Black Bullet Episode 6 Review: A Messy Office and She’s Ranked What?!?

Quick Summary

In Black Bullet Episode 6, “Tragic Irony,” Tina Sprout invited Rentarou Satomi on a mini-date. After he had to hand-feed her because she was too drowsy to use the toothpicks, she said she’d never been treated so kindly. But she still didn’t know he and Enju Aihara were the ones protecting Lady Seitenshi. Tina learns that tragic truth when she’s ordered to kill Kisara Tendou and guess who has to stop her? But not before she made a mess of Kisara’s office. Later, as Lady Seitenshi travels to a high-stakes meeting, Tina strikes again. As Enju tries to stop her, Rentarou learns a terrible fact about who Tina really is — and he wonders if he’ll ever see Enju again!

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious. 

What’s in This Post

• 3 Favorite Moments
• Thoughts
• Other Posts of Interest

Interested in the OP? You can buy it from CD Japan!

“Black Bullet (Anime)” Intro Theme: black bullet [Regular Edition]

3 Favorite Moments

Tina Sprout was practically basking in Rentarou’s kindness. But was oblivious to the tragic truth of her situation. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.

Moment 1

First Tina puts caffeine on the food Rentarou bought her (takoyaki?) (2:25). Then, since she’s too tired to hold the toothpicks properly, the food keeps falling to the ground. He ends up having to feed her in a way that recalls the “Say ahhhh!” moments in so many shows (3:06). It was endearing, it was funny — and it was ultimately tragic. We know that they’re going to have to face each other again in the near future — as enemies. That realization gave this scene a powerful sense of dread! Remember how badly too many of the Cursed Children are treated in this world? Looks like Tina’s right in the middle of one of those moments, but with a slightly different twist (See Thoughts, below).

It’s hard to know when Sumire is being a good mentor, a smart ass, or both. Guess being a genius gives her a lot of latitude! Capture from the HIDIVE stream.

Moment 2

Since they had defeated Kagetane Hiruko, Rentarou and Enju’s ranks had begun to climb. Just as Lady Seitenshi had promised back in episode 5, one of the implications is that the pair would have access to more information. Doctor Sumire Muroto delivered on that promise in this episode. She shared some of the background of the project that had given Rentarou his Varanium limbs and eye. Enju was all excited because she thought beating Kagetane made Rentarou one of the greats! Rentarou, either out of honesty or humility (or both), said it was a miracle he’d defeated Kagetane (who had been the creation of the genius who ranked even higher than Sumire). Much to his cringing dismay, Sumire agreed it had been a miracle (10:52)! “You really are a bitch, you know that, doc?” he asked in the dub. In the sub, he said, “Doc, you really are a jerk, aren’t you?” In either case, she just smiled and agreed with him. I really enjoy seeing Rentarou and Sumire interact. I think despite their age difference, Sumire is probably a better match for Rentarou thank Kisara. Though I’m sure Enju would disagree!

The looks on Tina and Rentarou’s faces were heartbreaking! She’s already been through so much, too! Capture from the HIDIVE stream.

Moment 3

And then they both learned the truth (13:48): Tina was the sniper Rentarou was protecting Lady Seitenshi from. Sappy? Predictable? Maybe, but I still felt the shock and disbelief from both Rentarou and Tina as they learned the other’s identity. I also liked how, in just the moment before the revelation, Rentarou came in swinging when he heard Kisara calling for help. So much so that he didn’t even bother to identify the assailant. He was all about striking and defending. Only when they had a little distance between them did the terrible facts became clear. The man who had fed her takoyaki that morning was now the target she had to kill. Did you love the drama in this moment? I did!

Thoughts

This show keeps developing its theme of how different facets of society mistreat the Cursed Children. We’ve seen how Enju’s classmates reacted when they learned her identity. We’ve seen the policemen gun down a Cursed Child. Both of those were “simple” and overt acts of prejudice, and we have (unfortunately) come to expect that kind of thing. Some of us may even experience this kind of attitude towards us on any given day in real life.

I think it’s a safe bet that Tina’s “master” cared nothing for her as a person. To him, she only seemed to be a tool. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.

This episode introduced another kind of way society mistreats the Cursed Children. Some political entities (and presumably other people of means) use them as assassins. The Cursed Children we’ve met so far have been fantastic fighters and have had various abilities, but they also seem to have two things in common. First, they seem to have peaceful natures, and if they had their choice, they wouldn’t hurt any humans at all. Second, it seems that most (and probably even Enju) have been conditioned to obey their master (or, in Enju’s case, her Promoter). It looks like those who don’t care about the Cursed Children’s health and well-being are taking advantage of that second commonality.

My favorite part of this show is how unwavering Rentarou is in his support of Enju. The strength of his conviction makes his discovery of Tina’s identity all the more painful. We can see how sympathetic he is towards her. We can see how carefully he fed her the takoyaki. Tragically, we could see his disbelief slowly give way to resignation when he discovered her identity. He didn’t want to hurt her, but there was no way he was going to let her kill Kisara — or Lady Seitenshi!

I’m really looking forward to seeing how he resolves this! If he can resolve it, that is…

What do you think of Tina’s dilemma? What were your favorite moments? Let me know in the comments!

Other Posts of Interest

Other Anime Sites

• Reddit: Discussion of Black Bullet Episode 6
• Little Cloud Curiosity: Black Bullet Episode 6 Review
• Anime Corps: Black Bullet – 06

This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)

• Black Bullet Episode 1: The Last Hope
• Black Bullet Episode 2: The Mask of Madness
• Black Bullet Episode 3: The Children of Fate
• Black Bullet Episode 4: Black Bullet
• Black Bullet Episode 5: The Crimson Black Assassin
• Black Bullet Episode 7: In the Still of the Moonlit Night, the Dawn Sky
• Black Bullet Episode 8: The Monument on the Border
• Black Bullet Episode 9: The Protectors of the Barrier
• Black Bullet Episode 10: Tokyo Area Defensive Battle
• Black Bullet Episode 11: The Heart of Taurus, the Spear of Light
• Black Bullet Episode 12: Crisis Point
• Black Bullet Episode 13: The Ones Who Aspired to be Gods