Scarlet Nexus Episode 5 has been aired! The coup that Karen Travers started is in full flow! The Others run rampant throughout New Himuka, while Yuito finds that his father’s life could be in danger! In this spoiler-filled discussion, let’s go over this episode’s key talking points.
Foolish citizens of New Himuka
The biggest talking point Scarlet Nexus Episode 5 brings us is the coup that Karen Travers instigates. This revolution is in full flow, with the city-wide connection Psynet being shut down, and with soldiers surrounding the OSF headquarters. Later on in the episode, Karen appears onscreen to address New Himuka’s citizens. He explains that the freedom New Himuka provides has led to its citizens being cattle for its government. Karen reasons that the citizens deserve better and that this government must be overthrown.
This is an interesting point, as examples of these things have been brought up in previous episodes. Nagi’s brainwashing was perhaps the most recent example, as it just occurred in the previous episode. However, seeing that the citizens of New Himuka are also connected to the city via some sort of brain connection implies some sort of breach of personal privacy as well. This lends credibility to what Karen says and brings up the question of whether or not he’s truly right.
Daddy issues
This episode also touches a bit on Yuito’s relationship with his father. We see in flashbacks that Yuito’s father, Joe, is against him joining the OSF. Despite Yuito’s protests, he insists that he cannot support him. He even goes as far as to imply that Yuito’s late mother wouldn’t be proud of his desire to join the Scarlet Guardians.
Ultimately, Yuito recalls these moments when he receives the news that his father’s life may be in danger. This seems to take a rather large toll on him emotionally. He gets distant at first, relentlessly hacking and slashing away at the Others in an attempt to fulfill his duties. However, later on, Yuito’s worries begin to manifest as he runs off to his father’s aid.
It’s interesting to see this father-son relationship being brought to prominence in this episode. The relationship between Joe and Yuito was only hinted at in previous episodes at best. To see the relationship then brought front and center in this episode is a tad odd. It’s as though there wasn’t enough reason to have Yuito really want to save his dad, so the show inserts this more emotional bit in an attempt to get a better reaction from the audience.
As it is now, this aspect of the story feels rushed and diminishes the potential emotional impact it could have. This could be rectified in later episodes, but it just felt a bit off here.
Kasane, why?!
Scarlet Nexus Episode 5 ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. As Yuito approaches the location of his father, he is met with the sight of mangled corpses lying on the ground. He pushes on, only to find the strangest of sights.
Joe Sumeragi is slumped on the ground, and Kasane of all people stands above him. In her hand is a bloodied knife. Her pace starting slow, Kasane makes her way over to Yuito, a dark expression on her face. She then rushes at him, still brandishing her knife, appearing to be on the attack.
There are so many questions that arise from this episode’s last moment. What did Kasane do?! The scene makes it look like she had struck Joe in some way, but this could easily be a red herring of some sort. A bigger question though is why Kasane would do whatever she did. Why would she suddenly attack Yuito like that? Is she even attacking him? A lot of things are left unclear in this episode, but it certainly gives viewers a lot to ponder.
The next episode will surely give more insight into Kasane, as the sneak peek at the end of this week’s episode implies!
An ongoing mystery
Scarlet Nexus seems to be approaching a climax to its story at this point. Everything they’ve shown so far is leading up to something that will supposedly lead to everything paying off in the end, questions and all. This week’s episode felt a little weaker than the rest in that regard. The episode seems like it wants us to feel a certain way, but the setup done beforehand doesn’t really align with that. The sudden coup by Karen Travers elicits a lukewarm response at best, and the father-son dynamic between Yuito and Joe needs more time in the oven before it becomes emotionally resonant.
However, the mystery that the show has set up so far is still compelling enough that this little stumble isn’t too bad. After all, there are still so many questions left unanswered, meaning there’s still so much to be excited about moving forward. Scarlet Nexus’ mystery still remains the biggest reason to keep watching. This week’s episode doesn’t change that at all.
Scarlet Nexus is streaming on Funimation and on the Ani-One Asia Official YouTube channel! Its sixth episode will be released on August 5th!
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