MEGALOBOX Ep 8 – Stranger Bedfellows

• Genre : Cyberpunk, Sports!, action, cool
• Studio: TMS Entertainment

Another week, another good episode of Megalobox. I’m not going to lie, I was getting rather disenchanted by this series for a while there but these last few weeks have revived my enthusiasm for this show. I still think it’s occasionally overhyped and has a tendency to put style over substance, but getting back to the main story line has done the narrative some good. This is much closer to the show I was hoping for.

Admittedly, this particular episode of Megalobox may have won me over by insinuating that the kid would get killed off if Joe doesn’t make it to Megalonia. I know it’s an empty promise but it still gives me just the dimmest glimmer of hope and it’s fun to imagine. Wow… you probably shouldn’t let me babysit your kids…

Ok guys, let’s just get this out of the way, I’m a genius. This doesn’t have anything to do with the present review but it’s something I like to point out to people and I hadn’t reminded you for a while…

Just last week I mentioned being curious about the yet unacknowledged but very obvious link between gear technology and manufacture, and Megalonia as a business. I really wasn’t expecting it to become a major plot point, but I’m delighted that it is. Not only is exploring the science behind gears a little more, a very intriguing concept to me, but having Mikio use the tournament as a proof of concept for his invention, what is undoubtedly his life’s work, is an unusual motivation that makes perfect sense for an adult and is easily relatable. I am digging this particular turn.

I want to say it gives some nuance to Mikio’s character, elevating him beyond a straightforward antagonist but Megalobox is making it pretty clear that he’s our capital “B” Bad guy. For one, the dog doesn’t like him. Is there a more obvious way to telegraph to the audience that a character cannot be trusted than to have a normally agreeable pet start barking at them for no reason? Let’s face it, when in doubt, always side with the puppy. And for those desperately slow members of the audience that hadn’t picked up on it yet, the final scenes of episode 8, gave us some epic villain face on Mikio’s part.

It is a little unfortunate that at this point, a character that has really only been introduced last episode is better established than Joe. I’ve mentioned this a few times. As a fan of character development this really should bug me more than it does but so far I’m only registering it as a minor offense. I have come to realize that this is because to me, Joe isn’t in fact the main character. He is the Hero of the story but ultimately more of a plot device. So far, screen time and background have mostly been dedicated to Nanbu and he’s carried the bulk of the plot progression with Joe simply jumping in the ring to dance around for our entertainment when a match comes up. If this was a racing anime, Nanbu would be the driver and Joe would be the car… Even the emotional core of the story centers more around ….shudder… the kid.

And that’s not a bad thing at all. Well the kid part is bad, the Nanbu part is good.  As far as protagonists go, Nanbu is a much more unexpected choice. I had almost forgotten his problems with the mafia in the past episodes but now that I have been reminded once again that Nanbu is trying to save his on skin rather than (or at least just as much as) trying to help Joe’s career, the potential for future conflict is intriguing.

Personally, I think that one of Magalobox’s biggest detriments to my viewing experience, is that it airs on Thursdays. So what? you may be asking yourselves while eying the screen quizzically. For the record, that’s a really cute face! Well – Steins;Gate 0 airs on Wednesdays…. And it’s not like Steins;Gate ever does anything to make it linger in your mind…

Lately, it’s been coloring my view of shows. A few weeks ago, I found Aragaki’s war time flashbacks extremely reminiscent of Okabe’s visions (flashforwards(?)) and now, I’m thinking they might be part of a secretly joint universe. I mean stoic beautiful woman – check. Reckless and possibly brain damaged lead character – oh yeah! This week, a new common antagonist is forcing previous rivals to work together and apparently, an important plot point centering on Artificial Intelligence, you’re starting to see it now – right? And of course, GEARS! 

I really hope you saw the episode this week because I realize that this ‘review ‘ certainly did not inform you in any way as to what happened in Megalobox. Mikio is mad cause his sister got the company. He invented a new gear and wants to prove it’s better than the one his sister is backing by winning Megalonia. Disqualifying Joe was a political move and a way to cement the legitimacy of an ultimate victory. For his part, Joe just wants to fight so he crashed the opening ceremonies on his bike, and the lady thought he was cute and decided to give him a chance.

Next week – more fighting and maybe some time travel?

I think these may be the best screen caps of the week!