Saturday 12 January 2013

Robotics;Notes - Episode 12

Robotics;Notes returns from its New Year's break with a very specific focus, as we delve into the back story of Jun.

Although Kai is unperturbed (and indeed emboldened) in his efforts to unlock more Kimijima reports despite the warning of Aki's sister, Misaki, that he should stay well away from said reports.  Luckily for him, one of the flags for getting his hands on the fourth Kimijima report also ties directly into Jun's current concerns, as it's revealed that her robotics shop owner grandfather "Doc" is in hospital and seriously ill - what's more, he refuses to see his granddaughter as their tumultuous relationship continues.


With Jun also deciding to hand in her resignation with the Robotics Club, it's up to Kai to get to the bottom of things, revealing the exact reason for her hatred of robots after a childhood accident which also put her at odds with Doc, largely out of the latter's feelings of guilt and responsibility for the accident above all else.  Determined to resolve all of the issues at hand, Kai enlists Aki to reactivate the robots that were so loved by the community in his past, while also hoping to cure Jun of her childhood fear - a double-whammy which might just bring grandfather and granddaughter closer together into the bargain.

It was certainly about time we dug into Jun's back story at least a little, but at the same time this focus on one character also serves as a reminder of how slow the main thrust of Robotics;Notes story has been - we still aren't all that much closer to getting to the heart of what is going on in this world, and revelations that were talked up as recently as the previous episode are almost entirely ignored here.  I'm all for careful preparation and groundwork to give a series a strong foundation to launch from when things really kick into life, but it's now starting to feel as if Robotics;Notes is taking too long to reach that point in its progression.

No comments: