Tide-Line Blue - episode 7

What did I say about Keel being in his element? Well, with a trip to Tibet for some hard gambling, we are given an example of exactly that. This episode is pretty good for most of the characters involved; even the frequently insufferable Joze gets some good comedy and drama in.

In this episode Keel and Joze arrive in Tibet, just as Aoi, Teen and the ostrich do. While Keel and Joze need to gamble for fuel for their mini-sub, Aoi has important issues to discuss with Chen Reishi, an intense woman who wears robes, and has premonitions in an other worldly voice.
It’s all pretty good.

The best scene of the episode, and perhaps the series, was Angie and Keel on the docks. Their reminiscences of Sunshine was a fairly moving scene, acted perfectly by Daisuke Sakaguchi who has simultaneous laughter and tears down pat. It was a great example of a character temporarily falling apart while trying to "stay true" to themself - in that Keel probably would not want people to see that he has been affected. People that he considers friends, that is: around Gould and Joze, he wears his heart on his sleeve.

The other unknown quantity is Joze, a character I really hate. I think I'm supposed to, so that's okay. For once we get to see an air of vulnerability about her, but any sympathy this generates is very quickly disposed of. Joze is genuinely off-kilter, and much more of a "villain" and harder person than Gould ever has been. It will be interesting to see her with Teen, but it would be hard for her to be any more unlikeable than she has already been depicted as. Sure, she might have a reason for being a total bitchmonster, but there is something definitely off about her.

The funny thing about Tide-Line Blue is that I inherently understand that threatening to use nuclear weapons against people is an immoral idea. Problem is, Gould makes it seem stylish.