Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today it seemed about time to dive back into Bodacious Space Pirates, and see what Marika and her crewmates get up to next. The sky’s the (metaphorical, I know they’re going into space) limit at this point, as last episode essentially cleared the board of all lingering dramatic variables. Jenny Doolittle has been successfully enrolled at Space College, the yacht club are tucked safely in their beds, and the Bentenmaru’s main crew are back in the field, and presumably hungry for some action.

With exactly a quarter of the show left to go, and three clearly delineated arcs already under our belt, it seems more than safe to assume that we’re about to commence the show’s final major arc. This presumably coincides with the fourth of the original series’ twelve total volumes, meaning I’m not expecting any sort of genuine closure here. That doesn’t bother me, though – Bodacious Space Pirates has never been about any particular overarching conflict, and beyond that, it’s already most closely patterned on a proudly episodic space drama. Just as Star Trek promised an endless string of far-flung adventures, so too do I expect the journeys of Marika to continue long after we’ve left the scene. Let’s see what fresh mess she’s gotten into this time, as we return to Bodacious Space Pirates!

Episode 19

With all continuity resolved by the events of last episode, our narrator is once again free to wax rhapsodically about the grand traditions of space travel. Having flown through the crucible of their first mission, the yacht club girls have been forged into fine sailors in their own right!

Unfortunately, it appears the demands of her dual life are finally getting to her, as we see Marika doodling and falling asleep in class

The princesses of course get their own private dining arrangements at school, enjoying a generous lunch spread in the courtyard. It initially seemed like an implausible stretch for the princesses to come here for their schooling, but given what we’ve learned about Jenny Doolittle since, it appears this school is actually intended to serve the children of the elites, and presumably has some powerful treaties protecting it. That in turn makes it a perfect venue for a young pirate captain, giving Marika the chance to establish firm ties with the next generation’s movers and shakers before they grow into their full responsibilities

Meanwhile, Marika and Mami are enjoying a more traditional bento lunch, and Marika is too tired to even eat

This show’s animation is usually pretty limited, but they indulge in some nice expression shifts as Marika sinks into a nap

Back on the medical craft, the Bentenmaru crew are also worried about Marika taking it too easy. I’d wonder if we were in for a conflict regarding whether Marika might want to return to civilian life, but that just doesn’t seem like her at all

I like this use of a children’s sing-along song as the yacht club prepares for their next voyage. Having watched all this dang anime, there’s little that evokes the sense of progression through the Japanese school system to me more than these upbeat anthems

This song also creates a sense of group unity, emphasizing the yacht club’s new confidence

Marika is also with them, still dazed out of her head

Puppyhat is thrilled to learn the yacht club has some dinghies. It seems her profile has been raised in response to the rave reviews for her last performance

Marika decides to stay late at the station in order to clean up the Bentenmaru. Isolation, extreme fatigue, and heavy machinery – what could go wrong?

We’re getting all sorts of leading shots of Gruier’s sister, emphasizing her discomfort with the growing bond between Gruier and Marika

“Until it’s a little bit cleaner, I can’t think of asking the yacht club or the crew to help. I have to keep the Bentenmaru’s image in mind.” Yeah, this is the stuff that made me certain Marika’s not ducking out. The fact that she wants to hide the Bentenmaru’s disheveled state even from its own crew proves how much she’s internalized her identity as a pirate captain, and particularly as the master and keeper of this ship. Additionally, while she’s happy to embrace the support of friends, she also understands the importance of maintaining an appearance of strength, even towards her trusted subordinates. A few weeks ago, the Bentenmaru’s main crew were explaining to her the mechanics of becoming a pirate captain – by now, she’s embracing the burden of making them feel safe and comfortable, secure in the knowledge their captain will see them through

“Is this some junk the yacht club brought on board, or does it belong to the crew?” And at this point, they’re all pretty much equivalent crew members in her mind. Marika’s always been pretty unflappable, but it seems her confidence still had some more room to grow

Hahaha, what a great bit of incidental worldbuilding here. Bodacious Space Pirates is very good about highlighting the more mundane eccentricities of space travel, and “gravity on for garbage collection, gravity off for garbage disposal” is a wonderful example

Running late for the last shuttle home, she forgets to set the lock on the Bentenmaru. Well, surely that won’t result in any terrible consequences

“It’s tomorrow.” I know that feeling well, Marika

I’d expected this episode to commence our final major arc, but to be honest, I’m having even more fun just watching Marika faff around attempting to maintain three lives at once. This show is very confident embracing a quasi-slice of life template

I now see that sing-along song serves a specific narrative purpose, establishing a greater contrast between the perky, energetic yacht club and the exhausted Marika

Marika trips, sending her captain ring spiraling out of her pocket. An unknown hand catches it, which I have to assume belongs to Gruier’s sister

Marika is so confident and independent that it’s clearly becoming something of a weakness – she can’t keep up this work all by herself, and will likely cause a serious accident if she keeps pushing herself

“We’ll have to ask the fabrication club to make us the parts.” It seems like their high school’s “clubs” are less fun after-school activities than full trade schools

Aw jeez, this scene is excruciating. Marika has fought hard to demonstrate her competency at every turn, so this one-two punch of “I forgot to lock the ship, and also lost the master key” is going to be a rough moment for her

Fortunately, her crewmates are fairly understanding. Misa plays the taskmaster when she has to, but the rest of the Bentenmaru are happy to treat Marika as their beloved little sister

And in what has strangely become the usual Bodacious Space Pirates model, our conflict is solved almost as soon as it begins, with the princesses and the whole yacht club team arriving with ring in hand. To be fair, this was clearly intended to be more of a quick conflict than an entire arc – mostly just a way to emphasize that Marika must learn to share her burdens

With Marika affirming how much she trusts both the princesses, Grunhilde seems much more comfortable about their relationship. I suppose it wouldn’t do for Gruier to see a pirate captain as her idol, after all

Oh my god, both San-Daime and one of the yacht club girls collect beanie babies. Incredible

Ultimately, it seems like Grunhilde’s biggest issue was actually just simple jealousy – she doesn’t want to be left out of Marika and Gruier’s next adventure

“Bonds, huh?” Marika was treating her ring as a symbol of her own responsibility, when in truth it should be considered a symbol of the powerful, lasting connections she’s forged

And Done

Well that was an unexpectedly charming episode! Though I suppose they’re all pretty charming, making this episode’s particular strength its eager embracing of fuwa-fuwa time, as our various parties all enjoyed a break from active adventuring. Bodacious Space Pirates is perhaps one-quarter slice of life even at its most propulsive, and clearly feels right at home just shooting the shit with its many endearing characters. And as far as actual narrative progression goes, it seems we’ve solidified the informal alliance between the Bentenmaru, the yacht club, and the Serenity royal family. Marika stands at the head of a new interstellar partnership, and I’m eager to see what she does next!

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