Certainly a lot to unpack there. Last week’s episode was already the most-discussed of the series, at least from what I saw. And this one definitely picks up where that one left off. A lot of the chatter surrounded what Rudo did to Amo, a subject about which I made my feelings clear in last week’s write-up. Did the events portrayed in this episode change my view of that incident (when I read it in the manga)? No, for the very simple reason that no one including Rudo knew about any of this at the time. He made a mistake that was understandable in the circumstances, and Enjin used it masterfully as a teaching moment.
Tragic backstories are something of a shounen specialty of course. Dandadan famously provided a memorable one in its first cour. What happened to Amo kind of speaks for itself and doesn’t invite a whole lot of embellishment. In short, the world depicted in Gachiakuta is seriously fucked up. That doesn’t make what Amo’s mother did any less despicable, but it does make it less surprising. People living the way those on the surface (and in the slums in the Sphere) live are routinely pushed to the sheer edge by desperation, and sometimes over it.
So yes, Amo seriously got a raw deal. As messed up in the head as she is, you figured there had to be some big-time trauma involved somewhere. What’s especially grotesque is that because of the boots, Amo wasn’t even aware she was being abused by the scumbag (the excellent Kiuchi Hidenobu) who purchased her. Where the story starts to get relevant from Rudo’s perspective (though he’s still having a father-son chat with Enjin) is when Amo talks about the “angels” who paid her a visit. The seeming leader of the pair punched the man out, handed the boots to Amo with the declaration that they suited her better, and told her she could “keep them until the time comes”.
Who are these angels – one of whom returned some time later? That’s unclear, but Rudo recognizes the crude drawing Amo makes as the man who killed Regto. Taking possession of the boots breaks the abuser’s spell over Amo, and she resolutely refuses to give them back. This leads to a scuffle which leads to him getting what he deserves. As for the boots themselves, well – as noted last week they bear the same mark that Rudo’s gloves do. He takes the news that the man who killed Regto is on the Ground (though he may be able to go back and forth) and a welcome revelation – he’s keen for revenge, after all. That path leads to darkness, especially with someone as broken as Rudo, but again – who can blame him?
Thanks to Enjin, Rudo understands that he done Amo wrong. But loon she may be, Amo isn’t the sort to bear a grudge. She notes that perhaps the mark on their respective vital instruments reflects the fact that they fill a hole inside both of them – that in fact they’re both missing something. Amo’s eyes may have been unmasked when the spell of the boots was broken, but there’s a price for that – she know understands just how messed up her life has been, and is. Rudo declares that he’s as defective as she, still learning how human beings connect with others. But as Enjin told him, being self-aware is the first step towards true growth.
Amo was obviously invited to return to headquarters with the cleaners, but she declines – she wants to “stay a little longer and work some things out”, she says. That seems innocent enough, and future meetings seem likely. But once the Cleaners are gone another visitor arrives, and it’s no angel this time. It’s the dude who’s Amo’s comrade in the unhinged department, Jabber Wonger. And whatever he does to Amo, it’s clear she doesn’t like it one bit.
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