Re:CREATORS

Episode 7

I'm writing this while attending Anime Central, and two thoughts about this series occurred to me while doing some people-watching. They really need to have at least part of an episode involving the characters attending a Comiket-type event, and I would love to see cosplay of some characters from this series, especially Silesia, Magane (aka Evil Magic Girl), and Altair! Sadly, the series appears to be too new to have attracted that kind of attention yet.

But there's a lot to talk about concerning the actual episode too. Most notably, the confirmation at the end of the episode that Altair is the name of Military Uniform Princess, which Masaki (aka Rui's Creator) discovers the same way that Sota did: by searching though sites devoted to doujinshi. We also get a near-confirmation that Altair is partly Sota's creation, something we've long suspected. That would definitely explain why he's so reluctant to bring her up or show off any of his artwork when the other Creators broach the subject. When Sota tries to turn them down by explaining that he doesn't think his work is good enough, they point out that this attitude isn't feasible for anyone who hopes to make a career out of drawing. Of course, it makes sense for him to be dodgy if he helped design Altair. After all, he could be fearful about something he created running amok, or perhaps even that his own negativity about the world after Setsuna committed suicide might be what's driving Altair's behavior.

That's pure speculation at this point, though. One thing we do know is that Mamika can pry what Sota knows about Altair out of him when others can't. After the battle in the park is over, Mamika encounters him on a train and they go to a café with a familiar name to discuss Mamika's concerns about how she might be changing and whether or not she's made a mistake choosing sides. The reveal that Magane was eavesdropping – after having killed her Creator to boot – is ominous indeed, but if Magane doesn't lead them into immediate danger, then it could be interesting to see how his allies react to learning about the private meeting.

Even before that point, the fight in the park gets messy when Yuya inserts himself just for the fun of it, and things were getting complicated even before that, when Mamika started taking on friend and foe alike to try and stop the fighting. I have to wonder what wrench got thrown into the cover-up story about defusing a bomb when Rui brought his mecha into the fray. Its sudden appearance otherwise ends the fight but also allows Magane to slip away. Watching Yuya and Rui engage in a “mutual cool” brofest afterwards was amusing but fitting, and I hope they run with that in future episodes.

The action was suitably interesting, but there were two other developments at least as important to the overall story. For the first time, we see characters other than Meteora proving that they have a brain, and Mamika's comments about how she feels she's changing are intriguing as well. That seems to be the theme of the episode, so it's a point to watch closely going forward. By coming to this world, these characters are stepping out of their predefined roles and worlds, and what we've seen so far indicates that their character profiles only define them to a point; they are still capable of growth beyond that on their own terms. That's worrying for Mamika, who doesn't want to step beyond how she fits into her comfortable world, but others (especially Rui) seem to be enjoying spreading their wings. What effect might this have when (or if?) they get returned to their own worlds?

There's a lot of potential to exploring this point, along with Magane's deliciously evil behavior and all the episode's new story reveals. This episode feels like it's setting the stage for the next few even while carrying forward its plot and action. If only the artistry didn't seem to be wavering a bit in a few scenes.

Rating: A-

Re:CREATORS is currently streaming on Amazon's Anime Strike.