The Azur Lane Alliance races to rescue Sheffield and company from the Red Axis blockade.
Episode 05: “REUNION – Reaching Out to You”
Hmm.
This week’s episode of Azur Lane showed how important the setting can be to tell a good story. The ruins of a sunken city under overcast skies let us feel like we were watching a World War II movie of a town under siege. Of course, it’s not the Red Axis that damaged the town, trying to get the residents to surrender. The residents are long gone. However, those ruins give us a hint of how bad the war with the Sirens was before the ship girls of Azur Lane came into existence. On a brief aside, let’s not worry about why a town looking like war-torn Holland is somewhere in between Japan and Hawaii. We’re watching a show about techno-magical girls who can wear the “essence” of battleships like exoskeletons. Let’s just have fun with the WWII era imagery.
Amidst the broken buildings, murky weather, and the siege mentality on both sides of a blockade, we have a pause in the action. Whenever there’s a pause between violent bursts of energy in war stories, the characters and the themes of the show can assert themselves and breathe in some development. Ayanami has time to let her confused feelings about the conflict between loyalty and friendship flow into the warm and ample bosom of Atago.
On the Azur Lane side, Enterprise and Belfast have time to continue their conversation about girls being born to fight, but who are still girls. I found that self-aware observation about the Royal Navy imitating queens and maids fascinating, especially how Belfast said they actually weren’t emulating anything. They are maids who follow the queen, and that is that. I’d like to hear what some of the other Eagle Union girls think about how they’re not imitating Cowboys and Indians, but are actually cowgirls, like Hornet, or Indians, like Oklahoma.
The foggy setting also allowed two key moments for maximum narrative effect. All of the Red Axis fear the Grey Ghost, but we still haven’t seen Enterprise at her best. In the first episode, Enterprise rushed to the scene of the sneak attack on the Azur Lane base, and barely had enough fuel to fight. This week, Prinz Eugen and the Iron Blood knew they had to withdraw against a maxed out Enterprise. The sunlight breaking through the clouds at her checkmate appearance was just good storytelling. Even better, her yellow bow and arrow provided the first light of hope to ensure Sheffield’s rescue. That was satisfying, though it was not unexpected. Things become a cliche because they work.
That sunlight peeking through the clouds also lit up Laffey and Ayanami’s scene. Laffey extending her hand was heartfelt, but I liked how the ray of light gave Javelin the imagery of epiphany. Javelin realized she didn’t care that Azur Lane and the Red Axis were enemies — she just wanted to be Ayanami’s friend. I’ve seen war stories where friends can be on opposite sides of fighting factions and just be happy to see each other during the chaos because rivalry is part of their friendship, but I don’t think we’ll find any characters in Azur Lane that fit that shounen style relationship. Prinz Eugen and Belfast might come close. I’m looking forward to their inevitable one-on-one battle.
Heh.
Wait. I thought the Sakura Empire let Sheffield go. Now they’re still pursuing her? Or is Akagi only letting the Red Axis make a show of force to make sure Azur Lane trusts the value of the Black Box?
What a terribly ruined city. Gray and foggy too. This is a great setting and mood for Azur Lane to show a siege and slowly roiling emotions.
Yamashiro is clumsy. Oh yes! Atago is here!
Akashi is just a repair cat, er, ship. She doesn’t know anything about secret Sirens. They may be hiding, but Edinburgh and Sheffield know the importance of tea and snacks. Cats can’t stand hot drinks according to Japanese convention, so Akashi can’t either. Should you be poking that thing Edinburgh? And there goes the cat-shamisen joke too.
The other Sakura boats don’t like the red Siren boats, but their boat Orochi controls them, so they won’t attack, according to Akagi. Supposedly. Yas! Sexy older sister Atago will relax that tense Takao real good! Oh, Ayanami? Want some too? No, she’s good.
After seeing the ruins, Repulse asks why are former Azur Lane allies fighting each other when the war against the Sirens isn’t over yet. Yeah, Akagi. Why is that?
Cleveland is so genki. I like her. Plus, she’s a constant source of panty shots. That makes me like her even more!
Nice. Enterprise wonders about all this human emulation of maids and queens when they’re just ships. Ships don’t really have Belfast’s anatomy… Belfast’s school of elegance still has a lot of work to do for Enterprise.
Who could refuse a hug from Atago? Well, Ayanami is a bit scared and reluctant. Ufufufu. Ayanami’s visit to Azur Lane before the sneak attack made her see the enemy as people like her own friends in the Sakura Empire.
Nice. Azur Lane has camouflage cloaks. Heavy cruisers fighting. I like Atago’s little ear flip. Can someone tell me what kind of dogs Atago and Takao are supposed to be?
Aw. Ayanami is going to have to talk to Laffey and Javelin with her fists, or torpedoes, before she gets honest with herself.
Hey, is San Diego not going to get eaten by a shark this time? Belfast takes Atago and Takao seriously. It looks like she’s just stalling for time, though. Oh. She just wanted to get to Sheffield and Edinburgh as quickly as possible.
Laffey and Javelin just don’t want to fight their friend. Nice cut to a different part of the warzone to build the suspense after Ayanami’s attack.
The winning move is checkmate. Azur Lane’s Enterprise shows up. You don’t have to kill the king. You just have to convince him to give up.
Akashi is hiding in a refrigerator! This is now a bad Indiana Jones movie. Yay! Yamashiro can’t fall down now! Oh, it’s such a shame that these Yorktown Class carriers all look alike. I wish Enterprise would dress like Hornet, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Did… did I just see Enterprise smile?
Checkmate. Leave already, ya krauts! And the sun breaks through the clouds. ‘Murica!
Nooo! Don’t cut Laffey’s hair! Nobody wants to fight. They just wants to be friends.
