Mechanical Marie

Episode 7

If there's one particularly cultural idiom I can't stand, it's “your schooldays are the best days of your life.” Whoever spews that crap either peaked in high school and made a total mess of adulthood or died before the age of twenty. I hated school, possibly for many of the same reasons Arthur had a bad time in elementary – kids are little shits to one another, especially to that one kid perceived as somehow “different” or “inferior” to the in-crowd. In this episode, we meet Arthur's heretofore unmentioned “best friend” Daryl Blofeld. Marie really should have been more suspicious of him, as Arthur doesn't have any friends, and there's no way a decent human character will ever be named for James Bond's most famous nemesis.

Daryl and his schoolboy lackeys are determined to humiliate Arthur and prevent him from winning an inter-schools sporting tournament. I also hated most sporting activities at school, and generally bounce hard off anime episodes where they're the main focus. Thankfully, Mechanical Marie has a bit more going on beneath the surface, even though I found it hard to care about the results of the competition.

Arthur's equestrian skills are no match for Daryl's flunkies' air gun pellets, and he's injured after his distressed horse throws him to the ground, and he's unable to continue in competition. After hearing the sad tale of Arthur's childhood bullying experiences, Marie determinedly takes his place and brings the fight to Daryl. Although she wins (reluctantly accepting Noah's help along the way), it's Arthur who has the final word, satisfyingly punching Daryl and confronting him with proof of his duplicity and scheming since early childhood. Arthur wasn't the cowed, vulnerable bullied boy he seemed all along.

While it's always fun to see bullies receive their well-deserved comeuppances, this episode felt a little muted to me. Normally the show makes me laugh frequently, but outside a couple of quick jokes involving Marie 2 (I love her emotionless snark and swiveling head) and Arthur's worryingly devoted fan club (wearing horse ears in the unlikely hope Arthur might mistake them for his horse and “mount” them) this was a relatively humor-free episode.

Marie, in her tearful fight for Arthur's honor against Daryl, does get to emote more than she possibly ever has done previously, demonstrating that her potent romantic feelings for her master are enough to break through her normally pathologically stoic manner. And Arthur confiding in her (although she has to reiterate that she is a “robot” for him to do so) about his childhood bullying trauma confirms that he has no need for a fake “best friend.” He has Marie now, and she loves him unconditionally, which is exactly what he needs. Although it's not the most entertaining of episodes, it does help to cement the central relationship that little bit more, enough that by the end, Arthur takes up his neglected piano, playing joyfully for everyone in his household to hear. Gradually, Arthur and Marie are changing each other for the better.

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Mechanical Marie is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.