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Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 2 – Favorites

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Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 2 – Quick Summary

In Grisaia: Phantom Trigger episode 2, “Mother’s Cradle II,” terrorists struck the university that Taiga Sengoku was visiting. The terrorists were serious, too – if they didn’t get what they wanted, they’d use nerve gas on the whole city. Shiori Arisaka wanted to go in, guns blazing. But the rest of the team was more realistic. With an entire city’s population at risk (at least!), is there anything that they can do to help Taiga?

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

Favorite Quote from Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 2

Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 2: Haruto Aoi saw an opportunity and seized it.

Haruto Aoi took advantage of an opportunity. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

My favorite moment (below) talks about something I enjoyed when I watched The Fruit of Grisaia: the attitude. I’ll talk about what that means in a moment. When you read my favorite moment, it might seem like this undercuts it.

But it doesn’t. Instead, it emphasizes it. Another way of putting it would be that accentuates one aspect of my favorite moment while simultaneously offering something that, too often, only fiction can offer: an escape. The hope of safety through camaraderie. Maybe that’s why I selected this for my favorite quote.

Shiori could not accept that the team was going to let Sakurako Christina “Chris” Kujirase die – despite the risk it would post to the hostages and honor/reputation of certain families. She was so against the idea that she’d taken up a bamboo spear and was about to lay siege to the university. Then came word that the strike was on. Shiori almost despaired.

But Haruto Aoi had good news – if it could be called good, given its implications. With the apparent support and foreknowledge of the entire team except Shiori, they were now prepared to launch their rescue mission.

“If they’re going to wipe everything out with an air strike,” Haruto said in a matter-of-fact voice (13:50), “then it won’t be a problem if we go ahead and proceed with our rescue mission.”

Sometimes, you just have to wait for an opportunity to present itself.

Favorite Moment from Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 2

Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 2: Touka spelled it out for Shiori.

Shiori was not listening. So Touka spelled it out for her. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: An Unrealistic World is Just Not Interesting

The last trilogy I wrote, The Sword of Sirius (affiliate link to Amazon), and the one I’m writing now, Dreams of Deucalion, are military science fiction. Talking to military veterans, getting a sense for their perspective, developed my ear for what sounds right and what doesn’t.

Do you remember the movie Iron Eagle? I never watched the whole thing. Even back in the 1980s when it came out, I had enough of a sense realism that one scene thoroughly wrecked my suspension of disbelief.

A pilot was training some kid – I forget why. The kid couldn’t execute a maneuver (hit a target?). He tried and tried, but he couldn’t do it. That is, until he put on his head phones and used the power of rock and roll!

Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 2: Maki and Megumi quibbled over the details but not the facts

Maki and Megumi disagreed about some details – but not about the facts. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

That enraged me. That’s not how to successfully operate a machine of war. Even as an adolescent, a full-fledged member of the target audience, that moment made me sick.

This series has never done that to me. Case in point? The argument over rescuing Chris. Maki Inohara clearly stated it pissed her off. Megumi Kumashiro didn’t like it, either, but she ridiculed Maki for even voicing the possibility that they’d launch a mission. 

I almost chose Megumi’s quote as my favorite from the episode (07:35): “Of course we’re worried about her. However, it only takes one careless decision to ruin the plan, and that will endanger not only our comrade, but the entire country. Unlike someone who wastes ammunition without giving it any thought, the weight of deliberation that is required here is on a completely different level.”

Delivery: Conversely, This World Is Interesting!

They argued back and forth for a while, but it was clear: the trained members of SORD (Social Ops, Research & Development) knew they could not launch a mission. Shiori, though, could not accept that. Touka Shishigaya tried to walk her through just how bad of an idea that was. When Shiori just didn’t get it, Touka got blunt and reminded her that she was an untrained teacher. She would only make matters worse.

And if that wasn’t enough?

“Those who endanger themselves while causing disorder are called ‘idiots,’” Touka said (08:39).

That crushed Shiori. Why is that my favorite moment, especially since I like Shiori? Because everything that Megumi and Touka said was spot on. It was realistic. It reflected the conditions on the battlefield. And I loved that. 

Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Episode 2: Shiori found it hard to accept Touka's words

It was hard for Shiori to accept Touka’s words. But life’s tough like that, sometimes. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Does my favorite quote undermine it? Nope! It’s because in the context of this story, all the reasons for not launching, including saving the hostages, went out the window after the decision to burn the whole place down. That gave SORD an opportunity – an opportunity they were only too happy to take advantage of!

What did you think of Chris’s infiltration of the university? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

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