RDG: Red Data Girl - 5

"The First Makeup"

Miyuki no baka!

Despite the slew of new characters and the resulting lack of time to characterize them all, I'm pretty happy with the way RDG is shaping up. It easily falls among the best of the new season, and though far from perfect, it's impossible to deny that the series is interesting, or that it masters the subtle art of atmospheric presentation better than most. There's a really beautiful aesthetic to this world and to the role of the supernatural within it, and though the characters within it aren't as compelling as I'd like, the mystique and intrigue of the premise is more than making up for that fault. It does, however, make me rather sad to know that we're almost at the halfway mark, and personally I think this would have flourished beautifully with just a second cour. For now though, I'm satisfied with the tone and exposition of it all, and it's not as if Miyuki and Izumiko have absolutely nothing to add to world in terms of development either.

There are, however, too many characters for this twelve episode run. For the second week in a row, we're introduced to a handful of new personages with a role to play. The first is Souda Masumi (Kimura Ryouhei) the deceivingly feminine-looking spirit of the third Souda triplet. His fierce devotion to his siblings establishes the three of them as an unprecedentedly powerful force within this bizarre little school, and Masumi singlehandedly destroys Takayanagi's ambition and status as antagonist within minutes. This, however, leads to a new student council president, Jean Honoka Kisaragi (Bridcut Sarah Emi) winning the election and to the appearance of a rather shadowy man, Murakami Hodaka (Ishida Akira) who is described as the true president, albeit one with intimate but as-of-yet undisclosed connections with Izumiko's goddess.

Along with these new characters comes Yukimasa, sowing discord among Izumiko and Miyuki all over again. More than ever, Miyuki shows that his anger and treatment of Izumiko stem from his complicated relationship with his father, rather than from personal feelings toward his charge. Of course his childishness places them both in an awkward position when Izumiko is in danger, but it also does damage to her psyche when he changes his mind so abruptly. Miyuki is the one person Izumiko has no real boundaries with, and when he pushes her away after all the bonding they've done, her self-esteem and growing feelings for him are hurt sharply. He's clearly not the man he likes to think he is, and unfortunately that places them both in awkward positions, no less because of their other-worldly circumstances.

In addition to all of this, Yukimasa sheds some more light on the Himegami herself. It seems that she's an integral part in something that may or may not change or destroy the world, and that Izumiko's identity is of utmost importance. The goddess even explicitly warns Miyuki that her vessel must not become more than just a container; should Izumiko desire to become a goddess, things are certain to go to hell. It's an interesting premise, and it interestingly relies on the subtle characterization the series has been working on throughout its run; this isn't so much about the goddess and her power, but of how Izumiko develops her own identity and overrides that of her possessor. It may not be the best this season has to offer, but I, for one, am definitely looking forward to seeing how things develop from here.

N.B.: Thanks again to Ivan for the beautiful caps!