It’s a little hard to rate this anime. Just when you think the plot is outright simple, it takes a simple twist. When you give it too much expectations, the plot just flows along cliche lines. Anyway, this episode was simple and focused on Haruka getting her first flight on Imber. Of course, it wasn’t just a simple launch.

Haruka and Yakiho are shown around the secret base, and introduced to some of the team’s members. Of course, they meet Iori Minase again, who once again insists that they will never be able to pilot Imber. Except that she forgets that she’s still in the bathroom and quite naked.

Crash course and drops and what the team does. This includes the fact that because of Japan’s non-offence policy, they are the only ones who use Idols, instead of launch missiles at the drops (aka meteors) Of course, the threat levels also happen to be named lemon, mint, candy etc…

Haruka… having had red-marks for grades since junior high, doesn’t quite cope with all the theory. However, she proves quite the natural compared to Yukiho when it comes to the simulators. Must be the video games she plays.

Meanwhile, Makoto tries to start up Imber, but fails. Minase insists on a try as well, but fails too. Haruka is granted a chance to try the very next day. A call from Yayoi wraps up the day for Haruka, even as Haruka tries to explain her day while keeping everything confidential.

Next day, it would seem as though Haruka was going to succeed in starting Imber up, but it ended up shutting down at the final %. There’s a drop coming! No choice but to deploy nebilum instead with Iori piloting. Meanwhile, Haruka remains stucked inside the cockpit.

Even as Nebilum is being prepared, Haruka receives a call from Yayoi. Haruka sounded sad, so Yayoi recounted a little of how they first met, where Haruka was shy and frightened. The call gets interrupted, but this inspires Haruka to baby talk Imber instead.

Somehow, the permission to launch both idols is given. Imber drops straight towards the sea after being launch. All the while, Haruka tries to sweet talk Imber about how it shouldn’t be afraid, just like how she was when entering kindergarten (i think). At the last moment, Imber finally powers up. (miracle!)

At this moment, an alert is sounded from Nebilum.

Character Focus

Naze Munakata, voiced by Makiko Noto, of Yakumo (school rumble) and Rin (Inu Yasha) fame (and plenty more! One of my favorites too). She’s part of the base’s personnel, and is part of the support side. She’s “bullied” by the captain and the organisation as a whole, and is presumably an expert in writing reports.

Thoughts

I kinda like the series, something that I would watch. But there’s a little too many characters though, and the action hasn’t quite started. We’re still somewhere in the introduction phase.

Of course… the plot is far from realistic, but that’s not very important right?

Side note…. all the voices has a high screech to me, especially Haruka’s voice. (I realised it actually applied to all the voices) Not sure if this is because of my source of anime, or whether it comes with the episode. Hard to appreciate all the voices when there’s a screech.