That's what I'm talkin' about! Despite a few QUALITY drawings, this was probably the most fun I've had watching T&B yet. I would argue that this episode is the best, if not the best, in the series. The atmosphere was set up very nicely and Hiroaki Hirata did really good job voice acting. It was just plain all-around fun.
I just loved this heartwarming scene. Despite their somewhat strained relationship, there is absolutely no doubt that she loves her dad. This wasn't how I'd imagined her finding out about her father's identity as Wild Tiger, but grandma's choice to finally reveal the secret had impeccable timing. While everyone else sees Kotetsu as a criminal, the reveal really reinforces her belief that her dad would never do such a thing. With regards to her going to Sternbild on her own, I suspect that her developing NEXT powers might prove pivotal to how the show ends.
This whole scene really got to me, especially Kotetsu's "please believe me" plea. These are the guys and girls he fought alongside with, forged relationships with, but now they're treating him like a low-life criminal. Hiroaki's voice acting really convinced me that Kotetsu genuinely had no idea what was going on.
So who is this impostor really? Your guess is as good as mine. It didn't speak, or seem to use any NEXT powers. My best guess is that it's the most advanced form of the robots designed by Barnaby's parents. That mini-arc with Keith and Cis had to mean more than just character development, right?
Given his character, Lunatic helping out Tiger in this situation was inevitable. As a top-level guy in Sternbild, he's denied access to Kotetsu's information, so he has every right to be suspicious. I wonder he knows that Maverick is the one pulling the strings, and if so, why hasn't he roasted him alive yet? I hoped for them to team up, but helping him escape was enough for Kotetsu himself to realize that Maverick is the puppeteer.
In the previous episode, I pointed out that Ben Jackson and his family were people Kotetsu could still trust. But wow, good job Sunrise; I genuinely doubted myself for a second. Ben is pretty awesome. He gave Kotetsu advice on life after being a hero, and now he even returns the throwback tights to him.
So what is Tiger going to do? From what we've seen, proving inconsistencies between what you remember and what's actually the truth sort of breaks Maverick's memory manipulation. Will Tiger be able to do that? He did seem close to raising doubt in Blue Rose. What will happen when Barnaby shows up? Will Tiger be able to meet Kaede? Really looking forward to the next episode.
-Bern
