Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
Freezing Episode 1 – Quick Summary
In Freezing episode 1, “The Untouchable Queen,” Kazuya Aoi transferred to West Genetics to do his part in the war against the interdimensional Nova. He knew what he was getting into: he lost his sister, Kazuha Aoi, in the infamous and brutal Eighth Nova Clash. Can Kazuya overcome the trauma of losing his sister? What happened during the Eighth Nova Clash, anyway? And why did he immediately feel such a connection to Satellizer el Bridget – otherwise known as the Untouchable Queen?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Freezing Episode 1
I think she’s serious about the whole no touching thing. Capture from the Blu Ray.
We don’t know a lot about Satellizer yet. We know, for example, that she’s called the Untouchable Queen. We know she maintains a stern facade. And we know that she’s peerless in combat.
How do we know she’s peerless? Because the show spent several minutes showing just how powerful the other students are – and how easily Satellizer, herself just a second year, defeated them. Actually, it would be more appropriate to say she brushed them aside.
It wasn’t even close.
In case we really didn’t make the connection, as she cut down one of the strongest students (besides Satellizer, of course), she had a chance to remind us. It’s obvious the other women were also tough. Satellizer’s opponent, bleeding and badly wounded, nonetheless still tried to reach out to her – perhaps to grasp her throat.
Grabbing the other woman’s arm, Satellizer said (19:08), “I won’t let… anyone touch me.”
She then proceeded to snap the woman’s arm.
Those scenes made it perfectly, abundantly clear: Satellizer’s raw power was second to none.
Favorite Moment from Freezing Episode 1
Given what we know about Satellizer, she should have converted that poor guy into paste. Capture from the Blu Ray.
Setup: An Unflinching Presentation of Violence – for Adults
Before we get started, I want to be clear on an important point. Freezing is not for everyone. If you’re against displays defined in the vernacular as “fanservice,” you should skip this series. There’re a lot of images suitable only for adults. Also, if combat violence is not your thing, this series is probably not for you. It has depictions of physical violence that are completely in line with its narrative and themes, but which might not be your cup of tea.
I have no problem with anime slanted towards adults. I have no problem with violence in service of the narrative. In fact, both contribute to what this anime is – and it’s a heck of a ride. So, if you’re good on those two points, I hope we have some fun with this one.
Rewatching this to write this review, it struck me how economical and efficient the show was with telling us what we needed to know. And given the world of Freezing, there are points we absolutely needed to know to get the most out of the plot.
Scenes like this one brought up to speed quickly in a way that felt interesting. Capture from the Blu Ray.
For example, we now know that women go to schools like West Genetics to become Pandora, the only folks capable of defending Earth against the Nova. We know that Kazuya’s sister, Kazuha, became a Pandora – a good one, too – who fell defending Earth in Eighth Nova Clash. And we know that Pandora pair off with younger men to form an Ereinbar Set. When so linked together, a Limited can freeze out the Nova’s field effect, which usually stops everything, including Pandora, when they get close.
Some of that came from a conversation between Kazuya and Chiffon Fairchild (who may or may not be one of my favorite characters). Some of it came out in a classroom discussion. The most dramatic of these events, Kazuha’s sacrifice, came in the form of a flashback. By the end of the episode, we knew exactly what was going on.
Delivery: Satellizer Has a Weakness?
Enough so that we knew my favorite moment had more going on than what we saw on the surface.
You know how in a lot of anime, someone trips and suddenly, skirts are flying and someone’s getting groped? Yeah, not my favorite trope/cliche. So you might wonder I chose this as my favorite moment: when Kazuya threw himself on Satellizer (21:04). After declaring in shock that he saw Satellizer as his sister, he practically tackled her.
We just saw Satellizer cut down powerful Pandora candidates. She didn’t show the slightest hint of remorse or hesitation. When Kazuya threw himself on her, I expected her to either shrug him aside or pulverize him.
But she froze.
Her performance in the training exercise was completely at odds with this moment. Capture from the Blu Ray.
He wasn’t groping her, at least not intentionally. In his mind, he had found his long-dead sister. He was overjoyed, and he hugged her with enthusiasm. Again, she froze. She panicked. Satellizer, the Untouchable Queen, lost her composure so badly that even Chiffon commented on it.
That’s when the excellent ED started.
Why did the ridiculously powerful Satellizer react that way? Why did she not shatter Kazuya’s bones when he actually grabbed her, when just moments before, we saw her callously shatter another woman’s arm for just trying to touch her? I found that to be extremely effective story-telling. I had enjoyed the brutality of the show’s combat because I think we need to depict violence realistically – as something with horrific consequence. So I was already planning to watch this series. But that moment cemented the decision for me.
What did you think of the carnival? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Freezing Episode 1: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- My Anime List (must be logged in to view): Freezing Episode 1 Discussion
- Indigo-Gos Random Reviews: Freezing : Episode 1
- Random Curiosity: FREEZING – 01
I watched this a few years ago, but will be following with interest. There were scenes later on that I found troubling so looking forward to seeing what you thought of those moments. There’s lots to like about it as well.
A troubling scene — in Freezing? Yeah, I can think of several… I’m curious now to see if we are thinking of the same scene(s).
I’m really looking to Rana Linchen’s introduction!
I do love Rana. It’ll be interesting to see if we are thinking of similar scenes.