Last week on Sora no Woto, we had a look into the areas surrounding the town of Seize. The lush plains made a stark contrast with the destructive landscape of No Man’s Land. This week pleasantly surprised me in its plot devices and development, and I would say that thus far it is the best episode.
Cute as a flippin' button.
The episode starts with a very sudden payday for Kanata, who ventures to town to buy souvenirs. The rest of the girls have some breathing room to get to work. The secret’s out folks, this fort has an alcohol distillery. This is not standard operating procedure and they would face a court-martial if discovered. However, the military’s sporadic and late shipments mean that the girls need money for supplies. The benefits outweigh the threat to their lives. Klaus, the officer from the previous episode, is probably in on the operation. Filicia wants to prevent Kanata from becoming involved in their activities.
With that much liquor, you must "forget" daily...
Of course, the black market attracts unsavory types, and the mafia is trying to get a foothold in the town. We fast-forward to a liquor deal. The men don’t appreciate the terms of the deal, and threaten to kill our heroes. Rio comes in to save the day, and the girls fill them with bullets. But wait, that isn’t the mafia! They were putting on a show to scare off the criminals. A rockslide concludes the spectacle by destroying the mafia’s car. Naomi takes a box filled with goods from the car. However, no one there had planned that little addition, which means we have a plot hole to investigate.
No problem, I enjoy getting shot by rubber bullets!
After the break, the perspective shifts to the church, where Yumina is dressing the children for the day. Mishio, the orphan from the first episode, runs off when the church girl attempts to fix her hair. The show now observes the day’s events from Kanata’s perspective. She went to the glass shop, and her presence caused Naomi to notice the mafia. She also inadvertently came up with the plan to run those men out of town. Kanata stumbles upon Mishio at the flea market. She causes the orphan to flee, and after talking to Yumina, heads off after her.
Yeah... I just made her run away crying. Is that bad?
Mishio walks along a roof, when suddenly we hear gunshots and she stumbles. The gutter she grabs breaks, causing a rock slide, but Kanata grabs her at the last-minute. The two go down to assess the damage, when the orphan notices the box she has searched for among Naomi’s goods. Mishio returns to have a tearful reunion with Yumina, who she has now accepted as her big sister. The priest there briefly tells Kanata about the little one’s tragic past. Her father died in the war and her mother succumbed to a mysterious illness. We have a short scene where Kanata and Rio discuss fate, and then cut to the credits.
Reunited and it feels so good.
Episode 06 is a master class example of the cause and effect chain, but it doesn’t stop there. It further illustrates how two independent forces act on each other without ever realizing it. If the garrison or Kanata didn’t coexist, the chain of events would break. For example, if Kanata hadn’t appeared at the glass shop, no one may have noticed the mafia members. Dividing the episode into two sides further drove the point home. With only Filicia’s side of the story, you end up with plot holes. Where did they get the idea for the mock fight, and how did those rocks fall? Adding Kanata’s side allows you to see the entire picture, and you get that “Aha!” moment when all the pieces fall into place. Beyond all that, we got a further look into the workings of the town and the military’s influence of development. Additionally, I appreciated how the studio tied the events into revealing a little bit more about Rio and Mishio. I loved the concepts this episode brought to the table, and at the end of the series, I might even hold this up as my favorite episode. The next episode involves the river. Perhaps this will lead to another glimpse of that mysterious carcass from the first episode.
If only you knew, Kanata...
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