D.Gray-man ep.09

November 28, 2006 | 19 Comments

This is pretty much a variation of Groundhog Day albeit a rather creepy one. I think I remember a similar story told in The Twilight Zone but I can't recall the precise story. I always find time-related plot to be interesting though. It's probably because in the majority of these stories, it's suggested that time is malleable. One can turn back to a past, goes to a future, repeating the same events over and over again until the right variable comes up. Anyway, the animation in this episode is pretty good although the character design looks a bit inconsistent. Both Allen and Lenalle are drawn quite badly at times. As a side note, due to my schedule I'll have to resort to using brief summary until I can find the time to re-write this one.

Brief summary:

For Miranda, everyday is the 28th of October repeating over and over again. At the same time, Allen and Lenalee receive an order to investigate a town where no one from outside the town can get in. Komui believes that there might be an Innocence located inside. When Allen and Lenalee get there, they find out from Toma that he too can't get into the town. Strangely when Allen and Lenalee try it themselves, they managed to get in. The town turns out to be the same town that Miranda lives and she is now in danger of being killed by an Akuma. When Allen manages to save her, Miranda realises that today's October the 28th is different from yesterday's October the 28th. Because of this, she follows Allen into a tavern. Meanwhile, the Millenium Earl asks the two Frankenstein-monster look-alikes which one of them is willing to help him retrieving Innocence. Since the guy has a job to attend to, the little girl offers to do it instead.

Inside a tavern, Allen orders an insane amount of foods and gulps everything in seconds while Lenalee informs him of her failed attempt to get out of the town. It seems as if some force prevents her from ever leaving the place. The two then meet Miranda, who explains that time repeats continuously in this town and she's the only one who remembers it. Their conversation, however, is interrupted when Allen detects a few Akuma inside the tavern. Because he can't fight while protecting Miranda, Allen asks Lenalee to take Miranda away. He knows that with her anti-Akuma weapon, no other Akuma can outwit Lenalee in terms of speed. Outside the city, Toma notices that the strange little girl, Road Kamelot, manages to penetrate the city's barrier. Rhode actually got burned by the power that surrounds the city but she manages to revive herself. Once in the city, she recalls the Akuma that are fighting Allen and orders them to find Innocence instead.

Impression:

A really interesting take on the Groundhog Day story. As usual, the person who notices the never-changing reality is the one who is both frustrated by it and gains knowledge at the same time. Come to think of it, it would have been nice to be able to revisit a time over and over again until I can fix something that was wrong during that day. The interesting thing about this kind of theory is that by changing the past, you inevitably alter the future. I remember someone mentioned to me about the ridiculous nature of time travel paradox where if a man goes back to kill his parents, then it means he doesn't exist in the first place. However, because he doesn't exist then the murder never took place. In that case, his parents are still alive and probably give birth to him. And the rest is history. The flaw in this theory is that it assumes that every variables in each permutations will remain the same. It's possible, however, that this might not be the case.

The interesting thing about this story is that Miranda finally notices the permutations in her usually similar routine. One can assume that if she tinkers with this different permutations, there is a likelihood that she might be able to break out of the current loop. Another interesting point about the story is how Road Kamelot, the strange little girl who's been sent by Millenium Earl, could barely penetrate the barrier in the first place. It would seem that the Innocence traps this city and in the process rejects those who are not its citizen or those who are not compatible with it. Speaking of Road, Shimizu Ai who voices her sounds a lot like Mikoto this time around. She has a more evil tone in her voice though and sounds a lot more mischievous than Mikoto. Anyway, I really can't wait until the story reveals more about her character and the rest of the Frankenstein-looking characters who work alongside the Millenium Earl. They certain are more interesting than the usual Akuma that Allen or Lenalee encounter on a daily basis.

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