Concrete Revolutio

Episode 22

The previous episode ended with the promise of a movie premiere, designed as propaganda by Imperial Ads and the government to turn the public further against the remaining superhumans. We finally get to see it this week, as it quickly becomes a framing device for the events of the last few months. While watching it, Jiro finds its version of events surprisingly familiar, and even as his friends tell him "not to believe it," he continues to recount revelations about his past.

This is one of the few times where Concrete Revolutio is truly strengthened by its non-linear narrative. The moments in the theater serve as bookends to each section of Jiro's story, introducing events that he is about to explain to us. These events occur both in his distant past, usually witnessed by his "current" self within Claude's helmet or discussed in reference to more recent events. It's one of the most cohesive episodes of Concrete Revolutio to date, returning the show to greatness after last week's mess.

This clever framing device allows us to revisit old information through the lens of more recent revelations. This is particularly true considering what we now know about Jiro "absorbing" the atomic bomb blast in 1945. It's that much more interesting to consider what it means that Jiro's blood created the giant kaiju. Not only did the obvious parallel between kaiju and nuclear weapons turn out to be literal, but there's even more to be unpacked from how they developed directly from the original A-bomb in the form of Jiro. Perhaps the kaiju reflect the way that we kept developing ever-deadlier nuclear weapons in the 1950s, as the Cold War arms race escalated. The way that characters express frustration with how superhumans seem to only bring destruction, when they could be making humanity better, reflects how many people in the Cold War felt about the use of technology during that period.

This brings us to Michiko, who finally gets some depth explaining many of her actions throughout the series with Imperial Ads. We learn that she was a victim of those mid-1950s kaiju attacks, which destroyed her family and home. Michiko noticed that while Rainbow Knight fought the kaiju, his focus was more on destroying the enemy than keeping track of collateral damage. Up to that point, Michiko had looked up to superhumans, but in that moment, she felt betrayed by the false promises of what they were supposed to do for her. Imperial Ads's fear and manipulation of superhumans suddenly makes more sense, as well as the projects that she used them for—perhaps with music groups like Angel Stars, Michiko attempted to realize her dream of superhumans being used for good. It also explains her actions last episode; Michiko enjoyed the power that NUTS gave her, but she didn't like being a superhuman. She didn't want to be the same as the monsters who destroyed her childhood.

In this same scene, Jiro starts tripping out on his helmet as "Claude" guides him through the past. "Claude" explains that his consciousness merged with the helmets when he died and was turned into electronic information. Imperial Ads unknowingly copied him when they mass-reproduced the helmets. At the same time, this isn't quite "Claude" or even his real self, Jin. Jiro quickly learns that because of Jin's complicated attitude toward Jiro—admiring him, while also resenting him—the consciousness that inhabits these helmets is really Jin's version of Jiro, a heroic believer in the true potential of superhumans to support justice.

Okay, that explanation of how Jiro got in the helmet is a little bit of a stretch, but it works thematically. This version of himself reminds Jiro of what he believes in and why he's fighting. He also realizes that the helmets must be manipulating the Imperial Ads people and decides to intervene in some way to help Michiko. He finds a connection with Michiko and her attitudes about superheroes, reminding him of his "when he was a child." They all decide that he should reach out to her the same way that Rainbow Knight once did for him.

It's weird how this plays out in the final battle, but Michiko manages to emerge alive and heal quickly. On the eve of the film premiere, we witness a conversation between her and the man running Imperial Ads about how superhuman and kaiju are now "one and the same." What he means by this is unclear, but it's likely some reference to Jiro and his mysterious origins, especially since so much of this makes it into the movie. They recognize that the movie will reveal their "truth" to all of Japan. The episode moves back to the theater, where Jiro continues to discuss his revelations with Emi. As he's about to bring up another, the movie turns into a direct attack on Jiro—turning the audience against him as "the boy who destroyed Rainbow Knight." As with the rest of the film, it's technically true, but the missing details—including Jiro's inner feelings and motivations—do a lot to muddle its accuracy, turning the film into a propaganda piece. We finally see both what's so concerning about this film and also why Jiro would connect to it so strongly.

With its tight focus and many important revelations with big implications, this episode of Concrete Revolutio stands tall and strong. It's an important step closer to the series' ending. Meanwhile, it looks like next week we might finally get more revelations into Emi's character and backstory and possibly Kikko's as well. The preview suggests that she'll play an important role, at least. As it burns through all its lingering questions, Concrete Revolutio has set itself up better for an epic grand finale.

Rating: A-

Concrete Revolutio is currently streaming on Funimation.

Rose is a music Ph.D. student who loves overanalyzing anime soundtracks. Follow her on her media blog Rose's Turn, and on Twitter.