Terraformars

Episode 12

It's not uncommon for an anime series to drop a figurative bombshell toward the end of the season, but Terraformars takes the idea a bit more literally. As the explosion count rises, so do the stakes in this week's episode. The series is building up to something big, and it's apparently happy to set the whole planet on fire in the process.

There's a lot going on at once in this episode. We learn a little bit about the Captain's backstory, the Russian team makes an alarming discovery in the pyramids, and the heroes do their best to survive a Terraformar missile attack. Yes, in addition to learning how to use guns and cars, the space bugs have repurposed rocket fuel canisters into a form of artillery. At this point, it wouldn't be surprising to find out that they've got a giant robot hidden away somewhere.

It's all just a tad ridiculous, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This episode serves as a return to the bombastic approach that Terraformars adopted earlier in the season. One of this show's greatest strengths has been its ability to present the viewer with absurd yet thrilling action sequences. Not every series can sell a baseball-themed special attack in the midst of widespread death and destruction, but Terraformars manages to make it work. It's not realistic by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a lot of fun.

That sense of fun is strengthened by this episode's willingness to laugh at itself. The banter between characters lets the audience know that the show is in on the joke. The Captain delivers an amusingly straight-faced denial when asked if he's gone through the surgery more than once. Marcos admits that his approach to combat is functionally equivalent to a street thug bashing his enemies over the head with a stick. It's the kind of self-deprecating humor that would be right at home in a good action movie, which is exactly what a series like Terraformars needs. As long as the audience is having a good time, an occasional gap in logic can be overlooked.

This isn't to say that the show has completely abandoned its more serious elements. The Russian team makes some interesting (and occasionally horrifying) discoveries in the pyramid, helping shed some light on what's really going on. The revelation of the aliens' detailed knowledge of the Annex mission is delivered with an appropriately sinister atmosphere. This new information helps stack the odds against our heroes while simultaneously increasing the price of failure. With the story moving toward its climax, this was absolutely the right time to raise the stakes.

Terraformars still isn't perfect, and it's frustrating to see that the show still can't properly light a night scene unless its sets something on fire. Revealing a human influence behind Terraformar evolutionary progress makes sense, but it also feels like taking the easy way out. We're at the point in science fiction where it's not unusual to reveal that humans are the real monsters. This series had a chance to explore some interesting questions about evolution and sentient life, so it's a bit disappointing to see those possibilities left by the wayside. It doesn't prevent Terraformars from being good, but it does make the show less memorable than it could have been.

Given its shaky start and other missteps, I keep worrying that Terraformars will slip up one last time before the end. Thus far, those fears have proven to be unfounded. It may not be clever or insightful, but it's certainly been fun to watch over the last few weeks. A strong finish to this story arc will easily make it worth the ride.

Rating: B

Terraformars is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Paul Jensen also covers anime and manga at SharkPuppet.com.