Mekaku City Actors episode 3 did something that I thought was genuinely surprising and clever. Episode 3 presented the viewer with a problem as well as (almost) all the resources available to the protagonists, and then solved the problem using a non-trivial plan... or at least it got pretty darn close. This is surprisingly uncommon. I'll break things down a bit further.
For reference here is a character list: http://myanimelist.net/anime/21603/Mekakucity_Actors/characters.
To skim over everything, the problem is a hostage situation, the resources are the 7 characters and the darkened tech shop.
What the plan seems to be is, to use Marry to freeze the clowns, to do this they need attention on Marry and light so that people can see. To get attention to Marry Momo uses her power while standing next to Marry, and to get light they rely on Momo's brother to open the windows. To allow Momo's brother the chance to open the windows, Momo and the gang create a distraction by detaching TVs from the wall.
The key to all of this coming together was proper observation and planning. First the combination of Seto and Kano's powers created an avenue of communication with Momo's brother. When Momo noticed her brother with ear buds she remembered Eme and figured she could open the windows. From these observations she was able to formulate the plan.
Unfortunately this whole thing does have a few holes, but they are holes that could have been solved. First that Marry needed more light for her power to work is poorly conveyed seeing as everyone was already operating just fine in the darkened store. I think this could have really been made more clear. Second, Marry's movement to Momo in front of the window was a bit unbelievable seeing as we see Momo moving there and she isn't with Marry at the time. I think this could have been solved by just having Marry run with Momo. Third, I think detaching all those TVs in such a short time is ridiculous. I feel they could have done with a much smaller and quicker distraction. Finally it was never really conveyed that Kano/Seto had a way of freeing Momo's brother. I think this is already believable but still could have been conveyed in some form.
The last thing I'd like to point out is this scene: http://i.imgur.com/SFyq7Wr.png
This is huge. In my experience, the most commonly overlooked part of the scientific method is replication. That is being able to replicate results multiple times. This is important because it raises confidence in the result. Momo already figured that her brother could open the windows, but she recognizes that she might be wrong and double checks. This kind of controlled caution shows that she can hit a middle ground between confidence and self doubt which will serve her well in life. It also shows that she doesn't squander resources. In her plan, information is key, so when she has the opportunity to sure up her plan a little she takes it without a second thought.
All & all this was a treat to watch. A problem and a solution displaying some nice quick rational thinking, and all with a cool set of powers.
A friend of mine pointed out one more important thing. The screen behind Momo's brother is shattered when he's on the floor. He thinks this is because a stray bullet hit Momo's brother and I realized that there's some great characterization going on if its true. Momo's brother already had a plan before he realized Momo's plan and it seems to have been to use Eme to break the cowns' control of the mall security system, allowing police and what not to do their thing. This is a bad plan because it never restrained the clowns and would let them harm Momo's brother... and Momo's brother might have known that. His plan might have recognized and ignored his personal safety for the greater good. This sort of thing is nothing new for heroic figures but hopefully this show can treat this decision properly. First of all, I think if Momo's brother never considered that he might get shot then this action louses all merit. It would take a moron not to figure this out and that would make Momo's brother a shitty character. Second, I think a stable person wouldn't make this decision. The hero factor is one thing, but they aren't even being directly threatened. That Momo's brother would choose to act the way he did, to me indicates that he has some diminished value of himself. |