Scarlet Nexus‘ third episode builds on the intrigue the show has been setting up so far. The plot thickens as more is revealed and new twists emerge. It seems that as the show goes on, the marks of a more layered and convoluted narrative appear more apparent. The air of mystery that this show is building on is nothing short of enthralling. Spoilers Ahead!
What exactly are the Others?
The episode hits viewers very early on with a massive bombshell: Naomi turns into an Other. The bullet from the last episode did far more than just pierce through her chest, turning her into one of the monstrous creatures the OSF fight against. Suddenly, Other-Naomi disappears in the blink of an eye. Other OSF members teleport onto the scene, taking the creature with them as quickly as they came. Yuito, Kasane, and the rest of the Guardians present are then told to forget what they just saw. Meanwhile, Nagi is taken away to have his injuries dealt with.
From the very first moment of the episode, so many questions are raised. Naomi’s conversion into an Other opens the possibility that the monsters that the OSF have fought against may have once been human. There are so many implications to this reveal. Where do the Others come from? Why is this information being kept under wraps?
The episode doesn’t allow for too much time to dwell on these questions, though. After Kasane mourns for her sister, she is confronted by Major General Karen Travers. He reveals to her that Seiran took Naomi, and that she can be turned back into a human. He reiterates that she must keep what she saw a secret, warning her not to trust the people of New Himuka.
Trust no one
Yuito later reveals to Naomi something he found along the tracks after Naomi’s conversion. He presents her ampoule casings with the mark of Seiran City on them. The ampoules look familiar to Naomi, remembering seeing them at her home. However, she does not know what this means for her and her family.
All of a sudden, an alarm of unprecedented scale rings. Emergency alerts begin to blare in an area surrounded by a radius of ten kilometers. The emergency is so large in scale that command deploys all OSF soldiers to deal with the matter.
Seto Platoon takes to action immediately. Fortunately for the team, Nagi has recovered and is able to join them on the mission! However, something seems off about him. Yuito questions him about having seen Naomi turn into an Other, and Nagi reveals he remembers things differently. As far as he knows, Naomi is dead. He even scolds Yuito for suggesting something so morbid.
Great. So Nagi’s memories are inconsistent with the truth. That suggests that some alteration in them had occurred. This plants a seed of distrust in nearly every character the show’s presented so far. Who is to say that other characters’ memories haven’t been altered before? Who knows to what extent these alterations could reach too?
Shocking betrayal
Seto Platoon abruptly has their communications cut. They are then faced with a group of OSF soldiers, led by Gemma. He rebukes Seto for his involvement in a “horrible experiment.” With a stern expression, Seto demands to know what he’s talking about.
The Travers brothers then arrive on the scene. Luka, wielding a massive mallet, takes the side of Seto Platoon. Karen stands with Gemma and the other OSF soldiers. In a show of raw strength and power, Karen Travers blows the entire Seto Platoon back, wielding sclerokinesis, electrokinesis, and aerokinesis all at once. The group realize that Karen can copy other people’s powers to use as his own.
Kasane, realizing that Gemma knows more than he’s letting on, demands to know what happened to Naomi. Nagi, having recovered from a headache-inducing fit, then ominously walks toward Kasane and Yuito, singing cheerily as he gets closer and closer.
Scarlet Nexus: Where to go from here?
Scarlet Nexus’ third episode was a rollercoaster. It is amazing just how much intrigue the show has managed to build thus far. The many questions they keep throwing out there makes it easy to stay hooked onto its plot. It’s exciting to speculate about Scarlet Nexus’ mysteries, and it will be interesting to see how these mysteries pay off.
There’s very little to complain about in this episode. The biggest complaint could possibly be surrounding Naomi’s transformation, or lack thereof. The transformation is conveyed in two shots: Naomi crystalized, and then an Other in her place. They couldn’t show her transforming into an Other? Really? Did the show’s budget not allow for that scene to be animated? That’s probably the episode’s most glaring issue at the end of the day. At least it’s not one that is too glaring.
Scarlet Nexus has provided more than enough reason to keep watching. It’s so hard to tell where the story’s going at this rate, and it only promises to keep twisting and turning in the long run.
Scarlet Nexus is streaming on Funimation and on the Ani-One Asia Official YouTube channel! Its fourth episode will be released on July 22nd!
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