Yuri learns the consequences of becoming a God-Candidate while Rika finds himself in a war between other God-Candidates.
Episode 7 – “I Will End This Realm”
Hmm.
Earlier in the season, I had hoped the main theme of High Rise Invasion would be exploring the best way of creating a Perfect God. This episode shows us how the main plot will do that. I’m disappointed that Yuri became one of the main characters to go the route of using High Rise Hell’s provided technology, which makes Rika’s character the one left to show us the path of inherent human potential. I think Yuri has much human potential!
However, I also see the benefit of High Rise Invasion letting the sexy girls become the test subjects for this strange sci-fi world. Human potential stories are boring! I’m kidding, but it’s not an accident that Rika’s weapon of choice is a sledgehammer. Meanwhile, we have a high-tech, zap wowie setting where learning about it is fun, and it is so much better with a cute girl with thick thighs flashing her rose-pink panties every so often. And those thick thighs have a loving girlfriend with argyle thigh highs and striped underwear. So High Rise Invasion’s choice to show off its premise and setting with fanservice machines is one I absolutely endorse.
Heh.
The Netflix splash screen shows a cloud of something washing over an interesting tile pattern. The significant moment of the High Rise Invasion episode will be here. Last time, Hiker Mask, with a sketchy syringe, put Yuri in a tough spot. I love a good double entendre. I also love the symbolism of the power of God coming in a white, unmarked box. Fun. Yuri finds herself in a similar space to what Kuon found inside Mayuko’s mind. The power of the God-Mask is nudity. Yes! Complete dress break! No! Barbie doll nudity… That’s better than celestial rays of censorship.
This is fine. The Command Voice prioritizes security over a complete magical girl transformation scene. High Rise Invasion will pause that, Yuri will kick that Hiker Mask date rape druggist in the nethers, and then we get back to it. The mouthless mask has a mouthless mask Navi guide. More world-building now. God-Candidates get superfast perception and reaction. Throw the dude off the building!
Aw. After the High Rise Invasion opening credits, we’re someplace else. Rikuya’s Monk Mask looks like he’s in a gang turf war. Rika’s gang is a ragtag group of survivors. They look soft. Policewoman Mask thinks so too. How did she get those telephoto pictures on her iPad? Turning my brain off now on a show using techno-magical theater masks.
Eh? Policewoman Mask calls Speedo Mask “Swimmer.” That guy’s upper body is too buff to be a swimmer. Water polo must be. This loser just saw heaven before he died. Blood is so red in High Rise Invasion! Ha! There are skull fragments on Policewoman Mask’s high heels. Gross. She’s going to war against another God-Candidate and needs five-strong masks. Her God-Candidate has a huge organization already.
Now High Rise Invasion comes back to Yuri’s complete transformation. “Something’s coming in deep inside me,” says Yuri. (Wipes sweaty brow.) Spicy dialogue! This is the best kind of exposition. Listening to how everything works while looking at a naked girl doesn’t help the comprehension, but it makes the massive info dump extremely enjoyable and pass quickly. The condensed version, for people paying attention to High Rise Invasion, is that all the powers and abilities of a Perfect God become part of a God-Candidate, but their individual personality, quirks, and talents make some powers more readily available than others, and some not at all, because of compatibility. Bah. That’s just like real life! Okay, not exactly, since one of those gifts is downloading a Railgun App. Mask destroyed. Do your best, Yuri! By my count, Yuri has been inside High Rise Hell for less than 24 hours.
Oh yeah. Yuri went through all that to save Mayuko, and it’s moot already. Kuon loves seeing Mayuko blush while talking to Yuri. Does Mayuko keep her fighting abilities after Kuon intervened? Mayuko glares big daggers at Sniper Mask. Lots of them! Kuon explains that she’s not on the same wavelength with Mayuko either. That’s why she had risk entering her mind to break the Hibernation command. It’s that compatibility thing in High Rise Invasion. Hahahaha! Yuri isn’t so yuri. Her idea of a God-Candidate saving Mayuko looks like a romance novel cover model. They made a Charlie’s Angels poster!
Good segue. Yuri recognized the Ikebukero-style skyscraper that Rikuya is in. This means the big battle scene of the Netflix High Rise Invasion splash screen will be near there. And there’s that unique tile pattern. I hope that busty lady Monk Mask saved in the fifth episode doesn’t die here. What a waste of a wonderful bosom that would be. Rikuya has his own big organization. He provides a tent city for petitioners on another building beside his residence. That is a sign of reservation and weakness, not just caution.
Meanwhile, Policewoman Mask’s God Candidate is bold. Behold the beauty of the booty. Here we go! High Rise Invasion set action piece, start! Tie-dye Afro Tennis Racket Mask is about to serve a tear gas grenade. Policewoman Mask’s gang is all about Angel recruitment, which means not killing High Rise Hell survivors… right away. But those other God-Candidate Angels? Die!
Hoh. Rika knows how to use his sledgehammer! Policewoman Mask doesn’t like unexpected interference. Her God-Candidate must have a Satellite Camera App to have such clear video on her tablet. Sudden cut to Kuon enjoying Sniper Mask being tsundere for Rika Honjou. That’s a life flag, not a death flag in High Rise Invasion. Rikuya has well-dressed Angels in his gang. Tall Fullmetal Alchemist Mask has a weapon that reminds me of Azrael from early ‘90’s Batman comics. This battle isn’t over. Policewoman Mask has three more Angels we haven’t seen yet. Huh. She took off her mask to talk on the phone.
Three random Masks. Their outfits don’t fit their weapons. Policewoman Mask is awfully enthusiastic about their introductions in High Rise Invasion. Uh oh. That eyepatch guy has a history with Drill Mask. There goes any hope of a disciplined fight. Rika says he’s lost too much blood, but that doesn’t seem right from what we’ve seen. Speedo Mask has entered the arena. He has mixed martial arts gloves, so Monk Mask is his natural opponent. Ah. Speedo Mask is there to retrieve Rika as an Angel recruit. Hoh? Policewoman Mask is too independently minded for the God-Candidate she admires so much. Nice. She’s a sadistic dominatrix to others, but a masochist for her master. Oh no. Yuri received shocking news and destroyed Mayuko’s phone. She’ll need to pay for that.
The complete season of High Rise Invasion streams on Netflix.
