Pumpkin Scissors ep.02

October 9, 2006 | 18 Comments

I just realised that although Pumpkin Scissors sounds like an unusual name for a platoon, it is actually a perfect description of the group as well as the series in general. In the opening, there is a shot of a seemingly fresh pumpkin but when it is sliced open, it's clear that there is a cracked skull hidden inside of it. I think this is a representation of many elements in the series, where things are not what they seem on the outside. This includes Oland himself as well as the state of the empire. Metaphor aside, the thing that interest me the most is actually the relationship between Alice and Oland. I just realised that it's been a while since I actually root for a default pairing in a series. Anyway, this episode still looks as good as the first episode so I'm hoping this quality will be a consistent feature in the series. The only problems I have with the series so far are the villains, who so far have little to no personality.

Three chained men are running away from a tank in the middle of the night while inside a tank, an aristocrat asks his subordinate to fire at them. One of the chained men dies instantly as his body is torned into bits from the resulting explosion. Through a speaker, the aristocrat inside the tank reminds the two survivors that the game is still on-going. Therefore, if they want money then they better run. The tank then appears behind the survivors, forcing them to flee for their life. Back inside the tank, the subordinate tells the aristocrat that his marksmanship has improved. The aristocrat is satisfied to hear this, saying that hunting is an experience that is reserved only for aristocrats. He also believes that this is a good period because it's a time where the difference between 'the-have' and 'the-have-nots' is noticeable. As he said these words, another canon explodes not far from the two reminder survivors, killing them instantly.

The next day inside Pumpkin Scissors HQ, Stekkin apologises to Mercury the dog because she can't defend him after the dog bit the head of 1st division chief. It appears that as a punishment, the dog is not getting his bowl of food today. Stekkin, however, offers a sausage as a substitute, hoping that Mercury will like it. The dog immediately gulps the offer much to Stekkin's relief. Meanwhile, Alice becomes impatient because Oland is late for his first day at work. Upon seeing their leader's impatience, Oreld and Machs wonder if Oland get lost on his way. When the clock precisely hits 8:30AM, Alice loses it and starts swinging her mini sword, forcing Oreld to restrain/remind her that drawing sword inside a government office is prohibited. Unknown to Alice, outside the building Oland has a minor difficulty getting inside because his clothes is in tatters. Because of this, he tries to explain to the soldiers that once he gets in, he'll receive new uniform.

The guards eventually allows him to get in when Oland shows them a paperwork that proves he's been appointed for duty at Division 3 starting from today. Back inside the HQ, Stekkin tells Hunks she suddenly realises that because the new corporal will take up a new post here, she will become his superior. Hunks points out that Stekkin already has a subordinate in the form of Mercury but Stekkin claims that Mercury is more like friend. Upon hearing this, Hunks wonder where Mercury could be. Stekkin immediately panics and goes to search Mercury. Unfortunately for her, Mercury already latches its fang onto Oland's head. As a result, Oland shows up for duty with Mercury on top of his head. Later on inside the weapon room, Oreld warns Oland that because Division 3 is the 'snowdrift' of the information bureau, most of the work involve sorting documents and leading an inspection. Since there is no danger, there is also no sense of achievement.

Because of this, they are often called as "Comfortable in peace Division 3" by others. Upon hearing this, Oland tells his new group that he doesn't mind being in peace. As they head out, Oreld and Machs make a comment about how excited they are to get such a big subordinate. Back inside the HQ, Stekkin tells Hunks that Oland seems so kind to the point that he doesn't look like a soldier. Hunks hesitantly agreeing with this. He thinks that although Oland doesn't have the stench of an ex-military man, his battle capability is abnormal. At the same time, the rest of the 3rd Division are on their way to a territory belonging to Viscount Wolkins. It appears that their task this time around is to give administration guidance. As they crossed a river using the converted jeep, Oreld wonders if it's just a tax evader. Alice tells him that it's actually a petition that has been sent because there is a disorder in the area. The problem is, the name of the sender is not known.

As they get closer to the area, Alice feels another chilly sensation on the back of her neck. She feels certain that something will happen soon. Once they get into the town, the group realises that the townsfolk don't even attempt to struggle from their situation anymore. As they stand around in the town centre, a funeral procession passes them by. Alice notices that no less than 3 people pass away simultaneously. When they wondered about what happened, an old man tells them that it's because those people lost in "The Game". He then goes on to blame the cruel Viscount. Another person tries to convince the old man to give up since they can't possibly oppose the aristocrat. Speaking of the Viscount, he is now seen throwing a piece of steak into the floor, asking his chef if the steak in question is only half-done. The chef tries to defend himself by saying that if he remembers correctly, the Viscount was the one who asked the steak to be half-done yesterday.

The chef, however, quickly decides to cook another one as soon as Wolkins gives him the glare. After the chef left, the maids around Wolkins are now eyeing the wasted steak on the floor. Wolkins, who notices the maids' look tells that it just occurs to him how scarce foods have been lately. He then throws the rest of the vegetables and the sauce on the floor and tells the maids that it's okay if they want to eat them. His satisfaction smirk, however, is interrupted when Alice and the others are marching into his dining room and tells the Viscout that she's heard everything from the townfollks. Alice is angry at him because as a Viscount, he should be the one who protects the population. Machs, however, asks Alice to calm down and politely question the Viscount if the bizarre allegation that he's been hunting the townsfolk population with a tank is true. Wolkins laughs upon hearing this telling Machs that there is nothing bizzare about it. It's just a 'Game'.

Alice is pissed off that Wolkins has the audacity to call the murder of other human beings as a 'Game'. Wolkins confirms this, saying that had those people survived, they would have made a fortune in a stroke. However, so far none has been able to survive. Alice fumes upon hearing this, asking him if he thinks being born as an aristocrat allows him to use people as chess pieces. In retaliation, Wolkins makes fun of Alice before telling her that Hosslow, his subordinate, was actually a former soldier and knows many interesting facts about the military. Hosslow claims that in order to get an easy access into the nation's budget, the military established a propaganda called "war devastation relief". That propaganda is Pumpkin Scissors. Oland is shocked upon hearing this but his colleagues bar Alice seem to be relatively aware of the truth. Alice loses her patience and jams her sword into the table while Oreld and Machs point their gun at the Viscount.

As soon as Alice tells Wolkins that he will be removed from this teritorry, however, the Viscount snaps his finger, ordering the maids to point their gun at Pumpkin Scissors. In the aftermath, Oland, Oreld, and Machs are chained together and dragged into the desert, causing Oreld to wonder how they end up in this situation. Alice on the other hand, is forced to watch from the balcony while surrounded by Maids with Gun™. Wolkins give the the guys 5 minutes to escape in any way they like. Instead of doing this, however, Oreld decides to unlock the chains that tied them using a lockpick. Meanwhile, Alice quickly figures out that the maids were the one who sent the petition. Having said that, she does not understand as to why they don't just turn their gun on the Viscount. The maids point out that the Viscount is an aristocrat while they're just commoners. Alice is annoyed to hear this, asking them if they're going to tell her that they can't do it.

Meanwhile, Hosslow is in the middle of telling Wolkins that while he was still commanding a tank there was a story about that if one ever meets a soldier carrying a "Blue Steel" lantern, don't assume that he's your ally but don't make him an enemy eitiher. Wolkins is not happy hearing what he calls a 'fairy-tale' and tells Hosslow that no one should challange an aristocrat. Outside, the tank, Machs notices Oland's lantern and asks him if the lantern comes from his previous troop. Oland confirms this and tells him that the troop was 901 ATT. Meanwhile, Alice is in the middle of telling the maid that she is Alice L. Marvin, the 3rd daughter of the Malvin aristocrat house. The maids are surprised to know that Alice is actually an aristocrat's princess. With this explanation, Alice manages to convince the maid to rebel against the Viscount. Because of this, they begin to shoot at the tank with their guns. The Viscount panics upon seeing this and decides to mobilise the tank.

At the same time, Oreld manages to uncuff himself, Oland, and Machs so he and Machs proceed to run away from the area. Halfway through running, however, Machs realises that Oland is not moving because he's in the middle of thinking about three things: Aristocrats, commoners, and division 3. He then tells Machs and Oreld that 901 ATT actually stands for (Anti-Tank Trooper), his previous unit. As soon as Oland completed his sentence, a shell detonates around the area, obscuring everyone's view. Oland suddenly comes to a realisation that the important thing is not how one was born but how one lives his/her own life. With this thought in his mind, Oland switches on his blue lantern. Hosslow is horrified to see this because he realises that Oland is actually the infamous 「青い鬼火」- Aoi Onibi (Blue Will of the Wisp). He asks Wolkins to quickly prepare the canons despite Wolkins' insistance that story is just a 'fairy-tale'.

Wolkins promptly fires a canon into Oland and becomes excited when he thinks that he landed a direct hit. This, however, does not ease Hosslow's fear because Oland manages to stand up again. Wolkins becomes afraid as well when he sees Oland alive and well, wondering if the guy is a monster. In his panic, he fires more canons towards Oland but Oland manages to evade most of them. At the same time, Hosslow ends up reciting the 'fairy-tale', saying that these people can't be stopped. They will point-blank shoot without self-preservation. It's as if they've casted away their life. These are the 901 ATT (Anti-Tank Trooper), a group of soldiers who have disregard their life, Gespenst Jager. As Hosslow finished his speech, Oland manages to catch up with them and points his gun at the tank. However, the tank also releases its canon and the impact takes a chunk of Oland's left shoulder. Despite this, Oland still manages to kill Hosslow.

Wolkins try to move the tank away but Oland manages to climb onto it and points his gun onto the cockpit. Wolking screams in panic, telling Oland that he's the winner of the 'Game'. At the same time, Alice and the Pumpkin Scissors manage to catch up with the tank using their car. Alice who is concerned about Oland asks the guy if he's okay. Upon hearing this, Oland fires a missed shot at Wolkins' chair. At the same time, the tank starts to tip over when it hits a rock. Alice who sees Oland being propelled from the tank jumps off her car and catch Oland, asking him not to die. After the dust settles, however, Alice realises that Oland had used his back to protect her instead. All of a sudden, Wolkins barges out of the tank, asking them if they think they've won. He asks them what will happen once they turned him to the authority. Do they think the world will change? If the act will reduce the number of people starving to death.

The maids, however, immediately shut his big mouth by shooting near his head. After the incident, Oland is treated from his wounds which range from his eardrum to his lower rib. Oland does not mind suffering from battle injuries. Having said that, if the world does not change... Upon hearing this, Alice turns around and asks Oland if being tall allows him to see that far away. She believes he's not different from the Viscount if he thinks that way. When they reach their HQ, Stekkin informs them that they've received a mail from the maids, thanking them for a few days ago. Because they are free, they have all gone back to their hometown to do their best. Upon reading the letter, Alice advises Oland not to look into the distance but to see what's in front of him. Although the war has corrupted the society and brought out the spread of evil, there is a unit that fight these war devastation. That unit exists here and its name is Pumpkin Scissors.

Impression:

I am starting to wonder if Pumpkin Scissors really is just a propaganda machine devised by the military to get the nation's budget. Alice clearly does not believe this but she's a rather naive individual so I don't think it ever occurs to her that this might be the truth. Having said that, Alice is certainly one of the more impressive female characters I've seen in anime. While she does not have Oland's bruthe strength, she is quite intelligent and a great motivational speaker. There are times when she comes across as naive but in general, she always manages to get herself and her unit out of trouble. I think that's an essential quality for a leader. I was especially impressed when she jumps off the car trying to catch Oland. I don't think she did that in a rash. I believe she knew the consequence it may have on her body but after seeing Oland's condition, she made that particular gamble to use her body to shield Oland's.

Unfortunately for her, Oland did not allow her to save him just yet. Instead he switched position with her and used his own back to couch their fall. This bothers me alot on two folds. To begin with, I find it hard to believe that Oland can survive that fall, especially after having tens of canons thrown at him. Unless, of course, that blue lantern somehow gave him a supernatural abilitiy but I highly doubt that is the case. Secondly, I feel sorry to see him wasting his life like that. I really hope that the subsequent episodes will show him starting to appreciate his own life and work together with the rest of the unit to achieve a solution. The other thing that I want is for a more charismatic villain as opposed to a flat-out evil types who clearly has no regard for the value of foods or human's life. For example, the villain from last week's episode could have been more interesting if his background as the leader of the secret unit was fleshed out a bit more.

Preview

On next week's episode: There is no enemy to fight for a change.

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