Knights of Sidonia - Episode 6

After their lonely little jaunt through space together, Tanikaze and Hoshijiro have now been rescued and returned to the relative comforts of the Sidonia.

Indeed, just three weeks after the incidents which claimed so many lives, the ship has returned almost entirely to normal, although there's no hiding the after-effects of the massive casualties suffered once you look (or smell) beneath the surface.  For his part, however, Nagate finds himself hailed as a hero by all and sundry, even if those higher in the chain of Sidonia's command clearly see him as nothing more than a pawn to be manipulated to their own ends.

Whether it's his status, abilities or usefulness to those superiors that see him promoted to a full pilot is open to debate, but with both Hoshijiro and - more importantly - Kunato promoted alongside him, it's time to let bygones be bygones in terms of the rivalry on show there.  This theory is quickly put to the test as some bathysphere shenanigans surrounding Tanikaze's "harem" are interrupted by the discovery of a whole hive of Gauna heading Sidonia's way, sending the new pilots out into battle.  What occurs there we don't yet know, as we join Nagate in awakening from its aftermath to find news of another victory for Sidonia, but at a devastating cost.

Once again, Knights of Sidonia manages to finish off what was otherwise a workmanlike episode with a huge cliffhanger to draw in the viewer and keep him coming back for next week's instalment - it certainly seems that the series works best when it comes to its perilous combat and how this affects the wider state of Sidonia's world, as the sometimes literal tug-of-war for Tanikaze's interest by much of the cast is far less remarkable and ill-equipped in narrative terms.  Still, I can't begrude it those elements too much when the show's wider story continues to be fascinating, and it certainly seems that next week is going to deliver some more explosive fare in those terms.