Terraformars

Episode 10

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. After several weeks of wallowing in its own darkness and misery, Terraformars has managed to put together a satisfying piece of human drama. The series has been successful at delivering thrills and entertainment in the past, but this is the first time it's handled the emotional side of things well.

Last week's episode may have felt like the end of Adolf's fight to defend his crew, but it turns out the show has other ideas. As powerful as that lightning strike was, his Terraformar enemies aren't out of the picture just yet. Their renewed attack sets up a “last stand” scene that puts last week's climax to shame. It's an effective moment of drama that easily justifies extending this story arc for an additional episode.

The writing here is straight out of the Hollywood war movie playbook, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. As the narrator rattles off short biographies for the members of Adolf's division, we finally understand why the entire group looks up to the big guy. This is a group of people who've either been left to fend for themselves or deliberately abandoned to the project by their loved ones. That knowledge helps us understand why Adolf's efforts to protect them mean so much. It's a good example of a little context going a long way.

Make no mistake, this is an aggressive and undisguised attempt at playing directly to the viewer's emotions. We've got the triple threat of a team united by a shared trauma, a powerful and relentless enemy, and a hero who keeps getting back up no matter how badly he's hurt. It all feels a bit manipulative in hindsight, but boy does it work in the moment. When it becomes obvious how this sequence is going to end, all those calculated emotional investments are cashed in at once. It re-establishes the aliens as a credible threat and makes us eager to see the humans exact some payback.

With all the crying and dying that goes on, the mysteries surrounding everyone's favorite space bugs take a back seat this week. We don't learn much about them that we didn't already know, although their ability to strategize continues to be fascinating. In what may be this episode's only moment of humor, we do get a chance to see some Terraformar medical knowledge in action. Their take on CPR apparently involves stomping on your buddy's rib cage until he comes back to life. It's an absurd visual that helps elicit a few laughs amidst all the drama.

Problems with the art style persist here, but they become less of a deal-breaker once the sunrise finally brings some light back to the visuals. There are fewer compromises on character movement, which is a bit ironic considering that Adolf spends most of this episode standing still and soaking up enemy attacks. With another battle sequence apparently on the horizon, I can only hope that the shortcuts used in previous episodes freed up some extra time and money for the animation department.

Much like the cockroaches it features, Terraformars is proving to be a tough little series. No matter how many times it gets tripped up by problems with the story or visuals, it gets back up and keeps going. Just when it appears to be out of steam, it puts together a genuinely entertaining episode. It's a shame those high points don't come around a little more often.

Rating: B

Terraformars is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Paul Jensen also covers anime and manga at SharkPuppet.com.