Azur Lane – Episode 3 – Perchance, Like a Person

The ships of Azur Lane recover from battle. Many worry about Enterprise’s reckless disregard for her health.

episode 03 – “ELEGANCE – Perchance, Like a Person”

Hmm.

This week, Azur Lane concentrated on one of its two character development arcs. Enterprise is badly in need of a life-coach to teach her basic work-life balancing strategies. Belfast, the Royal maid, takes it upon herself to help this powerful boat become a proper person. Running below this relationship plot is the theme of who these boat girls are. In Enterprise’s flashback with Yorktown, the main question regarding Enterprise’s reckless behavior is whether she’s only a boat, or if she’s also a girl. I have a feeling Belfast would claim all the ships should be proper young ladies.

Azur Lane also laid the foundation for work on the other character development plot — Ayanami’s friendship with Javelin and Laffey. Laffey is an interesting boat girl in this dynamic. Her seeming laziness usually corresponds to exceptional timing, like when she decided to stop fighting during the attack on the Hornet fleet. But there might be some kind of intuition of foresight, like how she insisted on saying goodbye to Ayanami as if it were already decided they would be good friends. Javelin picked up on this, probably because she has her own emotional attachment to Ayanami. Unfortunately for Javelin, Ayanami is an enemy, which makes her reluctant to bring up the topic with Laffey.

Speaking of intuition, the big sister boat girls of the Royal Navy appear to take it for granted that Illustrious has visions from “a holy light” which always come true. Perhaps Laffey is another ship in the Azur Lane Alliance that has this ability.

Heh.

Yorktown is bedridden and Enterprise blames herself for her older sister’s condition. Enterprise is mirthless, which will eventually affect her judgment. In fact, it already has. Azur Lane ships should love sailing the sea, but Enterprise takes no joy in her nature. The boat first, warship second!

Belfast is getting awfully familiar with Enterprise for some reason. Ugh. All those rations when there’s a working cafeteria on base.

Scene change back to last week’s Azur Lane episode. Zuikaku has the audacity to complain about a maid fighting. What is her costume supposed to be? Prinz Eugen respects Belfast’s abilities. They have history!

Oops. Here’s the a big Royal fleet. Still wanna fight? Nah, we were done here anyway… The fan service is still great. Let’s show those big boats, then show the pretty girls they represent. Edinburgh and Sheffield are Maid class, not Light Cruiser class.

Aw. Z23 is mad at Laffey for not fighting. Can Laffey see the future, or is she just an observant judge of character? She’s already treating Ayanami like a friend that’s just on a different team.

I think I’ve seen this school cafeteria, er, military mess hall before.

San Diego is the comic relief mascot of Azur Lane. Of course, ketchup goes on fish and chips! Is Javelin supposed to be the clumsy type? Crumbs while eating usually indicate that. We also see her trip and fall in the opening credits. Hammann appears to be the other one tasked with comedy.

Look at that flight deck. An enterprise should not be doing any patrols or assignments for a long time. No wonder Vestal is mad at her. She’s making herself a danger to her fleet mates.

Tea Time with the Queen! It’s a serious meeting, but that cake is seriously good!

War is a track meet, not a single sprint event. The enterprise should know she has to recover between engagements. Ah well, Azur Lane is in the middle of her character arc.

Azur Lane‘s beach episode already? Nah, just quick rest and repair. Ship girls are always near the beach, so this shouldn’t be an uncommon appearance. I’m always amazed at the creativity the artists have with making the ship girls’ other outfits consistent with their battle dress. Look at the little bunny ears Laffey puts on for her swimsuit ponytail!

Laffey is a wise, drowsy boat. Hornet is wise like Laffey. Eat well, sleep well, play well! Too bad big sister Enterprise needs a stick-colectomy.

Oh no, San Diego! It’s Jaws without the Jaws music. This is all sorts of fun. Having Hammann and Hornet watch the ridiculous action, instead of showing us, is a good comedy too.

The Royals are trying to give Enterprise some PTSD therapy. Unicorn is the Azur Lane healing fairy. Let’s hope it works. Enterprise really needs a vacation.

Belfast asks Enterprise how long she intends to stay this way, but she wasn’t talking about standing in the rain. Belfast is a tactless maid. Polite, but tactless. She already identified Enterprise’s war-weariness and recklessness. We can’t have Enterprise lose her reason to fight, now can we?

That’s confirmation that the Sirens are still fighting in Azur Lane, which makes the Red Axis movements even more outrageous.

Dude! Enterprise needs to chill out. She doesn’t even have any working weapons. Ah. The Chinese. Ping Hai and Ning Hai from the Eastern Radiance in the Azur Lane game. Sisters protecting each other will provoke Enterprise’s need to do something. Dragon Empery? We’re getting some of the localization differences from the game too. Oops. One of those Siren ships is still working.

Interesting. Siren ships are modular and can drop pieces of themselves. This is still reckless, though, drawing fire with broken weapons. That’s twice that Belfast has saved Enterprise’s bacon.

Oh ho. Belfast has become “interested” in Enterprise! Oh. She just wants to teach her how to be a proper lady. No more navy rations for you, Enterprise, you heathen!