Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. You all doing okay today? I’ve personally got an appointment later that I’m a little nervous about, and so it seemed like the right time to indulge in one of our lighter ongoing projects. And what could be lighter than Bodacious Space Pirates, the show where a girl who has three different puppy hats can steer a pirate ship and wear a sugar plum fairy costume (complete with puppy hat)? The majesty of space can be alienating, but it sure doesn’t have to be; with the right crew in tow, even the vastness of the stars can make a fine after-school club room.
Having successfully completed their first pirate operation, Marika’s yacht club friends have already averted the risk of the Bentenmaru losing its pirate license. However, it seems president Lynn has another mission in mind: the kidnapping of Jenny Dolittle, her own presidential predecessor. There’s no point speculating on Lynn’s motives when she’s right here to explain them, so let’s settle into our seats, and kick back for another episode of Bodacious Space Pirates!
Episode 17
Our narrator gets a little philosophical with this episode intro, reflecting on how, because the probability of meeting someone else in space is so low, the existence of any such events must be called fate
“Coincidences accrue, eventually becoming an inevitable future.” An interesting perspective, seemingly implying that the scale of human interaction in a fully developed space age would make the future essentially random, or at least beyond our hands. The more humanity spreads across the stars, the less power any one of us has to shape humanity’s future – even in aggregate, we are dwarfed by the vast emptiness of space
Apparently Jenny’s actually the one who commissioned this job – it’s a pick-up job disguised as a kidnapping, presumably to get her out of some sticky situation in a way that doesn’t cause political fallout
The ship they’re stealing her from is called “Ultimate Fairy.” These ship names could use some work
As Chiaki points out, pirates can’t actually commit crimes. The pirates of this show are pretty far from pirates as popularly envisioned – they’re more like legacy costume actors, a local tourist attraction evoking the color of a lost age
Speaking of piracy as costuming, I appreciate the old-timey décor of this meeting room, with its inlaid wooden walling and gas lamps. Piracy is no longer an ethos, it’s an affectation
We’re reminded that Dolittle is heir to the vast, aggressive Hugh and Dolittle Interstellar Transportation commercial empire
Oh man, their capital station is gorgeous. I love how the bright colors of the nebula behind help define the complex profile of this station, and how the overall structure evokes the look of a vast sailing ship
Jenny is actually a candidate to inherit the entire company, but her uncle wishes to install his own son instead, and is thus planning to marry Jenny off to a politician in order to waive her claim to the empire
Jenny wants to go to Space University, which by its nature must be at least ten or twenty times cooler than Regular University
“That school where elite students from all over the universe go?” Thank you Marika, always up for a spot of exposition
Lynn speaks with such fondness and pride when describing Jenny’s plans that it seems likely they’re actually a couple
Alright, so we gotta save Jenny from an arranged marriage and get her to Space College. Let’s get to it!
Bodacious Space Pirates seems to be defining piracy in part as a vehicle for self-determination. In a world where there are no longer any uncharted shores, and everyone is expected to contribute in a specific way to a hardened political/economic system, the Bentenmaru represents the hope that you can still chart your own destiny, and change the future through your own hands. That was precisely the role it played for Gruier, and it seems to be the role it will play for Jenny
And of course, the rest of the class are all for it. Also, apparently some of them have taken to just wearing their cosplay outfits all the time. What is this crew
As always, Chiaki is here to provide a cold splash of reality. Their plan is extremely dubious – after all, the piracy they’ve done so far was all just a routine job, and they barely managed that. Pulling off some real piracy, with opposing forces actually trying to stop them, is a different matter
Solid storyboards for building the tension of this confrontation, making a big show of hiding Marika’s face until the punchline. Chiaki’s words and the slow pans combine to create a sense of inevitable failure, which is then unexpectedly dispelled with Marika’s flippant “doesn’t it sound fun, though?”
“Staying within the lines is fine, but it isn’t enough.”
“Too much job security can be bad. We’re pirates, and that isn’t very pirate-like.” I love this contrast in perspectives. Chiaki is desperate to uphold and preserve her father’s legacy, and so is determined to follow all the rules – but by doing so, she fails to embody the spirit of piracy, something that comes naturally to Marika. There are many situations where you can lose something precisely because you’re so desperate not to lose it
I like the detail of the Bentenmaru crew reading a newspaper with video images. Not too much of an advancement, just the sort of natural flourish you’d expect from a slow-to-change legacy medium
A craft is approaching the Bentenmaru at high speed, and Lynn believes it’s Jenny
I feel like Bodacious Space Pirates has an odd tendency to skip the dramatic crux of any narrative development. The confrontation between the Serenity sisters was essentially over before it began, and now they’ve done the same thing with this Jenny operation, introducing the hook of a dramatic rescue before telling us the rescue is already over. I don’t mind it too much, but I could see people being annoyed that this show always skips the adventure part of its space adventures
Chiaki pulls Marika aside to warn her that Lynn and Jenny are setting the pace of this operation, to which Marika replies “so what? Let’s see where it goes.” They’re an interesting pair – it seems Chiaki’s confidence always comes from her ability to plan for a situation, whereas Marika’s confidence is in her ability to react to a situation, so they’re pretty frequently at odds
Yep, Jenny and Lynn are totally lovers. The two share a kiss as Jenny reaches the bridge, with Lynn’s formal wear making them look like a perfect prince and princess
And of course, the yacht club totally loves it. A collective wail of awe as we head into the break
Oh my god, Jenny is amazing. Love the dynamic storyboarding of her escape from these black-suited men, and the goofy embellishments like the lens flare on the barrel of her gun. I guess we’re getting that dramatic rescue after all, it’s just an entirely self-rescuing situation
Omigosh they’re so lovey-dovey it’s killing me. Lynn is just boiling over with love for this girl
Chiaki was right to worry, these two have totally taken over the ship
“The Bentenmaru? Find their insurance company. We’ll pressure them there.” Hate it when my insurance company says I’ve done too much piracy and have to come home
Schnitzer reading a human-sized book with his giant hands is always good content
Show calls them up, having already been contacted by Jenny’s uncle, who claims they kidnapped her
Jenny’s uncle is threatening to cut off relations with Show’s company, which actually makes Marika’s job simpler. She needs to convince Show that Jenny is a stronger long-term prospect than her uncle, and thus she announces they’ll “begin negotiations,” allowing Jenny to essentially bribe Show directly
With no actual capital on hand, Jenny bargains with the one commodity she can offer: opportunity. If Show sides with her, the company will gain ten percent of her future profits
Apparently her company’s already established as an up-and-comer. Jenny’s been very busy
And Marika sweetens the pot with precisely the pitch I’d expect from her: “do you want to be known as the company that backs down to pressure, or the company that makes bold, forward-thinking strategic choices?” She’s already such a commanding presence
Show consents, though you get the sense he’s doing it as a long-term investment – not necessarily in this deal, but in good relations with this terrifying group of young leaders. It’s already seeming worthwhile to be known as a friend of Marika before she became Marika, Queen of Space
He says as much to the usual Bentenmaru crew, stating he believes in Marika’s “luck and potential”
It’s a damn good thing they did the usual job first. With the Bentenmaru under active fire, the yacht club are performing more confidently than ever
And Done
Marika, please don’t instigate interstellar trade wars with the crew still in quarantine! It turns out Lynn’s proposed “kidnapping” was actually even more complicated than anticipated, and now Marika has forced her insurance group to choose sides in an impromptu corporate war. Fortunately, the yacht club have leveled up into experienced pirates at a record pace, with even Puppyhat demonstrating no fear as she navigates their ship through a laser barrage. First actual princesses, and now major corporate heirs – Marika sure is good at making powerful friends!
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