BEATLESS

Episode 3

Last episode, this series started showing a little more ambition than its premiere suggested. Episode three moves things along a notch further, both in terms of the overall plot and the concepts that this series is exploring. Right now, the themes of this story are more interesting than the plot, which still isn't anything special in either the short term or the big picture.

On the short-term side, the obsessive fan from last episode shows that he's willing to escalate things by kidnapping Lacia – or is it actually stealing, as the police insist? It turns out that he's also the one who's been going around destroying hIEs based on some grossly twisted logic about looking for the perfect hIE for his “ideals,” which in this case involved wanting to tuck Lacia away and monitor her so she doesn't lead other men astray. This warped attitude, his disconcerting stroking of Lacia, and request for a “sexual analogue hack” make me wonder if this is intended as more than just another depiction of creepy idol otaku, perhaps a statement on the psychological side effects of lifelike androids. Meanwhile, on the big picture side, Kouka confronts her “older sister” Lacia and disses Arato for not being a better master, while both of Arato's friends seem deeply involved in larger matters.

Although this does result in some actual action sequences this week, including Arato proving that he's surprisingly not above getting into fisticuffs himself, the more interesting points are lurking under the surface. This isn't the first series to involve androids who alter their behavior patterns to better serve their owners/masters, but in most anime, this shift is more drastic and often intended for comedic effect. In BEATLESS, it's a more subtle transition that's handled seriously within the story. When Lacia declares that “for the next five minutes, I will change the way I communicate with you,” the result is actually disconcerting; I don't think I've ever seen this specific kind of effect so potently displayed in sci fi before, and the musical score has a lot to do with its impact. The scene is also loaded with subtext, including the clarity that Arato is attracted to Lacia but deliberately trying not to think about her that way. The point about legal responsibility also resurfaces in a later scene where Lacia could wind up killing her kidnapper, which thankfully puts considerable more heft on the importance of ownership in this setting. There's also Arato's speculation about what Kouka's statement about loving Lacia might mean in regard to hIEs having souls.

Not everything in the episode is handled so smoothly, though. An explanation about Red Boxes gets awkwardly jammed into the dialogue, Kouka's personality is pretty much a redhead-with-attitude stereotype, and some of the timing in the big confrontation scenes feels too languid. The artistry also continues to underwhelm, and I don't expect it to improve significantly at this point. A generally strong musical score helps offset this and the show's conceptual ambition is still a strong point in its favor. The story has raised some interesting questions too. Who is the mysterious woman who hands Lacia her battle equipment? Was she the one responsible for bringing it from Arato's house? And what is the significance of Lacia being a prototype?

I can still see a lot of potential here. While I'm leery of whether or not the series can pull of its ambitions based on what we've seen so far, this is directed by the man behind the original Fullmetal Alchemist adaptation, so I'm willing to give the series some leeway on its rough spots for now.

Rating: B

BEATLESS is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.