Sakugan

Episode 6

So far, Sakugan's strength has been in its relative simplicity. There are of course larger mysteries about the world and Memempu's quest to fuel the overarching plot, but on an episode-by-episode scale it's kept its plotting pretty simple. Go to a new place, introduce and flesh out a new character, have somebody maybe learn a lesson inbetween some madcap antics, cue adorable end credits. “JUSTICE FOR VILLAINS” marks a departure from that, as the series tries a much more complicated and ambitious narrative, with rocky results.

That rockiness mostly comes from the structure of this episode. There's a lot going on in this, between getting Gagumber and Memempu to the AreYear colony, introducing said Colony's gimmick and relevant history, getting involved with Yuri's crew and fleshing out his backstory, before resolving it all in under 22 minutes. It's doable, and the episode just barely holds together through the power of its earnestness and the likability of the cast, but you can feel the entire show sprinting breathlessly to cram it all in before credits. The micro-pacing of nearly every scene is sped up, toeing the breaking point several times and never quite giving the emotions of any given story beat time to settle or digest, which is a real shame because there are quite a lot of interesting ideas here that could have stood to be explored more.

For one, there's the entire gimmick of AreYear's “Equality” that ends up just a little too nebulous to really make its point clear. Essentially it's spoofing the classic idea of a conformist meritocracy, where everyone has “equal” opportunity under the letter of the law, but in practice those who fit outside of the predetermined norms are quietly left to starve or steal to survive. It's expressed in Sakugan's established brand of sardonic self-deprecation, but the series definitely sympathizes with the supposed “rejects” of AreYear's system, and at least tries to make an argument for the concept of equity, rather than a blanket policy of “equality” that doesn't account for people with disabilities, or other circumstances that don't allow them to easily fit into a homogeneous society. The problem is just that it's so crammed in with Yuri's personal journey and the group's madcap antics that it never fully delivers the bite necessary to make it work. Though like a lot of things these days, even its attempts at absurdist satire feel more like an inevitable headline from a year in the future. Still, I do appreciate what this whole storyline is going for – I just wish it wasn't so cluttered.

That's really how I feel about everything in this episode. I like Yuri – as a cocky teen with his own technical proficiency, he makes for a surprisingly effective pal to Memempu, and the scene where she admires his prosthetic hands is probably the best in the whole episode. I also appreciate the way Gagumber sees his younger, overconfident self in the kid, acknowledging that for as much as Yuri has his heart in the right place, his own ambitions could end up costing him what matters most if he's not careful. And while the delivery is a bit messy, I also appreciate the conclusion the two come to once they stop Yuri's mad dash for vengeance. Yuri alone isn't enough to fix every problem in AreYear, but he and the rest of his team are nonetheless capable of taking care of each other and making things better for people like them. Sometimes, that's enough. But like everything else in this episode it's crowded together in a way that really saps the impact the episode is going for.

I hate having to come back to that complaint this whole review, but it really is the big issue that keeps this episode from being as good as it could have been. This could easily have been a two-parter, and it would have allowed the story to breathe and the characters to build a more substantial rapport. I have no idea how the pacing of the rest of the season is planned out, so maybe this condensed story is just a consequence of fitting everything else in, but either way it doesn't stop this from being a frustrating viewing experience. There are good ideas here, some real heart, and energy to spare, and that manages to salvage things enough, but here's hoping future adventures get a little more polish.

Rating:

Sakugan is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.