Texhnolyze S1E11: Vagrant

Content warning for incest and (at least strongly implied) child sexual abuse.

...


The penultimate episode of the show's first season. Its first of two, if I'm not mistaken, so this is very nearly the series' halfway point. I'm not even sure what to imagine for the second season, as this feels like the story as a whole coming to a close and the crumbling of the world it established, but there's at least as much of it.

Anyway, hopefully my head is clear enough for this. My recovery has kind of stalled these last few days, but I'll try.


Ichise stands alone in a nearly empty apartment, staring out the window at the street below. Ran stands down there, staring wordlessly back up at him in the window. There are some ominous clock-pendulum-ish noises and shifting camera angles, which means...I don't know what that means in this show lol. From there, we cut to the Organo muppets conspiring against Onishi some more (gonna be hard for them to throw him under the bus to keep the Class' favor after he just heroically saved the Class' representative, but I can't fault them for optimism I guess...).

Then, we go to Onishi in a hospital room, where he's recovering from the wounds he sustained in his duel with Yoshii. The old grandfatherly former Organo leader gives him a well done son speech, and warns him that he should do his best to lay low and keep his location on a need to know basis until he's in fighting shape again.

We haven't yet been told what the Class guy thought of being rescued by Onishi, and if there's any gratitude to be found there. Where did that guy even go, actually? He seemed to just vanish after Yoshii missed that shot.

Jump to more Organo guys whose names I don't remember and whose personalities aren't distinct enough for me to care about scheming against each other. Also, when I called them "muppets' before I was actually being accurately descriptive. I don't know if previous screenshots have captured it so much, but have a look at this one:

Seeing them side by side with normal-looking characters just makes it even worse. And in this scene that's relevant, because some of these bozos are escorting Ichise down a hallway. One group of deformed dipshits seems to be trying to get Ichise to help them deal with another group of deformed dipshits. And one of them also appears to randomly grab Ichise's ass. I think? The camera angle makes it unclear if he actually made contact, and Ichise has no visible reaction whatsoever, so I'm not sure.

Anyway, I guess they just scooped Ichise up from wherever Onishi left him in the wake of the Yoshii boss fight? I guess?

So, Ichise gets sent to do whatever thing they want him to do, with no sign of compliance or cooperation from him. Some random young guy who I'm pretty sure hasn't been named yet so you can't just blame his namelessness on me is driving Ichise to the target. As he drives, he fills Ichise in on some Organo history that he may or may not have already known.

The Organo isn't really a gang so much as a confederation of gangs that somewhat consolidated their leadership. And...well, I'm pretty sure that it was established that the Organo predates Onishi's leadership, but he might mean "without a strong leader like Onishi, it would have broken apart again pretty quickly." Which I can certainly believe, and which generally squares with what we've seen of the Organo's internal politics.

Anyway, Ichise doesn't respond to anything the other guy says, so eventually he gives up on trying to make conversation and just continues driving in silence until they reach their destination. It's a bar, where a little old man has some intel to delivery to Ichise's unnamed escort (I'll call him Bartholomew for now). It takes several cash payments to get all the information out of him, but the long and short of it is that the leading culprit in the dig site bombing was one of the Organo muppets by the name of Sakazaki, who has since used the wartime confusion to vanish and hide himself in "Masamune's factory." I don't think that place has been named until now, so I'm not sure what the political ramifications of this are (if any).

Also, the old guy looks like a questionably anthropomorphic monkey.

The character designs in this show started out as "normal people, except where cybernetics come into play." These last few episodes they've been getting weirder and more exaggerated, and not in a consistent direction.

Anyway, Bartholomew takes Ichise off to this factory place and turns down MonkeyMan's offer for extra (paid) backup. Cut to somewhere else, where another muppet is parlaying with the Salvation Union leadership.

He's telling cult leader Kimata that it's pretty clear now that the firebombing was carried out by some lower-rung shit disturbers within the Organo without the knowledge or permission of its leadership. So, they can end this pointless, bloody conflict; Onishi guarantees that Kimata and his sect will be compensated for their initial firebomb losses if they just aid the Organo in restoring order and punishing the sub-gang actually responsible for all this.

I see. He's trying to get the Salvation Union to help him take out one of his rival underbosses in the brewing Organo civil war. Whether or not he plans to actually compensate them when he takes over the organization as he (falsely) claimed Onishi would, of course, is unclear. I'm thinking probably not though.

Kimata and his companions don't say a word in reply. When the Organo muppet tells them that they'd best make up their minds soon and then takes his entourage and leave, the cultists remain silent. Once they're out of earshot from each other, muppetman asks one of his flunkies if he seemed convincing, and is told that he did. Meanwhile, the Salvation Union people unanimously seem to have seen right through this shit and correctly inferred that this is just someone trying to use them for intra-Organo bullshit. Heh, nice try muppet.

Back to Ichise and Bartholomew, driving to the factory place. Barthalomew warns Ichise that he needs to keep his cool in this place, even though it will be difficult. Ichise responds by staring directly ahead without saying anything or moving a muscle.

I guess word got around about Ichise's random punching impulses.

...honestly, is Ichise even still himself? He hasn't said a word since the punching incident. Like he's been zombified or something.

Also, as they drive, Ichise's eyes focus on several idle residents that they pass by, who are all just standing around looking exhausted and depressed. Slightly different flavor of zombie.

They arrive at the factory, where Bartholomew hails a random worker and asks if his father is around. Oh, huh, Bartholomew is from this neighborhood himself. Rando worker looks scared to see him, which is understandable given that he's now an Organo member and such. Anyway, they soon are introduced to Bartholomew's father, Frederickson, who brings them to his apartment to talk business. Apparently he's a foreman or something at this factory, and knows the comings and goings of everyone around these parts.

Bartholomew doesn't look pleased to see him, though. And Frederickson is far from forthcoming with the information.

It seems like he's demanding money from his son-turned-gangster, at first. But then he sits down next to Ichise and creepily puts his hand over his while repeating that he's not going to part with information for nothing.

Please stop raping Ichise.

In a pleasant surprise, Bartholomew tells his father to get his hands off; Ichise has handpicked for induction into the Organo by Onishi, so if Frederickson rapes him it'll be like raping the chief of the mafia, and that's not usually a wise career decision. Frederickson starts getting all smug and paternalistic, and tells his son that he hasn't matured at all; he still thinks that everything revolves around himself, etc. If he thinks his father is going to just help him in exchange for nothing, then that means that joining the Organo really has eroded his sense of right and wrong just like Frederickson always told him it would.

As disturbingly serene music plays, Bartholomew tells Frederickson that he would kill him where he stands right this second if he wasn't his own blood. Then, he follows him into the bedroom, where Ichise sees the early stages of Bartholomew taking his place.

From there, we abruptly cut to Ran, who is with her grandfather in the Gabe village. Her grandfather the Sage asks if she's going to bring her freshly picked flowers into the city today or not, but she just stares at a CGI dragonfly as it hovers over a puddle, visions of faces flickering in her vision, and whispers despairingly about how nothing ever changes.

Back in the factory district, Bartholomew gets the information from his father. And tells him that next time, he really will kill him.

I'm honestly not sure why he didn't just beat the information out of him. I guess maybe Frederickson has some connections of his own or something.

Regardless, I think this is probably the most mature handling of sexual abuse I've seen in an anime to date. In just how disconcerting and unpleasant it is, and the sort of matter-of-factness of it. Like, it makes you wonder how you would even react to this if you stumbled into it in real life, or if you'd even be able to register it until it had already happened. And it keeps your sympathy entirely with the victim without milking it for melodrama or suffering porn.

That said, I'm sort of perplexed at what sort of leverage Bartholomew's father is supposed to have over him that lets him keep doing this. Bartholomew is seemingly a somewhat-respected Organo enforcer. What is his father that he can make demands like these without reprisal?

Well, still. Bartholomew not only didn't rape Ichise, but actually let himself be raped in Ichise's stead. That definitely sets him above most of the other characters (granted, I'm not sure how well it would have ended for Frederick if he'd actually tried to do anything to Ichise, so Bartholomew may have sacrificed his pride for both of them...). He's only just been introduced to the story, but he's already made himself more sympathetic than just about any of the other characters, and he didn't need tragicomic extended misery porn like Ichise to get there!

So, Ichise and Bartholomew leave the home of the latter's drooling rapist father (with a final promise to kill him next time), and we jump over to whatever empty building the Racan are now squatting in. Shinji is being approached by the same uncanny valley mannequin-creature that tried to get the Salvation Union to help him earlier. Seemingly courting them for the same purpose, though we don't get to hear what he's offering them or what angle he takes. At a guess, probably some total lie about knowing who actually blew up their clubhouse. If so, that's funny, because Shinji already knows who actually did that and he's already been neutralized lol.

...I still don't understand why Shinji just ran away from Yoshii instead of attacking him himself when he admitted that, but eh.

Anyway, unfortunately for Mr. Muppet, the Racan aren't buying his bullshit any more than the Union did. Either for the reason I suspected at above, or just because he has a (horrifyingly) untrustworthy face.

He looks much more normal at this angle and distance than he does in the usual close up shots.​

The meeting ends with the following amusing exchange:


Shinji: "Get out of here already. You're not worth talking to."

Pinataface: "You bastard! Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

Shinji (very cheerfully): "Nope!"


I chuckled. Shinji's an asshole, but he's a watchable asshole. Especially when he's interacting with even worse people.

Anyway, Mafia Muppet still isn't recruiting any patsies it seems. Cut back to Ichise and Bartholomew, who have driven to the place where Frederickson said that the guy is supposed to be. As they get out of the car, some guys with lead pipes approach them. Turns out that they're old childhood acquaintances of Ichise, and they're mad to see that he's rebounded from his mythically over-the-top misfortune and is now with the Organo. So, they want to kill him.

It really doesn't take much of a reason down here in Lukuss, does it?

Once again though, Bartholomew has Ichise's back. Declaring that he detests, above all else, people who tear others down instead of trying to improve things for themselves, Bartholomew charges the thugs and takes the first guy out instantly. With the speed and strength he just demonstrated, he's probably a trilobite himself. When he pulls a knife and makes to take care of the other two in a more permanent fashion though, Ichise actually acts, seemingly unprompted, to grab Bartholomew and hold him back from attacking these losers.

Huh. Surprising move from him. And not just because it's any move at all.

There's a tense moment where it seems like Bartholomew might be about to ignore Ichise's de-escalation attempt and possibly provoke a more violent response from Ichise as well as the thugs. But, then Bartholomew puts his knife away and looks ashamed of himself, muttering an apology under his breath.

I'm guessing letting his father rape him has left Bartholomew with some aggression to work out. Man, why IS his father so untouchable?

He tells Ichise to come on and catch that suspicious person whose coordinates he literally sold his ass for. Suddenly, Ichise throws a punch at Bartholomew...or so it appears. Lol, nice fakeout. One of the envious thugs apparently tried to sneak up behind Bartholomew while he was talking to Ichise, and Ichise punches over Bartholomew's shoulder to flatten the guy's nose.

After that time Ichise just randomly punched Shinji out of nowhere though, this was a pretty convincing fakeout.

Why did he do that, that one time, exactly?

Is there ever going to be an explanation?

Anyway, it's a nice little violent bonding moment between Bartholomew and Ichise. The two of them go inside of the building that was indicated to them and stake the place out waiting for their target. As they wait, Bartholomew talks a little about his backstory. How he got out of this neighborhood, changed his name to distance himself from his rape-obsessed father, and replaced at least two of his limbs with tapioca. Ichise asks the same question I've been asking; if he hates his father so much, why hasn't he killed him already?

Holy shit In forgot Ichise could talk. How many episodes has it been at this point? I think most of the series up until now.

Anyway, before Bartholomew can answer, a truck pulls up and some people - including their mark - get out. They confirm his ID with the photo they were given by the old monkey guy at the bar. Some church choir music starts playing for some reason.

We don't see the battle. Just the two starting to spring into action. Then we cut straight to them bringing the target, bound and gagged, to a pool hall where the Organo lieutenant they got this mission from congratulates them on a job well done.

After getting their congratulations (and payment? maybe?), the two errand boys go outside again and start talking. Bartholomew explains that the reason he doesn't kill his father already is because he owes his Organo superior everything for getting him to this point. Um...I guess he's the one who has a reason to not want Frederickson dead, then. Bartholomew goes on for a while about how much he's sacrificed and endured (and continues sacrificing and enduring) to get to where he is, and then asks Ichise about his own aspirations.

Ichise just says the word "I..." and doesn't continue the sentence. Eventually, Bartholomew gets tired of waiting, just tells him that he's not sure how long Ichise can keep going the way he is now so he ought to aspire to *something* different, and then bids him goodnight.

Not entirely sure what he means by that, given how recently Ichise entered into this role. Anyway.

Cut back to Organo HQ, with deformed marionette people conspiring and cackling and going on about how they need to kill Onishi so that they can tell the Class that they've purged the incompetent leader and can get things under control again now. But then the guy who sent Ichise and Bartholomew on their mission says that there's no need for such an upset, they already have identified the culprit behind the dig site bombing. He has the guy they captured dragged into the room, looking very, very interrogated. Like, with bruises. When asked, he reveals that Pinataface was the one who hired him to bomb the site.

In response to being exposed, Pinataface finishes melting into a semiliquid as he's been threatening to do since we first saw him.

I guess bombing the quarry was part of his plan to undermine Onishi during this already unstable moment. Well, looks like this part of the plot isn't working out any better for him than the "recruit other gangs to do the dangerous stuff" part.

Cut to Onishi's hospital room, where he's taking visitors again. Apparently, he's been reinstated as leader of the Organo; the loyalist guy who Bartholomew listens to and who Onishi left Ichise with was indeed a loyalist, it seems. The Doc is here congratulating him, when Ichise enters the room as well, with the message that Loyalist Larry has said that he might as well put Ichise back under Onishi's direct command as he was before.

At a guess, Larry is a little scared of Ichise's sometimes erratic behavior, and just would rather not be responsible for him.

Onishi asks Ichise what he'd like to do going forward himself, and Ichise says that he doesn't know. However, after his conversation with Bartholomew, he knows he wants to go SOMEWHERE.

Hmm. What was Ichise's life like before the rape-and-amputation incident, anyway? Those jealous thugs are pretty much the only glimpse we've had into it.

Onishi tells him he can do whatever he wants, but he's free to keep working for him if he wants to. Ichise nods, and leaves.

Oh shut the fuck up Doc.

Ichise leaves the building, and starts wandering the city, trying to figure out what his life even is now. Suddenly, he spots a flower flowing down a gutter by the sidewalk, and recognizes it. I guess Ran ended up coming to town today in the end.

He follows the ditch into the sewer system, and comes face to face with Ran again. They have a slow, terse, and incomprehensible conversation about what they each know, and see, and wish they couldn't see.

Then the camera angle turns sideways as Ran seems to lament having her prophecy powers. So things are only going to get worse from here I guess.

End episode.


I like this show when it's focusing on the gangland politics and transhuman knife fights and so on. This whole prophecy dimension to the story with Ran just seems to slow things down whenever the story intersects with it, and makes everything harder to follow than it would otherwise be.

Anyway, I mostly enjoyed this one. It highlights both the best and worst aspects of the series, but mostly leans on the former. The execution of the scene with Bartholomew and Frederick was chilling and horrible in the best way. Like I said at the time, I just wish sexual assault was normally portrayed with this kind of maturity and restraint in pop culture.

As for the characters...well, it's a hope spot, but the ending gloom and doom scene with Ran suggests that it will be a brief one. It's just That Kind Of Story, I guess. We'll see how it goes from here. I'm guessing Shinji might do something stupid and reckless, or else the Class (whatever their deal even is) will be reacting to these events in an unpleasant way after all.