Punch Line

Episode 10

One of the most tried-and-true of all heroic storytelling techniques is to have the hero nearly succumb to despair before summoning the final burst of resolve necessary for completing his defining task. This episode, aptly titled “The Fall,” is where Yuta reaches that stage. Because the creators wisely decided to play it absolutely straight (they even dropped the sexy "Punch Line" statements around the eye catch), it also represents the series at its very best.

Because Yuta was incapacitated overnight by Guriko, she makes it to Meika far too late to stop her from hacking into the NSA satellite at Rabura's request, and thus Yuta is unable to stop the Qmay Group from getting the “in” they need to take over the satellite and fire its missiles off in such a way as to divert the asteroid. (Remember the little box attached to the side of the satellite dish's column? That was the “in.”) Chiranosuke nonchalantly informs the despairing Yuta that she has missed her chance, and so this timeline is now a bust, too. Sure, he had high hopes that this Yuta might show him a new rail (to continue the previously-used metaphor equating rail lines to timelines), but all Yuta he can do now is insure that the next Yuta keeps trying. Being invited for hotpot and discovering that Ito has been kidnapped temporarily puts some fire into him, but it is merely a brief spark, as she and Mikatan learn that Guriko has kidnapped Ito in order to draw them out and try to convince them to become Ws (which are apparently the perfected form of Uberfication) so that they will survive the coming apocalypse. Why? Because Guriko, despite going all Magneto and even seeking to depose the Qmay Group's founder by feeding him false information (Muhi was never really necessary for the W project after all), is lonely and would rather still have her old friends around after humanity is obliterated – in other words, the ultimate selfishness. After raging spectacularly, Yuta finally decides that it's not yet time to give up; there's too much worth saving, and this time a new rail will be laid after all. Hence she suits up and goes to Meika to reveal the whole truth, presumably in the hopes that knowing about the coming calamity a couple of days in advance will allow them to find a way to stop it.

So all of the tricky gimmicks are now done; all of the mysteries have been answered save one (Rabura's experience with being possessed in her childhood) and all of the cards are now on the table. All that's left is for Yuta to collect the Korai House members together to form Justice Punch – or at least that seems to be the most obvious direction for this to go in, anyway – and find a way to stop the meteor. For that end to be reached, this episode's content was absolutely necessary. As an indication of exactly how important the scene of Yuta's rage is, it receives some of the series' sharpest animation and best use of musical score. In fact, the production values and sense of dramatic timing of the whole episode are at the series' best and most finely-detailed level, as can be seen in the way Guriko's expression suggests that she has lost her way or the dramatic build-up to Yuta suiting up as Kenji, but then not being content to pretend to be Kenji anymore. (And my, wasn't it conspicuous that Yuta never affirmed Mikatan's question about saving Guriko, too?) Hence the epilogue scene where she removes her mask in front of Meika marks the major final turning point.

The episode also provides one thing that viewers have been waiting for ever since Meika revealed that Yuta is actually a girl: visual proof of that fact. For the first time we are allowed to see Yuta changing, and so can see that she does, indeed, wear wrappings over her breasts and lacks the expected bulge in her boy's underwear. This is much less a fan service scene, though, and much more an acknowledgement that the time for subterfuge has past. Only forthrightness is going to save the day here.

How strongly Punch Line nails this episode gives great hope for a powerhouse conclusion.

Rating: A

Punch Line is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.