I find it hilarious that Momo is so shaken by Ken's name that she refuses to even use it. Her image of what a Ken Takakura could be has been shaken to its core.
I have really enjoyed the animation in this show. The use of color (or lack thereof) has been phenomenal. By having the standard color palette be so saturated usually, it really makes the sequences where they decide to intentionally desaturate everything stand out, like the alien fight this episode. Through the colors alone, you can intuit that something isn't right as a viewer and that the stakes are high. They didn't even add much saturation at all to the blood, leaving the red reserved for Okarun when he is transformed.
I am guessing that Momo's granny is going to be the resolution to Okarun's perpetual transformation thing. I also suspect that she is going to be a pretty free spirited lady given that she is the one that raised Momo and just look at how she has turned out.
Yeah, the banter is great between these two. It reminds me a bit of how natural the dialog felt between Sakuta and Mai in Bunny Girl Senpai, but with the energy cranked to 11 due to how crazy all the action around them is.
I can't believe they ended it there! Anyways, great episode. I really like how color was used here, especially how red was used for contrast in an otherwise colorless scene.
The art has truly been outstanding so far. The first three episodes were originally screened as a single movie, so that could contribute to the feeling of a sudden end this episode. I am hoping that the incredible animation can keep up once we get deeper into the season.
Note: Ken Takakura was a Japanese actor who was best known for playing stoic Yakuza types. He appeared in over 200 movies and was awarded 4 Japanese Oscar-equivalent awards for his acting work.
Okoru looks and acts absolutely nothing like his actor namesake.
For a US point of comparison, I have seen him compared to a Clint Eastwood or John Wayne; playing characters that were typically stoic and very traditionally masculine.
The visuals continue to be stunning. I was sort of surprised at how well executed the cgi on the sumo alien was as well. I think the black and white scene helped with the compositing, but whatever they did, it definitely felt like it was just as much there as any of the hand-drawn elements, and the relative stiffness of the model (compared to the exaggerated fluidity of the rest of the action) gave it a bit of an otherworldly feel, as well.
I'm also getting pretty invested in these two and their relationship. They have great chemistry and are pretty quickly becoming good friends. I get the vibe that we're probably in for a long wait on the shipping side, but I'm ok with that.