There was a ton of awesome shit in this episode. The pace starts off great without wasting any time on filling in the story so far but jumping right into a new case. In a lot of ways this episode pretty well mirrors the first episode of the first season, which if I am being honest showed a lot of promise but wasn't really great. I feel the same way about this episode, it is good but not great. It's filled will those fuck yeah moments for Akane as she has developed nicely, but at the same time her dialogue felt slightly off. It was good for the majority of the episode but the very end when she giving her speech to the criminal, it felt too simple and a bit too cheesy for this show. Akane has always been an optimistic character in a world that is pretty pessimistic, but her speech here crosses the line to cheesy optimism and might have gone down better if done in the more flowery style of the first season.
However, I can't help but love how self assured she has become. This episode makes clear what her decision was at the end of the last season. She has sided with the system but won't give up her morals. She is confident but still very much the same character and despite my reservations about her last speech I am so pleased with her development between seasons. She has grown up and made her decision and because of her new assurance she can even cause the Sybil System to change her mind and this is pretty damn awesome. What she did is more complicated than that even if she states it that way, but the point of it all is that people can be saved and that's always been Akane's goal.
I also like that Akane has become a better strategist and even a bit cold in some regards. She kept her team back when she realized it was a trap and let the other team go trigger the bomb. This and Akane versus the robot were both perfect fuck yeah moments that I adored.
I also loved the way the episode starts with the enforcers being shown and just from their eyes you can see they are different. The episode doesn't explain that they are latent criminals, but just from their eyes you can tell they are a bit wild feral and different from everyone else. The moment where they first grab their Dominators it's one of those shit is on moments.
However, this is where I get to my main problem with the episode, the new characters. They are thrown at us rather fast which is fine but none of the new guys leave the instant impression that Kogami had and I miss Ginoza's father as well. I know things have changed but even in the first episode of season one those guys left a much stronger impression than any of the new character. It's true the new Akane doesn't need those mentor characters now, but their presence is missed. Akane has already chosen her path so I don't expect the same philosophical battle as the last season but at the same time this season is going to need a better foil for her than the new agent whose name I didn't even catch. She was just there to contradict and question Akane so Ginoza could explain her motives and honestly it's sloppy and obvious. I got Akane development just from watching her reactions and I didn't need it spoon fed to me.
The new enforcers definitely look cool though even if they don't get a lot of time to shine this episode. I'm just hoping someone steps up to become more interesting. This is just the opening episode and mainly just a reintroduction to the world with the post credits scene hinting at where things are going. This season is going to be more focused on Akane being an actor in the plot rather than someone that is observing trying to figure out where they stand, which is cool but I definitely want me some more of the philosophical dialogue of the first season and this episode was a lacking in that regard.
There were also some great background details in this episode to show how things have changed. Now they're shilling drugs to keep your hue clear and it seems like anxiety and fear are even higher than before. Do you need the drugs or do you risk your hue staying clear. It's an interesting addition to the world that can also been seen to comment on the drugs of questionable use that flood the market in our world. It's something that was just floating in the background but it is a more subtle bit of world building that also helps to reintroduce the setting.
The bomber this episode wasn't that memorable and it might be part of the problem with the writing seeming pretty plain. He's more of a starter villain to show off Akane's new skills which is all well and good to start off with I guess but coming off the highs of last season, it's a bit too plain Jane.
