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NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 7: Favorites

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NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 7 – Quick Summary

In NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a Episode 7, “[Q]uestionable actions,” 2B and 9S had received no update to their orders. That made 9S think something suspicious was going on. 2B might have agreed, but she kept her observations to herself. Then they saw Pascal chasing a distraught machine lifeform. Apparently, that machine lifeform’s little sister had gone missing – and she and Pascal wanted 2B and 9S to help! Of course, 9S adamantly refused – right before Pascal’s begging and the machine lifeform’s tantrums convinced 2B to say yes. Where did the little sister go? Why were 2B and 9S suddenly finding so many dead machine lifeforms? And were 9s’s suspicions valid?

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

Favorite Quote from NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 7

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 7: 2B wasn't wrong about hair pins

I think 9S meant something different. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

There’s something about this show that gives even upbeat, humorous scenes a sense of impending armageddon. My favorite quote this week is an example. Remember when operator 6O asked them to report? When it was clear they had no updates and 9S wanted to ask for more details about their mission, 6O changed the subject.

She began to gush about how great 2B would look with a Lunar Tear flower in her hair. 9S kept pushing for answers, but 6O wouldn’t let the flower thing go.

When 6O finally cut the call, 9S asked if 2B thought their conversation had been suspicious.

“Indeed,” 2B said (04:50). “There is no need for hairpins in my mission.”

She didn’t exactly answer what 9S asked. But her response was true nonetheless.

Favorite Moment from NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 7

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 7: A2 has seen some stuff

I believe her. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: A2’s Losing Battle with Disillusionment

My favorite moment from this episode had a lot going for it. The show teased a first glimpse of the character central to the moment, A2, in the previous episode, around 20:57, as she slaughtered the machine lifeforms in the castle – the same castle and 2B, 9S, and Pascal investigated in this episode.

Actually, I think we saw her before that – was she the No. 2 earlier in episode 6? This show is so good at showing and not telling, and I’m so tired most of the time from my various careers, that I don’t have a lot of processing power to dedicate to figuring out some of the finer details.

But we saw the wild-looking android with heaps of dead machine lifeforms all around her. It was clear they had died by her hand. So we know she’s dangerous.

9S was already uneasy. The conversation with 6O was just the latest thing to rouse his suspicions about something being out of kilter within command.I felt suspicious, too.

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 7: 6O looks too happy

Why do I have a sense of tragedy every time I see 6O, or anyone else from the Bunker? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Then came the scene in the throne room. 2B and 9S finally found the baby king of this population of machine lifeforms. They looked down at the “babe” in its crib, its small form surrounded by roses. Before they could decide what to do, they had to leap back. A2 hurled herself from the wall above and skewered the baby king.

After flicking the machine off her sword, she turned and regarded 2B and 9S. I wish I had an award for Most Obvious Statement of the Year, because 9S had a candidate. “2B, that’s an android!” (19:47), he said.

2B lowered her head. Did she recognize her progenitor? Was she concerned that A2 had just destroyed the tiny king? We don’t know, because at that moment, Pascal happened on the scene.

A2 attacked.

Delivery: A2’s Bad News

2B shocked her (if an android can be shocked, and I think they can) by protecting Pascal. That’s when the pods belonging to 2B and 9S identified A2 as “a unit wanted by YoRHa, the fugitive unit A2.” They added that A2 had killed androids who had tried to apprehend her. The pods also said A2 had betrayed the Council of Humanity. 9S wondered why. But 2B, the same 2B who had showed mercy to the machine lifeforms and who had agreed to help Pascal, had a simple response to this situation.

“9S,” she said (20:21). “Let’s go.”

We know that A2 took out the entire population of the castle. Apparently, 2B isn’t a pushover, either, because she took the fight to A2. In fact, she snapped A2’s sword in half. Almost in disappointment, A2 pushed 2B back and leapt up onto a broken wall.

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 7: 2B and 9S protected Pascal from A2

I hadn’t noticed until I grabbed the screen shot, but 9S helped 2B stop A2’s attack. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Did you see the shot? The framing? There stood A2, a powerful warrior, holding her broken sword. The light came from behind her. She looked like some apocalyptic goddess. Before she could escape, 9S asked why she had betrayed “them.”

Her face apparently a perpetual scowl, A2 turned and said (20:42), “Command is the one that betrayed.”

Then she was gone.

Now, that was a dramatic scene! I haven’t played the game or read the lore, and I’m glad I haven’t. That makes discovering this story through the anime all the more enjoyable! It also gives my imagination the opportunity to run wild. Can the Bunker be trusted? What is the Council of Humanity? Are there any humans left in this universe – because I sure don’t recall seeing any! Though how would I know? They would look just like androids, wouldn’t they? I’m certainly looking forward to finding out!

What did you think of Pascal pleading for 2B and 9S to help her? What were your favorite moments in the episode? Feel free to share in the comments!

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7 thoughts on “NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 7: Favorites

  1. Very dark, Sephiroth-y vibes coming off A2 at the end of this episode; a far cry from how she carried herself in Lily’s flashback. Such a drastic change, but I guess crushing betrayal tends to do that…

    1. I really need to play Final Fantasy at some point. I feel like I’m blind to too many allusions!

      I’d love to know more about A2. You’re right — betrayals wears one down like nothing else. I really want to know what she knows about Command. Or thinks she knows!

  2. Lunar Tear… as in, the moon is weeping? Hmmm. Given that humanity is supposedly being sheltered there, I wonder about the significance of that tiny detail.

    So, thus far we’ve seen machines imitating human physical behaviors (the play), societal bonds (the village), learning process (adam), and now government, right down to one king passing away, followed by an infant successor. Though, that infant machine clearly did not grow despite the passage of many years, so the androids seem to be the ones who do that. (oh, and there were the machines who were growing plants before the others came and trampled them, which, oddly, looked more like curiosity than imitation of anything)

    This situation with the forest kingdom has been going on for centuries, and between this and the village, a distinct hole is poked in my theory about how stable these independent sects of machines can be. Then again, they also tried to have an heir to their first king, to no true avail, which furthers the part of my theory that they are just imitating humans, and would also indicate that they are “safe,” so to speak, just as long as nothing sets them off. I wouldn’t classify them as an imminent threat, at least.

    As for our returned-from-the-dead machine-slayer who is wanted by Yorha… she seems set on fulfilling her primary mission, to wipe out the machines, without any exceptions. The pods say she’s killed androids sent in pursuit of her, but that could easily have been something she could not avoid in order to survive. Mind you, she might also be insane in some way, but I am really interested in hearing what she knows, both about the machines – that she will kill them all without exception – and about her former superiors. She says Command are the traitors, and I have no problem believing it, though the exact nature of this betrayal could have taken any number of forms.

    It occurs to me that if Command wanted to shut down whatever was in that underground lair while also minimizing the chance of some secret getting out, which could also be found in the same place, then sending a smaller team in to get the job done and die doing so would be a cost-effective way of doing it.

    And I am once again left wondering what the heck happened down there!

    1. “Lunar Tear… as in, the moon is weeping? Hmmm. Given that humanity is supposedly being sheltered there, I wonder about the significance of that tiny detail.”

      Wow! I had not made that connection! Now I’m even more convinced there just aren’t any humans left alive.

      Good point about the machine lifeforms not growing. Seems like they retain their build specs throughout their lives. I wonder why the androids grow? Is that an efficient way to build them (build them small, then let them ingest materials in the environment to grow)?

      “She says Command are the traitors, and I have no problem believing it, though the exact nature of this betrayal could have taken any number of forms.”

      I have a feeling that once all is said and done, all “sides” will be right. And humans will be just as dead! But I’d be happy to have something a little more positive at the end.

      “And I am once again left wondering what the heck happened down there!”

      I wonder if that’d be something like an indicator showing the total humans alive on the moon being zero or something. That would certain put a dent in morale!

  3. I’ve always wondered this, but why do you call some of your posts “Favorites”?

    Neat you find the anime good without having played the game!

    1. I had been calling this post format “Best in Show.” then someone asked what that meant, and I realized it might seem like a clever title to me, but it wasn’t clear. So I asked myself what the post was really about. It’s about my favorite quote and favorite moment in an episode. So, I just called it Favorites.

      Maybe it’s still not clear in context, but I think it’s a step in the right direction, compared to the old title. I’ll give it some more thought.

      Game adaptations are tough to get right. I think as a writer, it would be hard to come up with something that stayed true to a game, which is highly interactive. I don’t know if the series has done that, but I’m having a lot of fun with the anime by itself.

      I think once the series is done, I might buy the game. The gameplay videos I’ve seen look fantastic.

      1. The game is fantastic! It does feel a bit repetitive towards the end, but it’s one of those games that uses its medium to tell a unique story.

Please let me know what you think!

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