Moretsu Pirates Episodes 8 & 9

I had difficulty with last week’s episode. Nothing difficult in enjoying it, but rather in knowing what to write about. That episode marked the official entrance of Princess Gruier Serenity (Gruelle? Gruyère?) and thus the transitioning of the plot from mostly introduction and characterization, to that of the beginnings of galactic political intrigue. It’s nothing that I wasn’t invested in, but what I’m most grabbed by in episodic analysis is subtext.

Moretsu Pirates Episode 7

"Stay strong, Katou Marika! Fight, Katou Marika! Space awaits you!"

The opening narrations for these episodes are important. They bring the audience up to speed while simultaneously fleshing out more of the world and speaking to the themes of the forthcoming episode. The tone of this week’s introduction had me confused for a while. It took a much more bombastic approach than what we’ve seen prior, speaking to a bold and assertive Marika that’s perhaps a bit too enthusiastic about her role. I had it down as an allusion to a style of introduction long past that I had not seen and accepted it for that. It wasn’t until the end card had been revealed, which echoed a line that Misa Grandwood had given, that I had finally understood what this week was meditating on:

The dangers of pride, and hubris.

Colloquium: Moretsu Pirates Episode 6

“There’s another, unknown me, hiding in my heart.

How far? Until the end.

You’re lost and missing.”

-lyrics from the ED to Moretsu Pirates, “Lost Child”

Colloquium: Moretsu Pirates Episode 5

"Mom, I'll do it. I'll be captain."

Moretsu Pirates Episode 4

A curious thing happens when you’re in outer space, when the context of terra firma is taken from you. You realize that phrases like “left” and “right” are suddenly a lot less valuable than they once were, as the meanings ascribed to them conflict from person to person.

In space, there is no absolute direction.

Moretsu Pirates Episode 3

"Are you scared?" "Yes."

This episode is telling. It cements in no uncertain terms what the series values above all else, and in turn the audience has a crystal clear understanding if they will enjoy this or not. Given my affinity with astronomy and the universe at large at a very young age, it taps into a primordial fascination I’ve had with the sheer vastness and the profundity of the isolation of space. Unfortunately, that’s not to say that this particular episode had some issues that aren’t worth addressing. That first episode was a promise, the second episode was a lesson, and in more ways than one this third episode was a test.

Moretsu Pirates Episode 2

If the first episode was a promise, then this second one was a lesson. If there was anything in particular that stood out this week, is this show’s emphasis on the idea of responsibility. It pervaded every pore of every scene in this episode, and as if to emphasize that the deftness of the storytelling in the first week was no fluke, proceeded to inform characterization, plot, and dialogue all at once.

Moretsu Pirates Episode 1

KIRABOSHI~

There is a promise being made here. Through girls in pirate outfits, shiny tech in somewhat familiar settings, the juxtaposition of the romantic mores of pirating society with that of the mundanity of adolescent schooldays and the high adventure of the most open frontier.