Platinum End episode 1 aired this weekend, starting off a very anticipated Fall 2021 show. The show’s pilot introduces the premise of the show, the struggles of its main character, and the dangerous stakes he’ll have to face.
Platinum End tells the story of a boy named Mirai. He’s a very sad boy, so much show that the episode starts off with him wanting to end it all. He tosses himself off of a building but is saved by an angel named Nasse. Nasse gives Mirai a few special powers, including the ability to fly and the ability to shoot an arrow that can make anyone fall in love with him. With these new powers, Mirai is thrown into a mysterious new world, where he must participate in a competition where the winner gets to replace God.
Yup, you read that right. Anime is many things, but unoriginal isn’t one of them. With the debut of Platinum End, let’s look at the pilot’s key talking points in a spoiler-filled discussion!
The Guardian Angel
Before Mirai could hit the ground, a guardian angel plucked him from the air and saved him. Platinum End episode 1 introduces viewers to Nasse, who is an angel who’s watched over Mirai for a while. It turns out that Mirai’s wish to be happy compelled her to save him.
In addition to saving him, Nasse also provides Mirai with a few powers. He gets wings, that will take him anywhere and are invisible to normal people. He also receives a red arrow, that will make whoever he strikes with it fall in love with him.
It is also rather charming seeing the two interact. Nasse does most of the heavy lifting in this regard. Mirai has very little charm to him, but that’s ultimately where his character starts off, so it’s not surprising. Nasse, on the other hand, is bubbly and lighthearted. She contrasts Mirai’s dark, brooding mood well, and it makes for entertaining viewing.
The dark truth
Platinum End episode 1 establishes Mirai’s home life as a very terrible one. He lives with his abusive aunt and uncle after the “accidental” death of his family. It’s likely that the troubles he faces at home contribute greatly to his disposition at the start of the episode.
However, midway through the episode, Nasse reveals to Mirai that his family’s demise wasn’t so accidental. Apparently, his aunt and uncle orchestrated the death of his parents and brother. Mirai doesn’t believe this at first. But upon using his powers in order to get the truth, the realization slowly dawns on him.
It turns out that Nasse wasn’t lying. In order to get the lion’s share of Mirai’s father’s inheritance, his aunt and uncle rigged their car to explode. They then took Mirai in just to get the insurance money. What followed was years of abuse from the entire family, driving Mirai to a very dark place within himself.
It takes getting hit by the red arrow for Mirai’s aunt to see the error in her ways. She tearfully blames Mirai’s uncle for making her do it, before plunging a knife into her neck in gruesome fashion.
So the dark truth arises! Boy, did this episode kick off in a rather grim tone. It will be interesting to see how this realization shapes Mirai moving forward. After all, the truth did seem to hit him quite hard here. Perhaps this could be what kicks off a change in personality within him? Or will it be what cements who he is in the face of hardship?
What is going on?
The latter portion of Platinum End episode 1 sends the trajectory of the show hurtling into chaos.
First, Nasse reveals that Mirai has a third power. She explains that he also has a white arrow, that will kill anyone it hits with flawless accuracy. Mirai is understandably mortified by this prospect. He doesn’t want to kill anyone. Why would he ever need this?!
But that’s where it’s revealed that there are other people with guardian angels of their own. And he must now compete with them in order to replace God. After this bombshell, the episode ends with a power ranger-looking dude, who attacks a man using a white arrow.
So yeah. This show is kind of insane. It starts off with a depressed boy and continues with him fighting to replace the supreme being of their world. Weirdly enough, it actually works? It’s really interesting so far, and surely it will get all the more exciting moving forward. Platinum End features an absolutely absurd premise and promises to make it work. There’s certainly a lot of potential for even more crazy twists moving forward. What fun!
Platinum End is streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation! Episode 2 will air on October 15th, 2021.
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