Folks, I’m thinking it’s about time for more Bodacious Space Pirates. We last left off the series on the cliffhangeriest of cliffhangers, as Marika found herself on the brink of confrontation with a seemingly hostile force. Though the point of this mission was ostensibly to gain more information on the ghost ship from Gruier’s associates, their initial assumption was that this meant they’d be meeting some kind of reconnaissance ship, with no real possibility of open conflict. Instead, Marika’s now facing down five Serenity combat vessels, one of them already having taken serious damage, prompting the very real possibility of Marika causing an interstellar political incident.

Of course, Marika’s already proven herself a capable mediator, and more practically speaking, we’re only eight episodes into a two-cour production. I can’t imagine Marika getting blown into space dust quite so soon into the show, but I’m eager to see how she avoids that possibility, so let’s dive on into another installment of Bodacious Space Pirates!

Episode 9

In this show, the expository cold opens feel basically essential, considering the complexity of the plot, and the way it tends to get deep into the weeds of both mechanical and political conflict. Here, we learn that some within the Serenity system desire independence from the Galactic Empire

On the whole, it seems like the Empire is pretty accommodating of its vassal states. Considering it allowed outright space piracy to continue as a local cultural tradition, and also did nothing to disrupt the Serenity monarchy, it’s clearly not demanding either cultural or political homogeneity from its subordinate states

Ooh, I really like these dagger-like designs for the Serenity attack ships. A design that echoes the system’s cultural pride and long history; they are literally the swords of the kingdom

The Serenity ships all make a big huff about scanning and prepping for battle, while in response, Marika makes sure to send all combat data back to Sea of the Morningstar. Her job here is not to fight; she knows that ensuring this situation is public is more than enough to keep these hotshots from inciting an international incident

Marika suggests Gruier wear her pirate captain uniform, which Marika’s subordinates are all for. It seems like they’re mostly just in this profession to have a good time, and Marika is more than capable of the inspired, split-second decisions that keep them both alive and entertained

Oh my god, Gruier looks so adorable in the big pirate hat

She’s so angry and so tiny! This is the cutest command broadcast I’ve ever seen

Gruier would like to address the ships personally, but Misa advises them to hold off – the less information they provide, the worse the position of the Serenity ships. After all, these intruders are already breaching international treaties by conducting combat within Sea of the Morningstar’s domain

Marika actually apologizes for speaking so casually to Gruier, still having not realized that her ability to connect with others as individuals, rather than getting hamstrung by titles and ceremony, is actually one of her greatest strengths. Marika has no pretense and no ego; she addresses everyone as an equal and takes all their opinions under consideration, making it very hard to hold a grudge against her

And Gruier responds with the most meaningful compliment possible: “it was actually Captain Kato who taught me about communicating like that.” Marika’s natural disposition is apparently much like that of her absent father’s. No wonder her crew seem so delighted whenever she takes charge; her every command proves they’re in safe, familiar hands

I was a little intimidated by the title “Grand Chamberlain Yotof,” but of course “grand chamberlain” just means he’s the royal family’s head butler

Squad Commander Catherine is in a maid uniform, because this is anime, goddamnit

Apparently Schnitzer’s real weapons are six energy beams contained within his chest. He just carries the RPG around because it looks cool

Gruier is excited to see Yotof, but he cuts her off immediately, seemingly to avoid allowing her to say anything incriminating. Given his strained delivery of “the palace is safe,” it appears that there may currently be some sort of coup taking place within Serenity, with the insurgent force likely desiring Gruier as a political token

Clearly there’s something motivating Gruier beyond a fondness for ghost stories, but we’ve yet to discover the specific connection between the golden ship and Serenity’s future

Big jump after the commercial break, as we find ourselves back at school, with Marika running into Chiaki

Chiaki trying to act all stern and tough as Marika fawns over her will never get old. Like a grumpy cat who’s best friends with a golden retriever

Chiaki is essentially the immovable object, holding back against the unstoppable force that is Marika’s casual, familiar affectation

Aw, Chiaki has been researching Serenity, as well as interplanetary diplomatic law. She does care!

Apparently, Chiaki’s ship also received a mission to discover the golden ghost ship, along with a request to destroy any other ships that are seeking it. It’s clear enough now that the future of Serenity rests on the discovery of that ship, and that the royal family’s opponents are just as desperate to find it

And as always, Marika takes this terrifying information in stride

Great body language between the two of them as Marika inches her way across the couch

Gruier’s arrival prompts Chiaki to unveil her battle-stance curtsy, complete with ominous mech-like sound effects. Chiaki is determined to Never Have Any Fun Ever

Gruier and Jenny have actually met before. Gruier seems like a convenient way to bridge the distance between Marika’s two lives; she’s a princess being protected by a pirate queen, but she’s also a middle school student

Though I suppose another takeaway here is that Marika’s two lives actually aren’t that distant from each other, as she’s already attending a high school populated by the interstellar elites of society

And another lovely cut of Mami hyping up the yacht club’s illicit activities. Lots of exuberant character acting in this episode, as well as consistently effective use of dramatic foreshortening, like when Chiaki and Marika were on the couch, with the frame set to emphasize Marika’s invasion into Chiaki’s personal space

“Luckily, there’s going to be a practice cruise over the post-exam break to send us third year students off.” “When did we plan that?” “Just now.” Jenny has all the confidence and quick thinking of Marika herself

Now realizing how much I missed all of the yacht club members going “ooOOOHHH!” in unison whenever their leaders come up with a nefarious plan

Ririka takes Marika out for dinner, to a secret location in the underbelly of the airport

“That was the manager of the cafeteria district. In other words, the airport’s most powerful person.” “I knew it. Food is strong.”

The bridge crew are waiting to prep for their mission. As we learn, the “golden ghost ship” was actually the first-ever colony ship

There was no faster-than-light travel, but they had come up with effective methods of cold sleep, so it’s not a generational ship. Always kinda fun picking at the distinctions between different levels of scifi invention

“I hope this doesn’t turn into an action movie or huge spectacle.” Marika’s hope embodies Bodacious Space Pirates’ unique approach to scifi drama – open conflict is essentially a fail state, if all methods of negotiation, intimidation, and electronic warfare ultimately prove ineffective

And Done

And we’re off! Having deftly negotiated a potentially disastrous diplomatic incident, and introduced her new princess friend to all of the yacht club kids back home, Marika is at last well and truly embarking on her first major mission as captain of the Bentenmaru. It’s hard to feel particularly nervous, though; Marika has already demonstrated a remarkable knack for this job, rapidly acclimating to the demands of the post, and holding true to her confident, personable approach to all conflicts.

At the moment, I’m most eager to discover how Chiaki reenters this conflict; with her own ship having been commissioned to take down any competing vessels, we’re fast approaching a collision between her personal life and professional responsibilities. But even in regards to that eventuality, I’m not particularly worried – I’m mostly just excited to see how Marika conveys her Big Chiaki Hug when they’re on opposing sides of an interstellar conflict!

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