Exactly what we were promised by last episode is what gets put on the screen this time.
Really, there’s only so much I can say about this. All the pieces were in place. We had Bisco resurrected (though I suppose there’s the twist that he’s now some sort of hybrid with the Rust Eater, since he sheds spores that sprout into completed Rust Eaters with his now super-powered shots), we had Kurokawa as the God Warrior, and we had everyone else on scene.
While Bisco does most of the heavy lifting, everyone else does get a chance to help out. When Kurokawa goes into “threatening to self destruct” mode, Tirol identifies this and has the know-how to discern from the Tetsujin manual what weak point to hit to defuse it (namely, Kurokawa’s true body, embedded somewhere in the head). Pawoo has the strength and technique to split open the monster’s steel mask in order to expose said weakness (and takes a good opportunity to kiss Bisco before leaping to it. Milo still ships them.), while Jabi and Akutagawa are able to launch her to her target.
This goes off pretty much without a hitch as Kurokawa, fused with the giant monstrosity like a hood ornament (or a Yugioh villain) is revealed, groans a couple lines about being alike with Bisco and refusing to die. He talks a good fight, but he’s pretty much relegated to playing defense, deflecting a couple arrows with his lasers (for the record, Bisco also deflects lasers with his arrows in this climax. That really, really, shouldn’t work but we are far past the point of caring) and then finally spitting blood from his own severed arm into Bisco’s eyes to try to blind him.
Unfortunately for Kurokawa, he doesn’t think to do it again as Milo steps up and helps the temporarily blinded Bisco make the fatal shot. It puts a hole through Kurokawa, causes Tetsujin to melt down to its skeleton just like the God Warrior at the end of the movie version of Nausicaa, and spreads true form Rust Eater everywhere, making it highly available for at least Imihama. Pawoo and Jabi are cured, Bisco and Milo are friends forever, and we move into the epilogue.
There, we check in with the border guards from the first episode. They watch the news, showing that Pawoo is now the leader of Imihama and is breaking with the national government. Said national government does seem to consist of more Kurokawa-style scumbags just like he said, as they’ve upped the bounty on Bisco and placed one on Milo as of when the poorly disguised pair arrive at the gate. They ask after the wanted posters and the gate guard talks up the tales, but admits he doesn’t think they’re actually bad folks. Bisco rewards him with two ampules of Rust Eater treatment, one for himself and one for his assistant, for taking care of the giant King Trumpet mushroom he planted the last time. This tips them off that they’re the wanted duo, but the gate is already open so the guard just shouts a bit, the assistant snaps a photo that the pair pose for, and they ride off bickering into the sunset. Their new adventure: Bisco wants to find out how to become a regular mortal again. The end.
That’s the show. It’s absurd, nonsensical, doesn’t hold a candle to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind despite inviting comparison and… I actually think it’s pretty alright. It’s by no means one of the best I’ve seen. It’s not even the best show I’ve done a Seasonal Selection for, though the bar for that has been raised unreasonably high, so perhaps it would be better to talk about it in more detail. It’s not Gurren Lagann, but it did seem to want to channel some of the same manic energy that was all over that show, especially the first act. In that respect, it’s plenty fun.
I think where it was lacking, though, was in the human investment. Lacking versus greatness, mind you, not deficient in abstract, but you don’t really feel for Bisco or know Bisco the same way you do, say, Kamina. The comedy is on point and the energy is on point, but the feelings don’t hit quite as hard. I’d recommend Sabikui Bisco as a show to go ahead and kill some time with, but not really as great art. That said, there are parts that might even be enduring. Most notably, the visuals and the design of their world, a rusted desert full of airborne marine life, is something that’s at least worth remembering. Will I go back to this the way I will other manic action shows like Gurren Lagann or other weird creative dives like Dorohedoro? Probably not, but as with Nausicaa, just because it falls short of those markers doesn’t mean it’s sorry entertainment.
So, if you’re up for a visually creative go with some colorful if basic characters in a colorful if basic story, give it a watch and you’ll get what you were looking for.