Mechanical Marie

Episode 11

The main male character accidentally walking in on the main female love interest bathing is a standard anime romcom trope that often leads to histrionic reactions, and said male character being branded “a pervert” or getting beaten within an inch of his life. Thankfully, Mechanical Marie takes a different tack. Marie's not so worried that Arthur sees her naked, rather that he'll finally intuit she is, in fact, a human. (She's told Arthur she can't be submerged in water as it will damage her “components.”) What Marie doesn't realize is that Arthur already knows she's human, and he's been playing along with the ruse since the last episode.

So begins a gently amusing interplay between the two where they talk at cross-purposes, each trying to work out where the other stands on two completely different subjects. It's kind of cute, and I think we can forgive these two dorks for not thinking straight when unexpectedly locked into a steaming bathroom, stark naked (except for towels) together. Arthur may want to hire a better caliber of cleaning staff, considering the sunglasses-and-headphones-wearing cleaner, who waltzes in randomly rapping, doesn't notice the pair of them lying there naked on the floor, and locks them in. Also, who puts locks on the outside of their bathrooms?

While it initially appears Marie and Arthur might inadvertently confess their love to one another, Arthur picks that moment to collapse unconscious, the delayed effect of a poison-tipped dart that struck him earlier. Roy's still not taken practical advice about mansion security, I see. Obviously, it turns out this poison induces amnesia, because what this already dangerously tropey episode needs is a last-minute amnesia plotline. I admit to groaning very loudly when I saw where this was going. Arthur's only just worked out the truth about Marie, and now he's been made to forget it? Lame.

Except it's not quite as lame as I feared. Although misguided half-brother Maynard's poison dart was supposed to make Arthur forget he was his father's heir (how that's supposed to help Maynard, I'm not really sure, as all it would take is for Roy to remind Arthur), all he succeeds in doing is making Arthur forget his last six months with Marie. This has the effect of essentially removing all of his positive character development and the relationships with his schoolfriends, fostered via his interactions with them all and Marie. As Marie notes, he's returned to the scary old Arthur, distrustful of all others, and so very lonely.

Though Roy sees his master's amnesia as a godsend, ordering Marie never to attempt to jog his memory, she's had more than enough of lying to the man she loves. This amnesia nonsense is the last straw as far as she's concerned, and we leave off with her in disguise as one of Maynard's manservants. Perhaps if she can cut off the attempted assassination plots at their source (Maynard), then she feels she can leave Arthur forever without worrying about his safety. I'm sure Arthur will somehow come to his senses in next week's final episode and rush to prevent his beloved from running away.

There aren't a whole lot of laughs in this episode, as it focuses more on Arthur and Marie's relationship, and how the lies it is based on can't be maintained any further. Marie worries that she's hurting him, and that's very valid. Though what Marie doesn't ever consider is the cost of these lies to herself. Whether she realises the extent of it or not, she's very deeply in love with Arthur, and he with her. When the threat of her lies being exposed makes her want to run away from her true love forever, it's only right that the truth comes out. She needs to learn that while Arthur won't forgive lies from other people, for Marie, he's likely to love and accept her regardless of what she's said in the past.

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Mechanical Marie is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.