At first, I thought that Planet With was going to take a weird turn and become more about being boring and less about awesome action with mecha. I am glad that I was wrong.

Japanese Title: 目覚めの使者

Plot

The episode can be divided into two parts. The first part could have served as the ending in an alternate universe where Soya decided not to fight back. Yousuke, secretly in love with Benika and for years hidden in his brother’s shadow, decided to take matters into his own hands and seal Earth. It’s frightening what a man without hope can do. Yousuke parallelizes Benika to his whole world, and without her, the world can be considered as already gone. He takes the last sealing device and heads for our familiar seaside, where he is confronted by Torai, Inaba, and Kumashiro who have learned how to reawaken their powers.

Yousuke, however, is too powerful to stop. His despair is so immense that he manages to seal Earth. Sealing was a bit different from what I imagined. I thought that the sealing device would turn humanity into a complacent zombieland where everyone is happy with being mediocre. Instead, it silenced Earth by taking away all sound and froze everyone in place, giving them dreams like the ones the Paladín were having inside the devices. Soya, however, is immune to the effect for one simple reason: he is friends with a member of the most powerful species of the universe. Pretty convenient if you ask me. He agrees to take on the dragon and everyone that stands in his way if only Q (I had to make a Trek reference here) lets him speak to humanity and give them a choice of waking from their dreams. It would have been easier to just wake everyone up, but there was a case here to be made for free will and taking responsibility for one’s actions.

Of course, people wake up, Soya discovers a newfound purpose in protecting those he wants to befriend. Surprised? Not really, I guess, since every anime that has even a hint of shounen needs to draw from the power of friendship. I am still baffled as to why Japan is not a country of Super Friends doing super friendship stuff. Probably because all those kids who watch shounen are then brought up to become Super Salarymen. Probably.

I’m on the side of people I want to befriend.

After accepting reality as a better alternative to a dream, no matter how sweet that dream is, humanity wins the most decisive battle against the Sealing Faction. After all, that was their last sealing device. Now Soya gets to take Princess Maid and CAT and combine with the huge CAT spaceship to become a fracking huge robot. That was cool.

Episode Highlights

Sealing Devices: We are still left in the dark when it comes to the sealing devices, but this last form may have given us a clue (unless there is absolutely no logic behind them). Maybe the device takes the form of the one controlling it? Just a thought. Or maybe this was one special sealing device with transforming properties.

Happy? DOG is not that bad after all. I mean, have you ever met a bad dog? I haven’t. He was so happy that CAT was alive that he wagged his tail left and right like crazy. That was an amazingly cute moment. Even for a DOG that has the name Generalissimo.

Giant FRACKING Robots: I was secretly and subconsciously wishing for this moment. What is a mecha anime without giant robots? It didn’t last long but I’m guessing they are going to use the same armor to fight that huge dragon who sleeps on the dark side of the moon.

Moonlight

Is the moon the next stop? I am looking forward to seeing if there are any more weapons hidden in that giant cat. I don’t want to see that huge hammer again.

Did you like Episode 9 of Planet With? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to check the rest of our Summer 2018 reviews!

Karellen and Rashaverak (カレルレンとラシャヴェラク)

Planet With

Summer 2018 | Anime Info | Simulcast