Right now, we’re looking at a textbook show in a more good way than not.
So, now that the gang’s together, this episode was spent to mostly evolve the dynamics. Akira starts out being considered the baby escortee by most of the others, especially Haruka, where he’s not expected to do anything of value on his own. Youko relates to him a little differently, and a few grace notes in this episode really suggest that if this show wants to have a romantic subplot, they’re the pair (with Haruka and Youko having a heart to heart, and separate from that Haruka teasing Akira that if he won’t let her feed him, maybe Youko should do it). All the same, he’s clearly feeling a bit left out.
At the same time, Haruka butts heads with Eleanor and Lala, mostly in how she’s overprotective of Akira beyond reason. At the same time, we get why, that she made a promise to her dad before he went off and has been living up to it ever since, so that it’s a big part of her identity.
The plan for the episode is fairly simple: The gang has jamming bracelets that let them use their Engines without being immediately detected by EDVA, but once the bracelet is off and the mech is out, one of her minions should come knocking in short order. In order to find the real core of EDVA, they aim to capture one of her mooks in at least enough order to hack it or something. The goal for this is to have each of the girls hang out at a corner of the deserted island they’ve responsibly chosen for their battlefield while Akira, in the center, breaks secrecy to draw in the enemy. Haruka, naturally, totally rejects this idea. Youko doesn’t feel great about it either, but hers is not the objection we most care about.
Though Haruka is shut down in the group’s discussion, she decides to take matters into her own hands, doffing her bracelet to use herself as bait. This gets another variant of the awful cyber-skeleton (credit to the show, we’ve yet to see truly identical enemies) which she fights. Haruka does take an arm off the enemy, but it does manage to overpower her, leading to, of course, Akira flying in to do some rescuing right before it eats her.
Now, a couple thoughts did occur. First of all, no one bothers to point out that Akira is wanted alive, and thus is a little safer playing bait than the girls. Fine I guess, since he isn’t exactly “safe” either, but I thought it so I thought I’d mention it. Second, the girls hang out an awfully long way away from each other and from Akira. I get that they were meant to spot the thing on its way in and converge on it, since they were in communication with each other (which Haruka muted on her end), but why couldn’t they wait near Akira? If it was to minimize danger to Akira by not letting the foe get close to him, they didn’t communicate that. Similarly, if their jamming wouldn’t be enough at close range, that might have been good to mention. But I don’t think that’s too big a problem.
In any case, Akira and Haruka defeat the enemy, with a last little tap from the others when they come on scene to properly neutralize the severed head. I’m not 100% sure if this was a successful capture or not, but if it wasn’t then I’m not sure what a capture will take that was not achieved here. At least we do get the point that Haruka has come to understand that Akira does not need her unidirectional protection any longer, so there should be fewer objections to fighting side-by-side.
Our last note is a cut to EDVA, proclaiming that she will protect order in the universe, setting up the idea that maybe the Theians weren’t very good people, even if her omnicidal rampage might be a drastic overreaction.
On the whole, Vertex Force is playing things very safe and choosing the most natural answers for questions about its content and structure. This is a great way to get a passing grade out of me, but it’s also a great way to see that grade capped south of the A bracket. There are countless ways to tell a story, and only a few are good, but if you want to be great then you need to take at least some risks. Vertex Force may not want to be great, and that’s okay, but we’ll see where it really falls as the show develops.