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Plastic Memories
Episode 4

by Gabriella Ekens,

After two weeks of faffing about, Plastic Memories returns to the only thing that I wanted out of it – Tsukasa and Isla on the job. This episode starts out by introducing two new fascinating aspects of Giftian society. First of all, Giftia are used to raise foster children, and secondly, there exists a sort of underground trade of Giftia retrieval. That first piece of information leads to this episode's plot – Tsukasa and Isla retrieve a boy's guardian – while the second seems to lead into the series' plot as a whole. Who are these unlicensed retrievers, and what do they want with dying Giftias? Could it have something to do with the company that produces Giftias, and the pressure they're putting on retrievers to cut costs by skimping on the aftercare? Is this society as idyllic as it initially seems, or are injustices accruing beneath the surface? Plastic Memories has dipped its toe into these fascinating topics, and I hope it grows into a thorough investigation.

Their client this episode, Souta, was orphaned three years ago, and has been raised by his family's Giftia Marcia since then. Unfortunately, Marcia's time has almost run out, and he's about to experience the pain of loss all over again. He's retreated into believing that his memories of his parents are all lies, and Tsukasa needs to reconcile him and Marcia before he does something he'll regret. Rifling through the family's photo books, Marcia discovers a lost family recipe and resolves to serve it to Souta on his final birthday with her. Tsukasa, Isla, Michiru, and Zack help out, bonding in the process. Souta and Marcia reconcile, and Tsukasa leaves the job a more experienced retriever. Unfortunately, when Marcia's retrieval date arrives, someone else comes to pick her up, and he doesn't look all that nice…

I like Tsukasa's character. Although the show seems to be trying its damnedest to frame him as a hilarious pervert, he shines through as a likable and empathetic young man. He has a knack for taking care of people, and has already begun taking initiative on assignments. He even seems to have reconciled himself to living with Isla. She started undressing in the morning and he didn't bat an eye; he just started yelling ecstatically because she greeted him for once. Then Michiru assumed that he was doing something pervy and beat him up. Why can't I have nice things?

Isla wasn't very prominent this episode. She has a small B-plot concerning how she's forgotten how to smile. In an attempt to regain the ability, she spends most of the episode contorting her face in bizarre ways. I liked this part. While it's never laugh-out-loud funny, some of the show's humor manages to be charming and unobtrusive. Some of it. She also flashes back to Kazuki, her formal retrieval partner, who seems to have broken off their arrangement in a traumatic way. I wonder what went down?

Although Tsukasa's coworkers continue to be the worst part of the show, we do learn something interesting about Michiru, the tsundere Asuka lookalike. Like Souta, she was raised by a Giftia and had trouble coping with her caretaker's impending death. She apparently kept her father alive past his slotted 81,920 hours, which turned him into a “wanderer” – a severely demented Giftia with no memories. It gives a sympathetic dimension to a character whose role so far has only been getting irrationally angry at the protagonist. For all of this show's drawbacks, it succeeds at the most important thing – depicting humans and Giftia in complicated, loving relationships.

Unfortunately, bad comedy just looks like it'll just be part of the package when it comes to Plastic Memories. However, I can accept that if it comes wrapped up in successful pathos and worldbuilding, as in this episode. Last week got you this close to getting panned, Plastic Memories. Thanks for stepping back up.

Grade: B

Plastic Memories is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Gabriella Ekens studies film and literature at a US university. Follow her on twitter.


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