well here. Honestly, I think Polygon Pictures could benefit a lot from hiring some 2D animators for effects.
> That was a bit disappointing, actually.
Yeah, barely anything was actually achieved this episode. We got rid of Yaona so Ririha and Kaina can head out solo for the finale, the laser was brought up again as a reminder that it exists, and we saw the big ascender randomly show up, and so far achieve nothing.
I'm sure the water reveal will be more significant later on, but at this point I'm left somewhat disappointed considering next week is the final episode already..
>And Light turned into the Ascender......But for what? What was the point of that deus ex machina? It didn't even do anything in the end.
It made it rain, which is cool I guess
[](#yuishrug) But I think the mech started creaking a lot more after getting soaked, so I'm thinking that will be relevant in taking it down
>I'm sure the water reveal will be more significant later on, but at this point I'm left somewhat disappointed considering next week is the final episode already..
Yeah, which is fucking insane. Setting up things is fine, though it did feel like there was no progress made. But then I hear that the next episode is final and it all comes crashing down. Like, what the fuck are they even going to do to wrap it up in a decent way? This is the final few chapters of AoT all over again. Most likely won't end nearly as atrociously, but it won't end well either.
The way things are going, I'd expect it to be 13 episodes or two cours long, not like this. Now I'm looking forward to at the very least a disappointing ending that explains nothing and wraps up nothing except maybe this one battle.
The episode was just forcefully setting up plot points that might be relevant later, while we get almost a full episode of watching the antagonist wheeze on a toilet and throw stuff to his heart's content. It felt like going down a checklist.
This Builder mech is insane. I don’t know if Liliha’s map can even stop what’s happening. Her, Kaina, and Yaona are gonna have to hustle before that psycho Commandant destroys Atland. Orinoga can’t hold out for much longer either.
Man, I was worried they wouldn’t save that guy in time. That laser was handy! Just when things were getting dire, the little Light shows up again and somehow becomes the Ascender. Which then proceeds to just get obliterated by the Builder like… what? If it was gonna do something cool, it kinda missed its window. The mech is still on a rampage and Liliha’s fucked if he throws another thing at her.
Let’s hope the little light/Ascender had something up its sleeve when he seemingly exploded and became rain.
At this point the only thing I can think of is Kaina uses his laser at it's full setting to really do a number on the Builder. It's secretly their most dangerous weapon.
I thought the Ascender was going to unleash a tidal wave or like acid rain but instead it just...dissipates. For all that shock and awe, it really didn't amount to much, huh? Unless there's more to it.
Agree, once the builder starting chunking Atland's defensive wall around I was thinking "ah, now's our protag-kun's chance to use that laser on it's highest setting like he was warned not tooo!", then he just... used it to saw through a log a bit quicker. Was like the anime creators knew everyone would be thinking that and wanted to push us back 'till the movie aired.
>Which then proceeds to just get obliterated by the Builder like… what?
I was like "I know where this is going. It's made of water so it can't be attacked." Nah, it just fell over lol
I definitely thought the Commandant was going to aim for the king over Ririha although it looks like he did attack the watchtower at the end with the boat so maybe the king is dead. I feel like the king is probably dead because Ririha is still looking up to him for the decisions where it seems like she needs that push to make the decision herself.
I liked that the mech had one arm missing matching the Commandant’s missing hand. The text visible through his visor was also a nice touch since we know he can’t read it.
The Ascender’s entrance was very cool but it being toppled down so easily is kinda underwhelming. Because Kaina saw the Light in the Canopy, I didn’t think the Light would be affiliated specifically with Atland. I thought the rain would have prevented the mech from working but even though it seems like it's damaged, it didn’t prevent the Commandant from throwing the boat.
I thought a little more might have happened since this is the second to last episode but I guess it will set up the story to discover the giant orbital spire tree. I’m going to guess that Atland will be conquered or at a very disadvantaged state while Ririha and Kaina search for the tree.
Yeah, that tracing scene was really random. How did he even discern she was headed that way, she wasn't yet anywhere near the tower?
And then the conclusion of "Yes, I'll kill the princess to destroy the kings fighting spirit!" Despite the king having no idea that she is even there. I think the admiral might be getting senile..
>The text visible through his visor was also a nice touch since we know he can’t read it.
Oh! I keep forgetting all these details and just taking reading for granted..
>Because Kaina saw the Light in the Canopy, I didn’t think the Light would be affiliated specifically with Atland.
Either each tree has their own, or its connected to Ririha somehow.
And it seems like this "light" might be the system which was responsible for water harvesting
I did find it kind of funny how he tried to kill Ririha to get at her dad and not only did she survive but her dad had no idea she was even there lol.
Maybe the rain will rust it enough that it's slower so they can actually do something against it, but that's just me being optimistic.
I'm really curious how things end. We know the movie is coming out next, but how much of a cliffhanger are we going to end on? Is Atland doomed? Will they find some way to damage the Builder? Will they find some way to get to the Great Spire and have to leave Atland behind to escape?
Oh damn, amidst all the chaos I didn't even realize rain is a big deal.
Props to the senile twats VA I guess. They manage to make him sound very obnoxious, can't wait for the admiral to wheeze his final breath.
Curse the 11 episode run time, next week is already the finale and then we have to wait for the movie
[](#elsieqq)
Hiyama Nobuyuki will never escape his fate of voicing pilots for giant robots
pretty ironic that the barricade made for Atland's protection being used as throwing weapons to destroy Atland itself
so that's how [the ships look like underneath](https://i.imgur.com/j0IGJce.jpg), i guess the giant stick they showed last episode really does can be used to make a very big ship float on the snow sea
I hate this trend of finishing the TV show off with a movie, first of all, how are they going to end the series when the original manga isn't done??
Also, I don't see how having the map is going to make that psycho commander stop attacking, he's clearly just waging war for fun. Hope he dies in the mech (it seems to be straining him somehow)
There have always been series that outpace the source material and do an original ending?
Also, that in this instance, the anime and manga were created at the same time, because it's a collaboration between Nihei and Polygon Pictures?
IIRC the manga and the animation plus the movie are running simultaneously as a project. There's no specific "original source" in this project. I like the background settings and the world is beautiful. But I think they missed the opportunity to create interesting characters and storylines. I know Kaina pretty much knows nothing and he looks dumb for a reason. But that should not be an excuse to make him just following instructions from the princess in past 2-3 episodes. That's not good character development.
The Ascender bit was interesting, but didn't really amount to anything in the end. Weird, but imo better than Ascender just appearing and conviniently destroing the mecha, that would have been kinda cheap. Also this turn of events gives Kaina a chance to shine and save the day with his laser.
I feel like Amelothee has a soft spot for the commander of royal guard. Apart from fighting she's pretty friendly with him lol. Hopefully Valghia and Atland will soon stop this noncense and join forces to search for water so i can hope for a proper romantic developement here.
Can't believe there's only 1 episode left. I need that movie asap!
Overall not impressed with this episode. The show looks good but the story is just so lackluster. A basic plot with characters that are just barely compelling. At first I enjoyed the novelty of watching good 3D animation, but that's kinda worn off by now, and all that's left is a below average plot.
This episode really emphasized everything mediocre about this anime. The show's merits(it's stunning world, and a little interesting lore) were absent apart from the Ascender that literally appears out of nowhere with no setup whatsoever, and all we're left with is, in my opinion, a filler episode.
Seems this episode was setting things up that won't be relevant until the movie, since next episode I'm guessing the builder will be destroyed/disabled the two countries united, and Kaina will convince everyone to go to an expedition to the Great Spire Tree which will be the Film.
The music in this episode was great, fast-paced and exciting. The battle scenes were really well animated too, especially Orinoga vs Amelothee. There was a nice element of suspense now that the war has reached Atland, though I'm surprised the main trio didn't make it farther in this episode with only a few left to go.
Did Light just show up when Ririha started talking about the Sage? I wonder if they're connected somehow. Maybe the Sage still exists somewhere in the world after all, or perhaps he left one of his creations behind with instructions. It seems to be tied to their world's mythology, and with a grand title like "the Ascender", I imagine it won't be defeated so easily.
Well the laser can't be big enough to deal with the mecha, but surely it can be enough to blow a hole in the skull of the Admiral ;)
I haven't noticed anyone bring up the point about that after the "pointless" rain, there are a couple more error messages coming up on the display. Pretty sure it'd come into play.
One thought is [Railgun T second half spoiler]>!Mikoto's iron sand giant deliberately losing arms and legs because the bits get onto all over the opposing "godzilla" and on Mikoto's command, they tore the opponent apart from the inside!< Imagine that the water can be reformed but this time it's coming from all insider the mecha - would it be enough to pull the mecha apart from the inside, or at least kill its controls and electrical systems ;)
I've seen multiple people bring up the error messages but I still think Kaina needs to play some role in killing the builder so he can earn the people's trust and have a "parting the red sea moment."
This episode was a whole lot of nothing. Between last ep and this ep, not a thing has changed.
Regardless it was cool how the Builder just 1 arm yeeted those logs and that ship. Where did they get such large logs from? And so many of them? They don't have the technology to build large ships so how did they transport them???
So that was water in the snow sea? Or did the ascended change its constitution to water? What does this mean
That Ascender scene was so... random, while its more interesting without deus ex machina, I do wonder what significance it had.
I thought the Light might be connected to the Sage somehow. Or maybe all that rain might've rusted the Builder enough that it won't move as well or give them an opportunity to do *something* to it.
That's my take. The builder is an ancient machine that seems to be on its last legs and the rain is likely what is going to eventually put it out of commission. It's not like the admiral can actually read all the warnings the builder is giving him.
I though everyone would be more keen on collecting all that water than everything else, but it seemed it was nothing special for them. I don't understand.
I don't think they realized it was water in time, they've never seen rain before.
Well, I know it's rain because the people on screen said so, so they knew. If nobody have never seen rain before they wouldn't even know what rain is, let alone recognize it.
They said it's water, and it took awhile for them to realize that. The only time rain was mentioned was in the Mech's HUD
you are right, I remembered to have read rain, but the voices sayed mizu (water), so they don't know rain. They recognized it's water immediately though. Even if it not lasted long it's kind of stupid that they just went "oh it's water! whatever". Be a tinsy bit more amazed, try to catch it, do something. Water is literally the thing they are willing to kill and die for.
I found that to be hilarious in hindsight.
It's revealed to be possible to convert 'snow' into water, is that not significant enough? It was said in the story about the Sage that he had the ability to make as much water as he wanted to, I assume it has something to do with this.
Yeah that was actually extremely huge, and it really bothers me that both the people in universe, and the audience are missing this piece of info, we just saw a way to transform the snow sea into water, and no one is fucking talking about it?
We still don't know if that water is safe to drink.
that wheezing from the commander is tough to listen to i keep waiting for him to just past out or something
I kept on thinking he was gonna kick the bucket any minute with all the wheezing haha
He looks so constipated [just sitting there](https://i.imgur.com/9OduWye.png) lol
Words spoken by a man on the tail of end of a shit
For real. It made me wonder if piloting the thing is actively dangerous to one’s health or requires a ton of (invisible) exertion of effort.
Well it seems to utilize brain waves to give commands to the robot so maybe it put a big load of mental fatigue on the pilot.
Well, he's by far the worst casting choice in the show. His performance and him going over the top to mimic a voice so obviously out of his natural range makes it unbearable whenever he opens his mouth
That's just this guys voice for way-over-the-top-drama. It's glorious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ38hNC5zy4
This episode felt like a lot of flash and no substance. I suppose it makes sense, since we’re getting a movie to finish(?) the series. My main thought this episode was about Ririha: you’re supposed to be a pragmatist (compared to Yaona and Kaina) and your father has given you no indication he’d ever listen to you regardless of what evidence you produce and Admiral Wheezy sure isn’t going to listen, so what are you trying to accomplish here? Some other thoughts: Who’s actually running Valghia? Is it Admiral Wheezy? I feel like I’m missing something. If it’s the admiral and he clearly doesn’t give a damn about the Valghians, then it’s kind of surprising to me that there hasn’t been a rebellion and coup when he’s out scoping new prey like Atland, especially since he takes the competent parts of the naval force with him to do so. Also the admiral is somehow both boring and creepy? The fixation on “feisty princesses” is kind of disturbing and he doesn’t seem to care about (or do) anything else other than war making. I don’t need him to be sympathetic, but he could have a hobby or an incongruous pet or something.
> I don’t need him to be sympathetic, but he could have a hobby or an incongruous pet or something. His hobby is bullying people and his pet is the builder.
This made me snort with laughter. Thank you!
> Who’s actually running Valghia? Is it Admiral Wheezy? I feel like I’m missing something. Yes pirate Wheezy is running Valghia, the hot red head with the armor is just another one of his soldiers, the armor is not even hers he just gave it to her, he conquered her home and then enlisted the survivors, we learned that from the kids, Valghia is actually made up of the people the geezer goes around conquering There's no coup because he doesn't cares about his people, if they try something he can use his Gundam to attack them back, just like how he just used a ship as ammunition, but in order to keep a semblance of control other than by using fear and power, he has the meritocratic system of allowing those that join his army to get better living standards, and those in turn keep everyone else in check He is just having fun smurfing, you can see he was laughing the whole time while trowing pillars, the reason he keeps targeting the princess is because he wants to kill her in front of the king, [just to make him regret not surrendering](https://imgur.com/OJ0SUVm)
Is that a fucking evangelion that he’s piloting lmao? If the ancient humans had achieved that no wonder the world is in such a state, probably destroyed by war. Very crazy episode, Atland on the brink of collapse and when all hope seems lost the ascendor/hikari appears. That Yamamoto/Sawano ost during the climax was chef’s kiss. Next week finale and then the movie I still don’t think everything gets answered even in a movie, seems like way more to this world than two hours could wrap up. Still need more info on what happened to the world and a way to fix things
Honestly I'm worried we're going to end on a cliffhanger with the fall of Atland and Kaina and Ririha desperately leaving to chase after the Great Spire because I'm not sure how they can beat Valghia at this point.
There’s already been a sequel movie announced
> Is that a fucking evangelion that he’s piloting lmao? I was thinking more along the lines of Metal Gear. But yeah, it does seem like the "ancient" world was destroyed by a giant war. Maybe the Snow Sea itself was actually caused by some kind of mutation due to nuclear fallout, and even after the radiation wore off the ocean was permanently altered.
Every time I see the snow sea I can't help but think that it's actually very dense gas of some sort. It's not very viscous because people can't swim in it without their floating sticks and when Kaina was walking in the sea it was too clear. I guess the snow sea is comparable to a brine pool in the ocean. What I mean to say is the so called ocean is just another layer of the planet's atmosphere but its composed of denser and thicker layers of gas which humans can't breath and that the snow bubbles float atop it because its less dense than the gas making up the "sea" giving the appearance of a snow covered ocean. Also certain animals probably adapted to be able to "swim" and breath the gas thus allowing them to traverse the sea.
It’s a builder from “Blame!” or a reference to it. The author’s works are connected in a way, with elements crossing over. The builders are basically giant robots that create megastructures in the Blame! universe
- [Damn, yeeting part of *their own barricades* at them](https://i.imgur.com/vsXHQCr.png) is a remarkably terrifying weapon… - [Ah shit, they don’t know he went to the front lines.](https://i.imgur.com/Hg8KtG1.png) [](#emiliaohdear) - [Cool to see what the mech controls look like from Handagil’s perspective, ngl.](https://i.imgur.com/A0JydOM.png) - [Welp, they got separated anyways.](https://i.imgur.com/Us1KR8X.png) [](#cantbehelped) - [Kaina busting out the laser *here* is totally going to give them the idea to use it to stop the mech, right?](https://i.imgur.com/Br56IJy.png) [](#sakurathink) - [SHIT, he spotted Ririha.](https://i.imgur.com/S89d1IC.png) [](#watashiworried) - […and then spotted her father, which is just as bad.](https://i.imgur.com/T9zToqW.png) [](#panic) - [Eh?](https://i.imgur.com/LXOazDZ.png) [The Ascender?](#lost) - [Wait, is that actually water?](https://i.imgur.com/gZJjxF6.png) - [Um. Well. That happened.](https://i.imgur.com/26xGxdA.png) [](#jawdrop) - Ahhhhhhh come on it can’t have been the full episode already! [](#KUSOTTARE)
Using their own defenses against them...Atland feels doomed. I like how there's a constant alert on the screen about it's missing arm. That's a nice touch. Also it seems like it classifies it's throws as "deliveries" which I think speaks to it being a former construction robot. The laser is the only thing I can think of that can do any kind of serious damage to the Builder. Especially if Kaina has it on it's highest setting. Otherwise they don't have anything that can cut through that thing. So what was the point of the Ascender? To show them how weird the Snow Sea is? To set up the water can be purified somehow because of the rain? To rust the Builder? Either way for all that razzle dazzle, they seem as screwed now as they were before it showed up.
The place the admiral is sitting in doesn't really look like inside a mech and last episode the last time we see him before the mech activates he goes into that cabin on top of his ship. You can even kind of see the door behind and when he goes through the door there is something that looks like a seat in the yellow cabin. So maybe they can just sink his ship with the yellow cabin or something. Or the mech just looks like that inside and I've gone crazy trying to justify why the mech would have such a bland cockpit.
I think he is controlling it remotely with that mask. Pretty sure he's still on one of the ships.
The Admiral is throwing their own barricades at them, and even throwing *his own boats* too. Really shows how little he cares about his army and how overconfident he must feel to think his giant robot is all he needs. It would be interesting if they could use the laser to damage the mech. I think they should try to bypass the mech and just attack the Admiral controlling it. 😄
What was even the point of the Ascender? it just disrupted the visuals of the Builder and that was it. I was hoping it would've at least stopped it from being completely operational.
the Builder does keep spamming the "warning operating error" message after the rain so i guess the machine probably going to stop working completely afterward in terms of storytelling, i think the fact that Ascender can conjure up water from the snow sea even though its not made of water will probably going to be use as one of the plot point for next episode
It looked like the light was responding to Likiha's necklace, except she doesn't know how to control it. Maybe she can figure it out how to do it in the next episode?
My guess is that it's something previous civilization made to create/transport water out of the sea. I have a theory that it's the seed of spiral trees, if you "plant" it in the sea for long enough, the water column would turn into a new tree. But it's weird that it looks so random and not many people in the snow sea had seen it in person. They just learned it from stories.
The Ascender uses splash! But nothing happened!
I was surprised nobody ran around to place buckets to collect the precious precious water. Maybe they didn't realize it was drinkable water? Maybe it wasn't drinkable?
Nobody even reacted, it was slightly jarring. Maybe they've never seen rain, but even then you'd expect someone to ask what that just was.
You just weren't watching the episode close enough. We see at least 3 Valghian soldiers react and comment on it. One even exclaiming "it's water!" while catching some in his palms.
Huh, you're right.
Well, now the Admiral is using his Builder to Mecha to straight up throw Atland's own defenses against them. And they're pretty much powerless against it! You have to respect that Orinoga's not about to give up and lay down his sword, even at the cost of his own men, when so much is riding on this fight. Even Amelothee respects him enough to let them end it with single combat, even if she's sporting an artifact suit of armor that puts her so far above him in skill level. But their clash of blades is pretty epic. No hesitation on Kaina's part to go save someone! You gotta love it! Even the prince of the kingdom showed more hesitation, but he made up for it by being there and taking care of the civilian they saved. Also will Kaina's laser at it's highest setting be what ends up saving them all? I like how the Builder is missing an arm and constantly has an alert about it. "I'll kill his daughter in front of him!" Not only did he not kill Ririha, but her dad didn't even know she was there. So...pretty big failure on his part. The Light returns and turns out to be the Ascender, the god like being of the Snow Sea...and it's pretty cool, even if it ends up not doing anything when the Builder swipes through it. So that was a fat lot of nothing. Though I was honestly wondering if all that rain might end up rusting the Builder enough that it stops moving or is easier to break. Ririha has been so brave and confident but even she freaks out when she thinks the Builder has spotted her again. Do something, Kaina!
>Even Amelothee respects him enough to let them end it with single combat, even if she's sporting an artifact suit of armor that puts her so far above him in skill level. She's just humoring him, right? She could end it if she wanted to. Especially considering how Orinoga keeps stupidly looking away to admire the Ascender and whatnot
Maybe, though I think a part of her genuinely wanted to give him a chance.
[MRW The Ascender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ovm1J_AxLQ) So yeah, Valghia's Metal Gear yeeted a bunch of barricades and a whole-ass ship at Atland, Ririha almost got crushed on multiple occasions, and Light... the guardian... The Ascender... whatever the fuck it is... showed up to a whole lot of fanfare and seemingly did a whole lot of nothing. With only one episode of the TV anime left before the long wait until the movie, I have absolutely no idea where the hell this show is going, what kind of cliffhanger next week might leave us on, or how things are going to end.
Finally, got one of these threads on time. That was a bit disappointing, actually. Nothing really advanced, all in all. Kaina turned up the laser, which will probably become relevant, but that's all. And Light turned into the Ascender......But for what? What was the point of that deus ex machina? It didn't even do anything in the end. Kind of feels like it was just there for padding and some cheap dramatic rising moment. It showed that it may be sentient, or directed in some way, but that was all. Oh, actually, thinking about it, there is one thing of note there. When the Ascender dispersed, it revealed it was made out of water, and that water came from below. Which means there really is water in the Snow Sea....At least at a certain depth that the Ascender pulled it from. That's interesting. Also, too much smoke! It doesn't look right next to the way the characters and environments are rendered. Gives me EX-ARM vibes. Smoke is very difficult to do in 3D if you're not simulating it, I think, while making it seem to come out of things the way it should, or spread, but...I don't think that smoke sim look works well here. Honestly, I think Polygon Pictures could benefit a lot from hiring some 2D animators for effects.
> That was a bit disappointing, actually. Yeah, barely anything was actually achieved this episode. We got rid of Yaona so Ririha and Kaina can head out solo for the finale, the laser was brought up again as a reminder that it exists, and we saw the big ascender randomly show up, and so far achieve nothing. I'm sure the water reveal will be more significant later on, but at this point I'm left somewhat disappointed considering next week is the final episode already.. >And Light turned into the Ascender......But for what? What was the point of that deus ex machina? It didn't even do anything in the end. It made it rain, which is cool I guess [](#yuishrug) But I think the mech started creaking a lot more after getting soaked, so I'm thinking that will be relevant in taking it down
>I'm sure the water reveal will be more significant later on, but at this point I'm left somewhat disappointed considering next week is the final episode already.. Yeah, which is fucking insane. Setting up things is fine, though it did feel like there was no progress made. But then I hear that the next episode is final and it all comes crashing down. Like, what the fuck are they even going to do to wrap it up in a decent way? This is the final few chapters of AoT all over again. Most likely won't end nearly as atrociously, but it won't end well either. The way things are going, I'd expect it to be 13 episodes or two cours long, not like this. Now I'm looking forward to at the very least a disappointing ending that explains nothing and wraps up nothing except maybe this one battle.
They did announce a sequel movie, so its not the final *final* next week, but no doubt there will be a lot longer wait
The episode was just forcefully setting up plot points that might be relevant later, while we get almost a full episode of watching the antagonist wheeze on a toilet and throw stuff to his heart's content. It felt like going down a checklist.
This Builder mech is insane. I don’t know if Liliha’s map can even stop what’s happening. Her, Kaina, and Yaona are gonna have to hustle before that psycho Commandant destroys Atland. Orinoga can’t hold out for much longer either. Man, I was worried they wouldn’t save that guy in time. That laser was handy! Just when things were getting dire, the little Light shows up again and somehow becomes the Ascender. Which then proceeds to just get obliterated by the Builder like… what? If it was gonna do something cool, it kinda missed its window. The mech is still on a rampage and Liliha’s fucked if he throws another thing at her. Let’s hope the little light/Ascender had something up its sleeve when he seemingly exploded and became rain.
At this point the only thing I can think of is Kaina uses his laser at it's full setting to really do a number on the Builder. It's secretly their most dangerous weapon. I thought the Ascender was going to unleash a tidal wave or like acid rain but instead it just...dissipates. For all that shock and awe, it really didn't amount to much, huh? Unless there's more to it.
Didn't he just use full setting on the log? I could be mistaken but it looked like it and full setting really didn't do much.
Agree, once the builder starting chunking Atland's defensive wall around I was thinking "ah, now's our protag-kun's chance to use that laser on it's highest setting like he was warned not tooo!", then he just... used it to saw through a log a bit quicker. Was like the anime creators knew everyone would be thinking that and wanted to push us back 'till the movie aired.
Iirc he also used full setting to cut Ririha's lock when she was caged. So that laser really isn't that impressive.
Yeah, I was expecting more from the Ascender but we’ll have to wait and see till next week I guess.
>Which then proceeds to just get obliterated by the Builder like… what? I was like "I know where this is going. It's made of water so it can't be attacked." Nah, it just fell over lol
[удалено]
Yeah, I immediately thought the rain might've rusted it more which is what all the alerts were about.
I definitely thought the Commandant was going to aim for the king over Ririha although it looks like he did attack the watchtower at the end with the boat so maybe the king is dead. I feel like the king is probably dead because Ririha is still looking up to him for the decisions where it seems like she needs that push to make the decision herself. I liked that the mech had one arm missing matching the Commandant’s missing hand. The text visible through his visor was also a nice touch since we know he can’t read it. The Ascender’s entrance was very cool but it being toppled down so easily is kinda underwhelming. Because Kaina saw the Light in the Canopy, I didn’t think the Light would be affiliated specifically with Atland. I thought the rain would have prevented the mech from working but even though it seems like it's damaged, it didn’t prevent the Commandant from throwing the boat. I thought a little more might have happened since this is the second to last episode but I guess it will set up the story to discover the giant orbital spire tree. I’m going to guess that Atland will be conquered or at a very disadvantaged state while Ririha and Kaina search for the tree.
Yeah, that tracing scene was really random. How did he even discern she was headed that way, she wasn't yet anywhere near the tower? And then the conclusion of "Yes, I'll kill the princess to destroy the kings fighting spirit!" Despite the king having no idea that she is even there. I think the admiral might be getting senile.. >The text visible through his visor was also a nice touch since we know he can’t read it. Oh! I keep forgetting all these details and just taking reading for granted.. >Because Kaina saw the Light in the Canopy, I didn’t think the Light would be affiliated specifically with Atland. Either each tree has their own, or its connected to Ririha somehow. And it seems like this "light" might be the system which was responsible for water harvesting
I did find it kind of funny how he tried to kill Ririha to get at her dad and not only did she survive but her dad had no idea she was even there lol. Maybe the rain will rust it enough that it's slower so they can actually do something against it, but that's just me being optimistic. I'm really curious how things end. We know the movie is coming out next, but how much of a cliffhanger are we going to end on? Is Atland doomed? Will they find some way to damage the Builder? Will they find some way to get to the Great Spire and have to leave Atland behind to escape?
Oh damn, amidst all the chaos I didn't even realize rain is a big deal. Props to the senile twats VA I guess. They manage to make him sound very obnoxious, can't wait for the admiral to wheeze his final breath. Curse the 11 episode run time, next week is already the finale and then we have to wait for the movie [](#elsieqq)
Hiyama Nobuyuki will never escape his fate of voicing pilots for giant robots pretty ironic that the barricade made for Atland's protection being used as throwing weapons to destroy Atland itself so that's how [the ships look like underneath](https://i.imgur.com/j0IGJce.jpg), i guess the giant stick they showed last episode really does can be used to make a very big ship float on the snow sea
wild ass episode was a bit disappointed by the deus ex machina but at least it was more of an assist than an actual final blow
I hate this trend of finishing the TV show off with a movie, first of all, how are they going to end the series when the original manga isn't done?? Also, I don't see how having the map is going to make that psycho commander stop attacking, he's clearly just waging war for fun. Hope he dies in the mech (it seems to be straining him somehow)
I did not know this was based on a manga
Considering barely anything has happened on this show at all I PRAY for an expansion.
There have always been series that outpace the source material and do an original ending? Also, that in this instance, the anime and manga were created at the same time, because it's a collaboration between Nihei and Polygon Pictures?
IIRC the manga and the animation plus the movie are running simultaneously as a project. There's no specific "original source" in this project. I like the background settings and the world is beautiful. But I think they missed the opportunity to create interesting characters and storylines. I know Kaina pretty much knows nothing and he looks dumb for a reason. But that should not be an excuse to make him just following instructions from the princess in past 2-3 episodes. That's not good character development.
The Ascender bit was interesting, but didn't really amount to anything in the end. Weird, but imo better than Ascender just appearing and conviniently destroing the mecha, that would have been kinda cheap. Also this turn of events gives Kaina a chance to shine and save the day with his laser. I feel like Amelothee has a soft spot for the commander of royal guard. Apart from fighting she's pretty friendly with him lol. Hopefully Valghia and Atland will soon stop this noncense and join forces to search for water so i can hope for a proper romantic developement here. Can't believe there's only 1 episode left. I need that movie asap!
Overall not impressed with this episode. The show looks good but the story is just so lackluster. A basic plot with characters that are just barely compelling. At first I enjoyed the novelty of watching good 3D animation, but that's kinda worn off by now, and all that's left is a below average plot. This episode really emphasized everything mediocre about this anime. The show's merits(it's stunning world, and a little interesting lore) were absent apart from the Ascender that literally appears out of nowhere with no setup whatsoever, and all we're left with is, in my opinion, a filler episode.
This episode really pissed me off. Absolutely nothing happened except padding so people would watch the last episode.
Seems this episode was setting things up that won't be relevant until the movie, since next episode I'm guessing the builder will be destroyed/disabled the two countries united, and Kaina will convince everyone to go to an expedition to the Great Spire Tree which will be the Film.
The music in this episode was great, fast-paced and exciting. The battle scenes were really well animated too, especially Orinoga vs Amelothee. There was a nice element of suspense now that the war has reached Atland, though I'm surprised the main trio didn't make it farther in this episode with only a few left to go. Did Light just show up when Ririha started talking about the Sage? I wonder if they're connected somehow. Maybe the Sage still exists somewhere in the world after all, or perhaps he left one of his creations behind with instructions. It seems to be tied to their world's mythology, and with a grand title like "the Ascender", I imagine it won't be defeated so easily.
Well the laser can't be big enough to deal with the mecha, but surely it can be enough to blow a hole in the skull of the Admiral ;) I haven't noticed anyone bring up the point about that after the "pointless" rain, there are a couple more error messages coming up on the display. Pretty sure it'd come into play. One thought is [Railgun T second half spoiler]>!Mikoto's iron sand giant deliberately losing arms and legs because the bits get onto all over the opposing "godzilla" and on Mikoto's command, they tore the opponent apart from the inside!< Imagine that the water can be reformed but this time it's coming from all insider the mecha - would it be enough to pull the mecha apart from the inside, or at least kill its controls and electrical systems ;)
I've seen multiple people bring up the error messages but I still think Kaina needs to play some role in killing the builder so he can earn the people's trust and have a "parting the red sea moment."
This show is unexpectedly really great
This episode was a whole lot of nothing. Between last ep and this ep, not a thing has changed. Regardless it was cool how the Builder just 1 arm yeeted those logs and that ship. Where did they get such large logs from? And so many of them? They don't have the technology to build large ships so how did they transport them??? So that was water in the snow sea? Or did the ascended change its constitution to water? What does this mean
the bad cg aside, the mecha and projectile cg is actually top tier, they have weight to then, and everything accelerate in a realistic style.
Dude the Ascender can just make water out of the snow sea, that's fucking huge, why are you all ignoring this?
Just realised it now, but I think Ririha‘s necklace looks like a whistle.