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Outbreak Company Ep 8 Review – Quick Summary
In Outbreak Company Ep 8, “The Melancholy of Her Imperial Majesty,” the dispirited feeling that had tugged at Petralka at the end of the previous episode exploded into a full-blown melancholy. First, the empress just tried to get away for a few hours to read manga. Shinichi and Galious found her in a warehouse and convinced her to return to work. The next day, though, she snapped. She refused to go to work at all. She forbid Galious, Zahar, or any of her court from even entering her room. It fell to Shinichi to rescue the empress for her ennui. Will he try to lecture her? Or does he have a better idea?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Outbreak Company Ep 8
Shinichi wrote the hikikomori life style rules on a banner so Petralka could memorize them. The last piece showed just how strongly Petralka felt about this new lifestyle.
“And none shall gather my corpse if I die,” she said (13:25). Dang, that’s commitment. At least to the ideals!
Best in Show Moment for Outbreak Company Ep 8
Petralka didn’t need to be cajoled. She just needed the facts and the time to think about them. Shinichi worked with her so she’d have both. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: Shinichi Chooses Subtlety
Shinichi figured something out years before I did. Actually, I’m being generous with myself now. I’m not convinced it’s a lesson I’ve been able to take to heart. I don’t really have the patience for it, and that’s a shame. The results are so much better! What Shinichi figured out is that showing is way better than telling.
Starting at the end of the previous episode, we saw that the sheer volume of work had begun to weigh on Petralka. In a scene Random Curiosity’s review described beautifully (take a look at Other Anime Sites, below), you could just see her responsibilities crushing her.
Petralka’s smart. She’s shown before that she is willing to study Japanese culture, like when she almost perfected her tsundere act. It was not surprising, then, that she discovered the the concept of hikikomori. Overwhelmed as she was with her responsibilities, the idea of shutting herself in her room and doing whatever she wanted — with no pressure at all — was a temptation she couldn’t resist. She used magic to seal herself in her room and to deny entry to any of her entourage. Galious and Minori Koganuma agreed: It was Shinichi’s time to shine.
Talk about being in someone’s wheelhouse! Shinichi knew exactly how to approach someone new to the ways of hikikomori! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Shinichi immediately knew what to do. He told Galious that no matter what, Galious should not interfere. Though Shinichi was asking a lot, Galious agreed.
As an aside, it’s been kinda cool seeing how Galious has formed friendships with both Shinichi and Minori.
Delivery: Petralka’s Informed Choice
At first, Petralka thought Shinichi was going to lecture her, and she wasn’t about to put up with that. But he assured her that no, he just wanted to talk. And talk he did. Once he understood she seriously wanted to embrace the hikikomori lifestyle, he dedicated himself to teaching it to her. He was a good teacher, too. He had lived that way himself.
What was cool about this wasn’t his solitary living skills. It was his trust in Petralka. He knew that if he was honest with her, if he didn’t give her any reason to get defensive, she would make the right decision. So he showed her everything about living as a shut in.
Petralka herself decided that the hikikomori life wasn’t for her. The moment of her decision, when she opened the door and confidently strode into the corridor (21:17), was rightfully the climax of the episode. She crisply apologized to Galious and Zahar, then headed for office to get back to work.
No drama. No histrionics. Petralka came out, apologized, and got right back to it. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
What I liked about this scene was how Shinichi helped her. He trusted her. He treated her as an equal, which was the epitome of his world view. She responded as a mature adult and assumed her responsibilities. Not because someone told her to, but because she decided she should embrace them. Especially in this political climate, seeing someone do the right thing for the right reason at the right time is very reassuring.
What did you think of the guards’ reaction to the doujinshi? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!
Outbreak Company Ep 8: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: [Spoilers] Outbreak Company Episode 8 Discussion
- The Fandom Post: Outbreak Company Episode #08 Anime Review
- Random Curiosity: Outbreak Company – 08
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Outbreak Company Episode 1 Review: I Landed in Another World
- Outbreak Company Episode 2 Review: I-I’d Better Watch It
- Outbreak Company Episode 3 Review: Thou Art Invaders
- Outbreak Company Episode 4 Review: Furry Spy
- Outbreak Company Episode 5 Review: This Really Is Another World
- Outbreak Company Episode 6 Review: Soccer… Soccer?
- Outbreak Company Episode 7 Review: Maid in Japan
- Outbreak Company Episode 8 Review: The Melancholy of Her Imperial Majesty
- Outbreak Company Episode 9 Review: Swimsuit of the Dead
- Outbreak Company Episode 10 Review: Magical Girl Petralka
- Outbreak Company Episode 11 Review: Plot Silent, Plot Deep
- Outbreak Company Episode 12 Review: Shoot the Invaders!
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