Episode 4 – takt op. Destiny

The old “three episode rule” has reared its head—the fourth episode of takt op. Destiny represents a marked step down in production and narrative quality from the first three. I loved the beginning of takt op. Destiny, as flawed as it was, so this downgrade has seen the show go from “Really Great!” to “Pretty Good.” That’s not a terrible sign, all things considered, so long as the show can keep its highs and lows within that reasonable range of “Good” to “Great.” Did I just jinx the entire show with that qualifier? God, I hope not…

In any case, like I said, this was by no means a terrible episode of television; it merely served its purpose and kept the plot moving without making a big impression. We begin with Lenny and Titan training Takt and Destiny in the ways of Muiscart combat; our heroes hit the usual beats of this kind of story, not knowing quite how to hit the perfect levels of harmony that their mentors achieve with ease. Later, when the crew discovers what is perhaps the last operational casino underneath the now verdant farmland of Las Vegas, Takt and Destiny have to put their skills to the test and prove that they can survive on the strength of their own teamwork.

The key failing of this episode, I think, is that the secret casino plot has no thematic or personal connection to Takt and Destiny’s training plot. Normally, you’d have the villain of the story and his scheme be some kind of metaphor that ties into whatever conflict the characters are going through internally; at the very least, the specific challenges presented by the antagonist ought to cause some character-specific change to occur. If Takt and Destiny not being “in sync” is the primary issue here at the beginning of their partnership, you’d think that maybe the fight against Mr. Lang the Evil Casino Guy and all the D2s he inadvertently summons to Vegas would see both Takt and Destiny trying to win in their own selfish way, only to discover that they have to truly communicate with and complement each other in order to win the day.

I suppose you could maybe argue that there’s the tiniest shred of thematic tissue here, what with how Mr. Lang is exploiting the farmers’ trust and goodwill in order to cater to the rich and reckless people that will eventually bring the music-hating aliens down on everyone’s heads, but it’s all left entirely to subtext. As far as the show is concerned, Takt and Destiny’s immediate problem—lacking the experience and natural rapport that a Maestro and Musicart require to kill monsters without Lenny and Titan’s help—is basically solved because Takt decides to Get Good™, and Destiny follows suit.

The art and animation this week isn’t awful either, but it’s one of those MAPPA episodes where the character models all feel awfully flat and lifeless outside of the fight-scenes, and the fights themselves are nothing to write home about. There are elements to the story that I dug quite a lot, sure—I like the mysterious and vaguely ominous tone that the episode takes on whenever Lenny and Titan’s work for the Symphonica takes center stage. I also love the whole idea of society being in a sort of apocalyptic remission, with the D2’s representing the kind of relapse that would destroy all the hope and goodwill that humanity has managed to eke out in these recent years. I will also admit to laughing very hard at the general concept of Las Vegas transforming into a community of prosperous corn farmers.

The plot that hangs itself upon these interesting pins is less enticing, though, more functional than inspiring. We learned more about the Maestro/Musicart partnership through Lenny’s teachings, which was nice, and I’m always down to watch Destiny act absurdly casual about the mass destruction she’s causing, but those are fleeting pleasures. Every road trip has periods of relative mundanity, though, and I won’t begrudge takt op. Destiny its requisite pit stop, as long as it doesn’t dally for too long.

Rating:

takt op. Destiny is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.