Mechanical Marie

Episode 4

This may have been Mechanical Marie's best episode yet, and not only because we get to see Marie dressed in pink nurse cosplay for half the runtime. It's hilarious that it's the “secret weapon” Arthur's father keeps locked in a metal briefcase, only for use when a male family member is incapacitated by illness. I don't expect seeing Marie in this rather suggestive outfit did much to lower Arthur's fever – though perhaps this is the point? When Marie straddles him, then mops the sweat from his bare chest before holding him close to her, it's likely his temperature rose several degrees along with an adrenaline-fuelled tachycardia, causing his heart to race. Well, we know viruses can't replicate easily above normal body temperatures, so perhaps that is the therapeutic intention? Or perhaps Zetes senior is just an old pervert, and that's why he's left a string of potentially illegitimate children all over the place to scheme against Arthur's life?

It's obvious from this sequence how much Arthur views Marie as indispensable now. She's the only one with whom he can show his vulnerable side. A note to the guys in the audience – if you can be as vulnerable with your girl as Arthur is with Marie in this episode, she's absolutely a keeper. It takes a lot of trust within a relationship to open oneself up to the possibility of betrayal and emotional pain, and Arthur has experienced little else in his whole life. If only Marie didn't have to lie to him about her true nature! Alas, he's so willing to believe his perfect woman is a robot, he'll accept her bizarre explanation that she has an inbuilt forehead thermometer for her method of fever measurement.

I do wonder about this mansion's lack of security, however. Several random men attempt to attack an unwell Arthur, and are only prevented by Marie hilariously knocking them out. “That's Zetes decor for you,” muses Marie, having just utilized a nearby vase. “Hefty, durable, and perfect for bludgeoning.” I adore her deadpan wit. Perhaps with both Marie and the true robot companion, Marie 2, they've exhausted the security budget?

The episode's second half focuses once more on the creepy Noah, as Maynard sends him to make another attempt on Arthur's life, this time at a school social function. Arthur's poisoned by a massive dose of a narcotic that affects both sight and hearing, but Marie soon intervenes and struggles to fight off Noah alone. She gets to use the handful of batteries given to her for sustenance by Arthur, though, but probably not in the way he intended. Thankfully, Marie 2 turns up to tag-team the villain, though she gets decapitated in the process. I'm sure she'll be ok by next week. She now even gets a more prominent role in the extremely cute ending sequence.

The two Maries' beatdown on Noah is satisfying, and even reasonably well animated, though with the usual jump-cuts for Marie's high-kicks. His goading allows Marie to consolidate and voice her feelings for Arthur, in a desperately sweet scene that he, of course, later discounts as a “nice dream”. Surely, following this episode, neither is in denial of their feelings for the other? Arthur's willing to protect the dignity of his maid even when he can't even see or hear properly, he just knows someone is being mean to her, and he can't stand it. They make such an adorable couple, and I sincerely hope they can enjoy a long and happy future together, without Arthur feeling he needs to keep her constantly topped up on AA batteries.

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Mechanical Marie is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.