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Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 1 – Quick Summary
In Grisaia: Phantom Trigger episode 1, “Mother’s Cradle I,” Special Organization for Research & Development (SORD) received a new student: Taiga Sengoku. She was from a very rich family used to getting its way – and Taiga’s way was to be in Shiori Arisaka’s class. Why did Taiga want to go to that class? Or perhaps the better question would be what did she hope to accomplish in getting away from her family? And why does Sakurako Christina Kujirase take a shine to her?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 1
I think I’m going to get along with this cast. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
A quick conversion between Touka Shishigaya and Megumi Kumashiro, both snipers (if I’m reading their My Anime List pages correctly), suggested that this is the kind of series I’m going to enjoy.
Taiga had just introduced herself to the class. All any of the existing students knew was that she was small and came from a rich family. Well, that was all they knew for a fact. Touka and Megumi actually had some ideas of their own.
“She gives an even worse arrogant vibe than the principal,” Touka said (07:14).
“But she’s cute. Small girls are absolutely lovable,” Megumi said.
“Why say that while looking at me?” Touka asked.
Well-done Incidental banter like that is not only fun. It gives us insights into the characters and their relationships. It helps that I feel a kinship with snipers, too.
Favorite Moment from Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 1
Rena didn’t want to be remembered as having left options untried. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: Another Installment from the World of The Fruit of Grisaia
Wasn’t that 120 second recap of the Phantom Trigger movies energetic? It accomplished three things in just two minutes. First, it gave me the essential information I needed to get started with the series. Second, it helped me understand some of the interpersonal dynamics among the cast. And third, it makes me realize just how much I miss the older series The Fruit of Grisaia.
Am I the only one who thinks that Yuuji Kazami is a slightly less magical Tatsuya Shiba? And he’s just one of the characters that I miss. I’m going to have to do a throwback review of that series someday!
In addition to the characters, one of the things I enjoyed about The Fruit of Grisaia is that the story treated the effects of conducting violent acts with respect and realism. Well, at least as real as I’ve seen in most works of fiction.
Shiori knows more than she gives herself credit for. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
That’s of particular interest to me because I’m writing a new trilogy called Dreams of Deucalion. One of the main characters is ex-Delta Force. I had to do a lot of research to write that role, including talking to actual ex-Delta Force officers.
A couple of things stood out to me in the attitudes of special forces operators when compared to most civilians. First, they have a sense of humor that could be interpreted as brutal. You see the same thing in firefighters and police officers. Those three groups have to deal with some seriously messed up stuff on a daily basis. A robust sense of humor is one way to process it.The other thing was how they view themselves in relation to death. We all know we’re going to die, right? But they know they’re going to die. They choose to go into situations that could kill them as a matter of course. So, they develop an attitude that reflects that.
Delivery: Rena’s Reflective Attitude
I saw that attitude in my favorite moment from this episode.
Taiga watched Rena Fukami demonstrate how to fire a pistol. And as an aside, I’m already getting her visually confused with Yumiko Sakaki from The Fruit of Grisaia – though Rena is quite a bit more expressive. Rena’s skill impressed the heck out of Taiga. When she said as much, Rena offered to let Taiga use her pistol, which carried the name Omen.
Taiga hesitated, unwilling to use a weapon that clearly had some importance for Rena. Trying to put her at ease, Rena explained that her master had owned the pistol.
“Those who kill people with guns shall die by the gun,” she explained, referring to the death of her master in a very nonchalant way (17:58). “What’s left is a gun without its owner. I heard this gun, Omen, was recovered with no bullets left. I hope I won’t die with bullets left in it, either. That would be embarrassing.”
Taiga listened intently to Rena’s perspective. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Think about that. I would expect most people to express a fear of death in general. Or at the very least, to express a dislike for the idea of dying. Instead, Rena reflected how Omen being recovered with an empty clip meant her master had gone down only after exerting maximum effort.
And that not doing so would be “embarrassing.”
Like I said, a (mostly) realistic depiction of that kind of attitude is one of the things that attracted me to The Fruit of Grisaia. Seeing it again in how Rena expressed herself resonated with me. I had intended to review the latest Dr. Stone series this season. But my relationship to the world of this series predates my exposure to Dr. Stone. So, I’m going to review Grisaia: Phantom Trigger this season. Let’s hope it lives up to the promise of the earlier series!
What did you think of Shiori’s monologue in the beginning? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
