Platinum End episode 9 heightens the tension up once again! A crazy madman is on the loose, threatening Nanato Mukaido’s family. As the team grows desperate to save them, they get one step closer to playing into Metropoliman’s hands. Let’s discuss this week’s key talking points. Spoilers ahead!
Hajime the outcast
Platinum End episode 9 introduces a new character in the form of Hajime Sokotani. Born ugly and poor, he’s always been an outcast in society. When an angel offers him wings and arrows, he sought to change his social status. He hired plastic surgeons to transform his appearance and began working out. However, once he became physically attractive, it still wasn’t enough. His days as a recluse had limited his social skills from developing. Thus, he still appeared to be a creep to the public.
In his desperation to change himself, he became a devout follower of Metropoliman’s. It reached a point where Hajime tracked Metropoliman down and begged him to take him in as a servant. Now, under the orders of Metropoliman, Hajime poses a real threat to the show’s protagonists. He’s taken Nanato’s family hostage, luring him and Mirai into a deadly trap.
It’s honestly a bit hard to take Hajime’s character seriously. Perhaps it’s the fact that he decided that the solution to being ugly was to turn into a wannabe Jojo character. Or perhaps it’s the fact that his tragic backstory leans into the tragedy way too hard.
His character does seem to only serve the purpose of being hateable for viewers. Slicing up Nanato’s daughter’s future wedding dress will do that. So maybe it is okay that he’s as cartoonishly goofy as he is. Honestly. Hajime’s introduction really reminds viewers that this show isn’t meant to be taken so seriously. Many things throughout the show come off as unintentionally hilarious, and this is one such example of that.
The “tactical” catgirl costume
Another such example of just how hilarious Platinum End can be is in the form of Saki’s costume. Yes, a whole section of the episode review has to go into discussing this minor point.
At the beginning of the episode, Nanato gives Saki the costume that he’d promised to make. Lo and behold, the costume takes heavy inspiration from famous catgirl looks. It features ears on the top of her head, a mechanical tail, along with a form-fitting fabric.
It would be one thing if the show just gave her that costume and let it be. But no. After Revel calls Nanato out for being into some weird stuff, the man goes out of his way to justify why the costume is the way it is. The ears turn into a visor or something, and the tail is to release the suit’s heat. According to him, everything about the suit is “logical” and “efficient”.
Uh, sure bro. The fact that there’s a scene in this show justifying why a catgirl costume totally makes sense from a tactical standpoint is absolutely comical. The best part about it is that the show never acknowledges the hilarity of the situation. The tone stays completely serious as if it really wants viewers to believe what Nanato is saying. Honestly, that just adds to the humor of it all.
Saki left behind
The episode’s climax leads to Nanato and Mirai leaving Saki behind to save Hajime’s hostages. This appears to leave Saki disappointed. And given the events of the prior episodes, this makes sense. She’d finally gotten out of the slump she’d been in and was looking forward to becoming an important member of the team. And now, her friends have left her behind, seemingly due to her lack of wings.
Revel sees this and resolves to work harder in trying to get to a higher rank. Throughout the episode, he’d been trying to absorb tomes from heaven. He’d apparently reached his limit, but seeing Saki being sad forces him to go further. This is potentially setting up a moment in the later episodes where Saki arrives, imbued with new powers thanks to Revel levelling up. How this comes to fruition will be interesting to see.
Things are heating up for Platinum End. Will Nanato’s family be safe? Will Mirai be ready to act when the time comes? We’ll have to wait until next week to find out.
Platinum End is streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation. Episode 10 will air on December 10th, 2021.
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