Episode 3 – Avenger 1
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Anybody who uses the power of the dragon that destroyed my planet… I'll beat the crap out of them!
Questions of the Day:
1) What are your favorite spaceship designs in anime?
2) What do you think happened to Nezuya?
Wallpaper of the Day:
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don't spoil anything for the first-timers, that's rude!
by Shimmering-Sky
10 Comments
**Rewatch Host who really needs to read Mizukami’s other works sometime**
[Welcome back, everyone!](#michaelwink)
—
– [Ah, Souya.](https://i.imgur.com/7AjbsZO.png)
– [Something something](https://i.imgur.com/dD0PXso.png) [Black Tri-Stars.](https://i.imgur.com/tvt8URH.png) [](#rengehype)
– [Takashi *also* using a hammer attack](https://i.imgur.com/eKutMxZ.png) is great.
– [And what a powerful attack that was…](https://i.imgur.com/h8SS8rK.png) [](#doggo)
– [An even bigger Sensei!](https://i.imgur.com/D3mXrL0.png) [](#binoculars)
– [Norio Wakamoto!](https://i.imgur.com/qAG5q1i.png)
– [RIP, Souya couldn’t even have some meat in that dream of his.](https://i.imgur.com/60snpLU.png) [](#toradorasalute)
– [lol.](https://i.imgur.com/L0inlAW.png)
– [Poor Nozomi got the same “middle schooler” treatment as Souya did from Torai last episode.](https://i.imgur.com/KiOHiaB.png) [](#kukuku)
– [Pffffffffffff](https://i.imgur.com/DdvFatS.png) [](#azusalaugh)
– [I love all the different guesses about the Nebula Weapon here.](https://i.imgur.com/7qOzS1P.png)
– [No, it’s cute!](https://i.imgur.com/CrTC3bs.png)
– [Souya, the unwitting side character in Nozomi’s “we have to keep our club open!” story.](https://i.imgur.com/PWFKJ1h.png) [](#kukuku2)
– [Nezuya is *such* a chuuni lol.](https://i.imgur.com/k5EPOw2.png)
– [That was indeed on the namecard he had in the manga’s version of last episode, yes.](https://i.imgur.com/RZbC2Ul.png)
– [The Nebula Weapons now looking like (normal) giant babies instead of some monstrosity is honestly even creepier than the previous ones.](https://i.imgur.com/99FgCZD.png)
– [This is a pretty neat shot.](https://i.imgur.com/ITstE8I.png)
– [Uh-oh.](https://i.imgur.com/NLrKgLu.png) [](#emiliaohdear)
—
Day 3 of me noting some of the little things Mizukami added when he wrote the manga:
– [Takezou continues to be a hilarious old man](https://i.imgur.com/PcVjP76.png) during the “recap” bit at the start, and [Ginko bemoans the fact that Souya didn’t run when she told him to.](https://i.imgur.com/jtBnbdc.png)
– [Benika and Yosuke both have a reaction to Souya saying the power they use is the one that destroyed his planet.](https://i.imgur.com/bGFGu5E.png)
– It’s probably just a translation thing, but Nezuya’s “He jumped off me?” was [a lot closer to the Gundam reference I made](https://i.imgur.com/GBuGiEo.png) in the copy of the manga I have.
– [Manga has a bit more focus on Miu feeling down after losing her power.](https://i.imgur.com/D0IW81g.png)
– [Souya still wants to fight](https://i.imgur.com/Xonl6nM.png) despite [an explicit warning that he needs to stop from Ginko.](https://i.imgur.com/M8QJ6mb.png)
– Surprisingly I once again have something for the “Which version do you think looks more intense?” question, [Anime](https://i.imgur.com/6eEZncB.png) vs. [Manga](https://i.imgur.com/fu7mOVn.png) (where his hair looks like flames???)
– Right before Sensei’s spaceship popped up, there’s [an extra page about Harumi wanting to take over fighting Souya from Takashi](https://i.imgur.com/ArEIhLx.png), then [a quick follow-up on this after the spaceship eats Souya and co.](https://i.imgur.com/yUYcBw9.png) because I guess Takashi really did want to let her fight Souya.
– [Another funny Takezou comment after the battle finished.](https://i.imgur.com/wf2OTZ6.png)
– [Nezuya utterly fails at judo vs. Harumi.](https://i.imgur.com/JoJa5BS.png)
– During that little bit when Souya is walking to school, the manga [shows](https://i.imgur.com/9mlAVgo.png) what [he’s thinking about.](https://i.imgur.com/ZnaLMU9.png)
– [There was this entire page after Souya coined the “Nozo-san” nickname, foreshadowing Nezuya’s appearance at the school.](https://i.imgur.com/Nt0kpuj.png)
– [This is a little spoiler-y]>!<, and [actual spoilers]>!foreshadows the humans unlocking their own psychic powers pretty well, there’s no other reason why he should’ve been able to see Kakka.!<
– [Benika comments about this being the first Nebula attack at night](https://i.imgur.com/HG1BVQ6.png) while [Nezuya, Yosuke, and Takezou all complain about it.](https://i.imgur.com/4v5wxEt.png)
– [Spoilers for I think tomorrow’s episode]>!<
**Rewatch Club Member**
—
Lore drop! So much lore drop!
– Kakka shows up!
– Shiraishi is in cahoots with Kakka
– The powder is the dragon’s power
– The dragon is not around anymore (for him to say that even after seeing Takashi makes me believe Takashi really is human; plus, the sus one is Shiraishi now)
– Sensei was apparently supposed to protect the Siriusians and failed
[](#spinning)
One thing is odd, though. If Shiraishi is part of the Sealing Faction, then the Nebula Weapons are hers. So why is she having the heroes destroy them?
—
> If you want, you can stay on Earth, Sensei says.
Souya just keeps on running into them, huh? He met Torai last episode, and now Nezuya. And both times, they have been absolutely lovely to him. Souya is literally not from Earth. He has no home. But Tomatosenjougahara is giving him a place to belong in the club, [with Nezuya immediately integrating him](https://i.imgur.com/2rw4hzp.png) into their midst. When he met Torai, Souya had already registered him as enemy, but he doesn’t know about Nezuya. This allows Nezuya to estabilish a true connection with Souya, being the first person to outright call him a “friend”.
That dramatic irony doesn’t last long, though, and it makes me curious to see how Souya will handle this starting next episode. When he realizes he’s fighting his *friend*, will he prioritize his revenge? His own “justice”?
Souya is being given everything here on Earth. A home to return to. A warm dining table. Friends. A place to belong. But when he’s offered to stay, finishing his revenge is the first thing on his mind. Torai had to let go of his past to protect who he has *today*, but Souya is still chained by his. All this time spent chasing a ghost of a home that will not come back no matter what he does. The very dragon he despises isn’t even around anymore, yet he’s still trapped by its afterimage. Unlike Torai, Souya [cannot forgive, so he cannot love](https://i.imgur.com/R3p93WJ.png) (not forgiving the dragon, but just letting go of his revenge). He’s being given everything, but [he can’t appreciate the colors around him.](https://i.imgur.com/UwiAPyy.png) All because of his revenge against an entity that no longer exists. And now, [there’s someone looking for revenge against him as well](https://imgur.com/a/28LHFcU).
Of course, the dragon’s destruction is what made Souya like this to begin with. But maybe if he took a moment to look around him, he’d be able to take a step forward. Unfortunately, that’s not happening for our protagonist. Violence breeds violence, but in the end, to Souya, it has to be this way.
First Timer
Only one hero at a time allowed in the creepy upside down babies. God, kids these days. Don’t know proper creepy upside down baby etiquette.
Well, Nezuya’s in the shit. I bet there’s a thing where if there are multiple people inside the Nebula Weapons, only the first to leave the core can leave the illusion. That’s my guess as to why he’s unconscious. It could be that he is still trapped in the illusion, but I think it would be more interesting if Haru’s desperation with being the one to defeat it inadvertently lead to him being trapped in a coma.
So Sensei was the one who was supposed to keep the Siriusians safe, but he ended up failing. Because of that, the Sealing faction likely grew in influence and were the ones chosen to handle the Earthlings, a species similar to the Siriusians. Sensei is here to make up for his prior failure.
I’d also bet Shiraishi is part of the Sealing faction. She worked with the leader guy to set up the farce of the Nebula invasion and the heroes that stop them in order to manipulate the heroes into a situation where they and the power they wield can be sealed. I wouldn’t be surprised if pretty much everything went according to plan, including the previous Nebula Weapon defeats. After all, it doesn’t matter how easy it is to break the illusion and destroy a Nebula Weapon if one of the heroes is guaranteed to be stuck in it because the other broke it first. Subsequent weapons might have different traps that whittle the hero’s numbers down.
Alternatively, Shiraishi is a rogue agent sabotaging Nebula’s efforts for one reason or another. Either is possible.
**First-Timer**
Methinks Senpai Chuunibyou likes the taste of lotuses. Someone was a bit too content to.. what have they been calling it? Someone was a bit too content to get sealed.
Good thing we double-dipped this episode and got Haru’s therapy session alongside Nezuya’s interactions with the occult research club. I like how the club president calls him lame but no-one bats an eye.
Y’know, I think I remember someone saying something about Norio Wakamoto voicing a dog, and I was expecting a more normal dog? That could just be Norio in a mascot suit, hardly that weird.
I’m largely ignoring the scene of Norio and Sensei talking for now. The only really notable thing was the Grand Paladin’s secretary coming in at the end, so someone is getting double-crossed. Or triple-crossed. Maybe the secretary is a double reverse quadruple agent and secretly working for the Japanese Prime Minister or something.
Takashi’s suit sure does look.. draconic. Souya’s primary target, presumably?
Also, this is largely off-topic, but I was looking up Takashi’s VA and saw that he also voice’s the [Index MC’s dad](https://myanimelist.net/character/23576/Touya_Kamijou). That stuck out to me, because Souya is voiced by [Atsushi Abe](https://myanimelist.net/people/991/Atsushi_Abe), who is possibly best known for his roll as.. [Touma Kamijou, the aforementioned MC of A Certain Magical Index](https://myanimelist.net/character/13700/Touma_Kamijou). Such misfortune.
Questions
1. Ooh.. every example has left my brain. Let’s just default to Ptolemaios I from Gundam 00
2. Discussed above.
**First Timer**
This was surprisingly funny episode. I caught myself giggling at multiple points. Also Souya should take the hint, Nozomi clearly likes him [](#delighted)
The dragon at the start being the cataclysm that hit Souya’s home planet and destroyed it gives a nice reasoning why sealing faction keeps sending these horrors beyond our understanding.
Also yeah Shiraishi is just a plant for the sealing faction? This dynamic just got a lot more interesting and I’m looking forward to what happens next.
I guess Souya’s might also be a little more conflicted after the Nezuya revelation. The story keeps getting more and more interesting by each episode.
1. I really like LOGH ship designs.
2. The illusion showed him a mirror and he realized he was cringe. Rip
**Rewatcher**
### Avenger 1: [Planet With Disputed Future](https://imgur.com/8NjbAAf)
Three-sided conflicts strike a balance, in more ways than one. In the first sense, it’s about the right number of sides. Two is a bit too simplistic, but four can be a bit much when it’s not the primary focus of the story. You more often see the third side as a “heh, but *we* reject *both* sides” thing, the protagonists arriving to an existing conflict and seeing it from outside. But here, Soya is explicitly dragged into one of three pre-existing groups. And in the second sense, a three-sided conflict has to maintain internal balance. If two sides worked together, they could crush the third, which is sort of how things have started off with the two Nebula factions tag-teaming Grand Paladin.
But while this episode ups the ante in that contest, with both sides going to a new level, [the spotlight](https://imgur.com/tRfy012) is put on the disagreement within Nebula about the fate of Earth. Which is literally cats vs dogs btw, that’s a thing we’re doing. The Sealing Faction are afraid of repeating the past – even if the mistakes weren’t their own. The Pacifist Faction are afraid of choking off the future – their own future as well, it seems. What makes or breaks multipolar conflict is believability and sympathy – with two sides, you can just have one be cacklingly evil. But with more, you need at least two to be morally developed, and Planet With *delivers*. Right now, all three sides seem to have a point.
And of course we finally reveal the show’s *true* purpose: [high](https://imgur.com/94VNYH2) [school](https://imgur.com/ZudqVfJ) [club](https://imgur.com/fAtZ3fD) [hijinks](https://imgur.com/pd4vMF7)! If you were wondering at how easily Soya seemed to get dragged into an alien war, well, maybe he’s just kind of easy to drag into things…
**QotD**
> 1) What are your favorite spaceship designs in anime?
Tough question! You know, do I like *any* spaceship designs? Wait, no, [the answer is obvious](https://preview.redd.it/irdkrhq03r941.gif?width=640&format=mp4&s=888a38f1d066de4fb8ccec50259fbab335733d2c).
**First timer**
– Man, with that amount of power, is their even a reason why their leader sends them out when he seemingly seems strong enough to take the Sealing faction on by himself?
– CGI Mech battle.
– [Asspull power up time? Asspull power up time.](https://imgur.com/a/EzgbRAX)
– Wait, if the kid and the cat merge to form the mech, how did the cat materialize himself in giant form without undoing the mech?
– [He just did and you ate shit.](https://imgur.com/a/48yVmNh)
– [Info dumping.](https://imgur.com/a/zKp5JRA)
– [So I take it the cat is/feels partly responsible for what happened to the kid.](https://imgur.com/a/Wpz9K4C)
– [Yup.](https://imgur.com/a/K3plOpA)
– [Is it just me, or does it look like they messed up her compositing in this shot?](https://imgur.com/a/99dlBLe)
– [Sure, whatever you say.](https://imgur.com/a/G0ENAHF)
– If I hear one more nya coming out of her mouth, I’m gonna slap someone.
– IT DOESN’T STOP!!!
– I see that the cringelord is part of the club too.
– [Indeed.](https://imgur.com/a/jZUFdHu)
—
**QotD**
– I like Reinhard’s. It’s got that ethereal look to it with the way it seemingly glows.
– I don’t know. Probably something about two people entering at the same time causing issues. I assume he’ll be fine.
**First Timer**
[Norio Wakamoto has entered the chat](#gintamathispleasesme)
It may have only lasted a minute or so at most, but man hearing him in anything will never get old, even if his scene was really only an exposition dump. I guess my biggest takeaway from this episode is, well, kinda wondering where Soya’s character is gonna go. Given how Nezuya… dying? Being put on a coma? Dunno what happened to him TBH. Whatever the case may be, this is Mister “I wanna get revenge” not only getting his revenge snatched away from him, but it’s also someone whom he overall liked as a person.
Also I’m not normally to start throwing labels at people but with all due respect I’m starting to think Haru may be gay with how she got transported to freaking Utena-land [](#rengethink)
**Rewatcher**
Avengers assemble! Whoops, wrong media. Grand Paladin has assembled and we’ve got a 1v5 situation, and unless Sensei knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu, I don’t see Souya winning. Even when the numbers aren’t in their favor, Souya’s anger pushes through. So they’re harnessing the power of the dragon that obliterated Souya’s planet. He strategically goes for their leader after disarming Haru (you see what i did there?). Looks like the leader isn’t a small fry either. OH MY GOD IT’S A UFO. Nope, just a bigger cat. How much cabbage does that big cat eat in a day? Its caloric needs must be huge. Grand Paladin retreats, and Haru wants to fight Souya next.
“Siriusian” implies that Souya is from Sirius, a star 8.6 light years away. “Kigurumians” or in japanese romaji “Kigurumi-zoku” is derived from the japanese word “Kigurumi”, which means animal costume. So Mr. Dog over here implies, that Sensei might be trying to atone for his sins. Sensei can talk? So psychic power exists in this world and the Nebula guys have a lack for it. Psychic powers lead to Sirius’ downfall? Is there a KFC in this world, or did Nebula make those chicken wings for Souya? Despite all the talk about his planet, the boy wants to satisfy his stomach. Before he gets a bite in, he wakes up from his dream. How very tragic.
A weird design for a spaceship Sensei, but not as weird as those things from the sealing faction. Souya isn’t the only one getting mistaken for a middle schooler. Takamagahara raises a good question: Did Souya ever find a toilet? Because if not, his intestines are gonna explode.
Runyah! The occult research club has a comfy looking room. Nozo-san really cares for Souya, which is nice. Or she’s part of a cult and wants to force him into it. Nezuya is also part of the club. These guys are really living in a small world. Despite being an Alien, Souya takes an interest in UMAs. It’s a good thing, that he can find things besides his desire for revenge. With Hideo he found the first adult that listened to him and Nezuya Judgement is here to be his friend.
What kind of meal is that? Ginko isn’t providing Souya with any protein. Well there’s his desire for revenge again. Haru’s really energized today. Oh boy, those babies are creepy. Shiraishi does seem suspicious. This time there are two people going for the core. Haru doesn’t struggle, but Nezuya Judgement is the first one to fall for the Sealing faction’s illusion. What happened with him?
>What are your favorite spaceship designs in anime?
That’s a good question. I’m not exactly a anime spaceship enthusiast, but I like the one from Space Battleship Yamato.
>What do you think happened to Nezuya?
From what we saw, Nezuya was in a golden palace in his illusion/dream. Maybe he dreamt of getting isekai’d?
**First timer, subs**
* Ah, he’s going full baka.
* The maid still has your bottle. You know this. Do you maybe wanna send one to try capturing her?
* Ah feck. That’s a sexy dragon mech.
* This was a terrible gank. Y’all got shown up by GiantCat.
* At least this exposition dump comes with chicken.
* Reporter knows where it’s at. It’s always the school kids who know what the secrets going on are.
* Can’t stop, won’t stop. Glasses just keeps winning.
* Plot finished before it even started. Efficiency!
* Maybe I missed it, but did anyone comment on this dude always having his book upside down?
* God, is this guy insufferable. I hope we don’t get too much time with him. The rest of the Paladins are more interesting.
* Why would you deliberately weaken yourself before your rematch?
* Well, clearly was the white dog’s aide in the expochicken.
* You’re not at all concerned about there being two of them?
* They’re the same age?
* [Cute Outfit!](#akyuusqueel)
* Man didn’t even have the decency to have his character development room on screen.
**QotD:**
1) Outlaw Star? It’s honestly probably some one off that might not even have a name.
2) Who? Oh. He failed his xeno-therapy.