The Gene of AI

Episode 8

Love is in the air for this week's Gene of AI. Love…and lobotomies. While this is hardly the first time the series has swung its periscope towards romance in the age of androids, its ambitions have never been sillier nor heavier than they are in this instance, with puppy love juxtaposed against an unrequited queer crush. The resulting food for thought doesn't have quite the depth of flavor I would have liked from this narrative, but it's good to see an anthology series keep trying new things.

The first half takes us through Risa's routine outside of her work with Sudo, and it's a comfortingly familiar slice of near-future life. I wouldn't want the entire series to be like this—Gene's writing and production don't possess the aesthetic fortitude to carry a vibes-based anime—but it works well as a brief and breezy departure. Risa is a likable enough goofball. However, the increased focus on her and Sudo makes it more obvious that neither person is a particularly deep character. They've worked fine as scaffolding for the stories about other philosophical quandaries, but they don't match the tone or energy of this high school-caliber Valentine's shenanigans.

The lesson of the A half is similarly trite and simple, which also doesn't jive with the more open-ended conclusions of its other inquiries. But it's a lesson I agree with, so I don't mind that too much. Essentially, the form of both Risa's and Sudo's gifts to each other matters less than the thought and effort that went into them. The imperfections in Risa's treats mean more than the perfections of a store-bought snack, and Sudo's decision to make his White Day gift by hand acknowledges and returns that gesture. You can (as many people already have) transpose similar arguments onto the debate of human art versus AI art. Even if we charitably assume that all other things are equal, a human puts ideas, intent, and effort into art that an algorithm simply cannot. Perhaps there will come a day when the keying of prompts into Midjourney will be perceived on the same level as the direction of a brushstroke, but right now I'd still rather fill my Twitter feed with hand-crafted, artisanal anime girls.

The second half deals with the more serious issue of Reon's feelings for Risa. As a piece of social commentary, this story feels oddly neutered for a series that so far has been admirably blunt with its targets. I think my disappointment lies in how little Reon's queerness has to do with her conflict, which is more generally about the pain of unreturned romantic feelings. There's certainly something to be said for this matter-of-fact inclusion of an openly lesbian adult character, and it's cool how this suggests that Gene's future is a more tolerant one. However, we only really get to glimpse Reon in the context of her relationship with Risa. We don't get a look at who she is for the rest of her life, and more generally, we have no perspective on how LGBTQ humans and Humanoids fit into this world. There's a line where Reon conflates romantic feelings with procreation, and I would've liked the narrative to dig into that more since it's interesting to see that attitude persist into this presumably more “enlightened” future. The inability to procreate is also likely a sore spot when it comes to human rights and Humanoid rights, and that's the space where Gene of AI does best. Here, the characters and conflicts feel a lot more childish.

As a piece of interpersonal romantic melodrama, however, this story did decently well. I think we can all relate to Reon wanting to Eternal Sunshine out the part of her brain that obsesses over a person who doesn't love her back. It's nice, too, to see Sudo and Jay tackle a case with personal stakes, which peels away their usual professional neutrality. I liked Sudo's point about Reon's subtle vindictiveness in particular. She could have gone anywhere for this procedure, but she specifically sought out her crush's clinic to electronically lobotomize love from her brain. If that's not toxic yuri, I don't know what is.

Unsurprisingly for Gene, the episode ends on an unresolved chord. Does Reon go through with the procedure or not? It's a moot point in a way; the true resolution to the conflict came when Risa directly addressed Reon's feelings, turning her down but emphasizing how much she loves her as a friend. Reon's decision after that is hers alone. For most people, love is an inextricable part of being human, but it's also not the sole thing tethering us to our humanity. There's a spectrum of emotions and connections out there. As such, this mic drop isn't as potent as some of Gene's other ones, and the episode overall, while not bad, feels like it falls short of its potential.

Rating:

Gene of AI is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Steve is on Twitter until the day it completely succumbs to the t-shirt bots. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.