After surviving their fight with Rider Mask, Yuri and Mayuko meet a violent God-Candidate.
Episode 5 – “That’s an Incredible Ultimate Weapon”
Hmm.
High Rise Invasion did a solid job of building the foundation to reveal the existence of the mouthless mask, the one that transforms new arrivals into God-Candidates. It even made sense that it wouldn’t have a mouth after we saw the three different shapes a mouth could make. There could still be a mouth making an “O,” but I doubt that. The mouthless masks install information, manipulate memories, and their effects last after they self-destruct. We’ve seen the smiling mask do similar things, so the God-Candidate mask fits well into the world High Rise Invasion created.
Now that we know “someone” created a vast social experiment in choosing certain people to receive special treatment, we can also see the beginning of the main theme to guide the overall story. Is God a special “Perfect Being,” or is God the product and combination of regular people perfecting themselves through an evolutionary and democratic process of survival? In High Rise Invasion, the administrators of High Rise Hell chose certain people to be “special,” while allowing the Angels to cull the random survivors into joining their ranks as Backpack Masks, Strong Masks, and Scavenger Masks to eliminate the trash. What happens when a large enough group opposes that plan? That’s why we’re following Yuri and Mayuko, and not just to take in the view of their fine behinds.
Heh.
The Big Bad Mask of the High Rise Invasion episode uses a sharp implement, according to the Netflix splash screen. Picking up from last time, Mayuko owns Rider Mask. Her mask broke off, but will her powers stay around too? The rules so far say that they will. Finally, some shimapan, although I did enjoy the flat shimabra show of High Rise Invasion. Rider Mask can talk to the Command Voice like Sniper Mask can. It says Mayuko is an Angel, but she still has her agency. A defective mask is the excuse. Who makes these masks and who does quality control? Mayuko’s gamble on the Chef Mask paid off, so far. It’s still a fair fight when Rider Mask has only one fist. Well, Mayuko only has one knife, so she’ll need another distraction. Hello, Yuri! Got ‘em! Mayuko is still the tsundere Yuri knows.
Rider Mask has manly eyebrows. The idea of a defective mask is news to him. He’s such an anime hero when he says luck is an ability too. Aw. He was a prisoner to High Rise Hell too. Thumbs up to Yuri’s deep cleavage. Suddenly, an old guy with a spear shows up. Too late for that jackpot mask, dude. Uh, where did all the headless bodies go?
Let’s hope High Rise Invasion provides an answer to how Kuon became a God-Candidate. That picture of an official-looking sign explaining the “Realm” makes it look like she got into a dorm for Masks. The old man has only been in High Rise Hell for two days. Old man Tanabe needs to kill God-Candidates, for revenge! Mayuko still has Chef Mask strength. I’ll need to call that broken mask something else now that Mayuko owns it. Flat Justice Shimapan Mask? Let that moniker percolate for a while.
Tanabe has more of High Rise Invasion’s puzzle pieces for explaining what God-Candidates are and how Angels relate to them. How much vengeance can a heart hold for knowing strangers for a day and a half? At least Tanabe has a purpose and a goal. Some jerks just need killing. Now Yuri and Mayuko have a goal too. But first, Yuri needs to consult Rika about what she heard from Tanabe. Kuon is happy that Sniper Mask is protecting her.
Kuon claims she can’t manipulate Masks. Uh… hmm… okay, fine, High Rise Invasion. However, I bet she could always manipulate men! Har! She got lonely at the prospect of Sniper Mask leaving her and “tested” her power. Didn’t work!
Ugh. The annoying god-candidate may not need killing, but he does need a punch in the face. Hahaha! Tanabe has no filter. And there we go. “Ein,” jerk-face’s Mask, has a sharp samurai sword. She’s the Big Bad of the High Rise Invasion Netflix splash screen. Boo. Ein Mask wears culottes. Rika has much advice and experience to share. Masks get stronger but they don’t gain stamina. That’s a hint on how the light patterns affect the brain, but not the muscles. Yuri sits back with her gun out. They have a team strategy. Here comes Leeroy Jenkins Tanabe. Stabbed, as expected. Ein did the splits to make that sword thrust.
As Rika predicted, if a Mask has the name “Ein,” that means there will be “Zwei.” Ooh. Ooh! Oh, yeah! Yuri had her gun out just for this moment! Eat that, jerk-face! Hahaha! Zwei fell off the side of the building too! Oh, man. Perfect execution. Well done, High Rise Invasion. Jerk-face thought Yuri was just some “dumb-looking girl.” Jerk-face may be smart, but he’s not wise or clever. Yuri has seen those crazy eyes before, where he’ll let his moral degeneracy play out in High Rise Hell. Time to put a rabid dog down.
Kuon is a pure, pure girl. She doesn’t want anyone to die. Sniper Mask shoots to kill, so he’s not any help to her. Hoh. Sniper Mask called Kuon by her name instead of his usual “woman.” She just fell in love! And she’s sparkling! Er, sparking? She’s looked through a mask! What’s her superpower? Oh! Her phone has a High Rise Hell app! She takes pictures of buildings to destroy them with a beam weapon! What? This show is crazy! Kuon’s swiss cheese memory became less holey. That dark, mysterious tower of High Rise Invasion became more mysterious. Heheheheh! That’s Kuon’s “warning shot.” Stop fighting!
Oh my gosh! Jerk-face thinks Yuri did that! Ha! She bluffs him! Yuri’s “ultimate killer technique” is “acting!” One scene, two superpowers, and one High Rise Invasion episode title. Hmm, I still think Yuri’s ultimate killer technique is that thicc thigh strutting action. Look at that super villainess facial expression! Wow, Yuri is such a ham. She needs to practice her o-hohohoho-ojousama laugh without coughing.
Kuon learned that she can only control Masks on her “same wavelength.” Will Mayuko be on her same wavelength? Is High Rise Invasion developing a love triangle? Sniper Mask is his own mask. He’s the bad boy all the good girl god-candidates want. Fun. Kuon is shy about seeing Sniper Mask’s face but still wants to see how much of an ikemen he is. Just look, girl! Meanwhile, a Backpack Mask stuck around to give Sniper Mask instructions. He says that if a “Perfect God” desires peace, peace prevails. If a God desires chaos, chaos will. Kuon wants to aim for peace. Ha. Her secondary goal is to look at Sniper Mask’s face when she becomes God. Extra motivation!
Enough of that. Let’s go back to the teen slasher flick version of High Rise Invasion where mask-wearing monsters chase busty girls. This Monk Mask is not like the others. Another good guy God-Candidate is out there, and he made friends with Rika. Rikuya gives us answers! A mask without a mouth gave him powers and then disintegrated. The same thing happened to Kuon! Unreliable memories, though. Rika thinks the mouthless mask is the “jackpot” those idiots in the last episode were looking for. Let’s ignore the implausibility of that gang learning about the mouthless mask. Ack. Clumsy introduction to the next tier of villains.
The complete season of High Rise Invasion streams on Netflix.
