A few very mildly spoilerish thoughts on Mouretsu Pirates.
• Marika has twice faced faced attacks from a hostile ship and emerged unscathed, for real. She has twice been overwhelmed, first in a simulator, then in a dream. Two applications of the rule of three indicate that her next battle will go badly, for real.
• For a show that is said to be too slow-paced, Pirates is surprisingly economical in its storytelling. I expected Sato to spend at least half an episode introducing Marika to the Bentenmaru and its crew, but he skipped right over that, going directly to her pirate debut.
• Sure, Marika looks better without makeup. However, given that the piracy thus far is more theatre than robbery, and that clean faces disappear under spotlights, it makes sense. What she wears is vastly more subtle than what I’ve seen backstage at the ballet.
• Alert John C. Wright. The preview of the eighth episode suggests that Mouretsu Pirates will ascend to the highest form of science fiction, the “space princess” story.
• Researchers have found a correlation between the heights of hemlines and the health of the economy. Does the shortness of Marika’s skirt augur well for the anime industry?