Coppelion - Episode 3

The events of the previous episode are clearly still resounding with Ibara as this third instalment of Coppelion begins - there's little time to fret over those events however, as another mission quickly comes their way.

Put simply, the trio's latest task is to find the "delivery man" who has been bringing aid to numerous survivors within this post-apocalyptic wasteland, and with the group having found a car key seemingly linked to these deliveries it doesn't take long to track out the owners.  As our group of "heroines" and this hero in his own right share information, the girls' superior gets to the bottom of this man's identity and his important to them - in short, he's the scientist around which this entire disaster ultimately revolved.

This is all of secondary important to Ibara and company however, as their primary task is to rescue the final survivor that had been receiving aid from this man, although it soon also becomes clear to all concerned that their second objective is to bring the "delivery man" into custody to face the music.  As the girls search for the missing "granny" however, other forces come into place - forces with a stealth bomber at their disposal, and a desire to forcibly silence anyone who spots their activities.  Could this bomber be related to the "Zones" of rising radiation that seem to be cropping up without warning around the city?

Much like last week's episode, there's some very forced drama and social commentary placed up-front and centre in this week's Coppelion - putting a scientist at least somewhat responsible for this disaster in the spotlight and asking how much responsibility he should take for his part in it, and making some pointed commentary about Japan's elderly populace and how they are viewed by younger generations.  Unlike last week's episode however, none of these points really felt polished enough to garner anything more than simply acknowledgement of their existence - they didn't move me or make me think, beyond a suspicion that some increasingly silly things are going to start cropping up in the series.  Coppelion can still bring to bear some decent action and ideas here and there, but that might not be enough if its broader narrative starts to head in the wrong direction.