Hey folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d check back in on the intrepid spacefarers of Bodacious Space Pirates, who most recently served as security for the 19th Nebula Circuit. Marika performed admirably in her role of head of security, in spite of technically also being the main reason they needed security (since any would-be bandits were far more interested in her pirate license than disrupting a high school dingy race). But the true champion of the Nebula Cup was clearly Ai-chan, who managed to outmaneuver the enemy while piloting a ship designed for coastal sightseeing, and clearly proved herself as the Bentenmaru’s best potential dogfighter.

The Nebula Cup also served as the first arc to fully integrate Space Pirates’ professional and yacht club dimensions, at last fulfilling the promise of “hardened pirate crew must collaborate with a bunch of exuberant teenagers.” I’d love to see more of that as we enter our presumed final act, but will undoubtedly be charmed by whatever off-kilter adventure this gang gets up to. Marika has more than proven herself an excellent captain, she’s got a wide array of delightful eccentrics beside her, and the cosmos loom above, promising riches and wonders beyond imagination. Let’s embark!

Episode 22

“Sea of the Morningstar. As with most newly settled planets, once generations passed and its population increased, relations with its overseer, the Stellar Alliance, worsened.” There’s that long-view authorial perspective we all know and love. While most stories are content to grapple with human nature in the context of a single generation and a few characters (understandably so, since that’s how you tend to create intimate human drama), Bodacious Space Pirates regularly gestures towards the reality that our behavior on the macro scale is mostly predictable. New colonies will remain loyal to their creators for as long as they are dependent on those creators, but once living memory fades and a stable culture develops, they will naturally seek greater independence, with their population having now established an identity beyond their initial alliance. A narrative view of history prioritizes single figures who made dramatic changes, but an economic or sociological view of history tends to emphasize reliable mass trends

This backstory also turns anime’s usual trend of improbable yet unconsidered worldbuilding on its head. Rather than just “pirates exist because pirates are cool,” Bodacious Space Pirates takes care to emphasize that these particular Letters of Marque are a specific reflection of a specific set of political circumstances, which at this point have shifted from strategic necessity to whimsical cultural heritage

We’re introduced to a new pirate ship, the Silver Fox, complete with its main crew of… all silver-haired older gentlemen. Goddamnit, Bodacious Space Pirates

These guys actually look a bit like Leiji Matsumoto’s old man standard

Suddenly, a much larger enemy attacks!

Love this transition from “fire all weapons!” to a distant shot of muffled explosions in space. Really emphasizes the loneliness and scale of space combat, and how easily a ship can just disappear out here

Apparently the ship was attacked by pirate hunters. Interesting, considering pirates are basically just a mix of entertainers and legal mercenaries – who’d actually be offended by what they currently do?

Misa informs us that there are over two hundred pirate fleets, but not all of them are armed. Presumably many of them are purely for transport or entertainment; more like teamsters than thieves

But that was back during the war, and their numbers have shrunk to around a third of that since

Marika reaches another key threshold as captain, as she is asked to outline a response plan for this general threat to the Bentenmaru. She’s had to take on a lot of responsibilities very quickly, but the crew have still done a fine job of gradually expanding her responsibilities, from spearheading the approach to some business operation to actually deciding what operations they take on more generally

She breaks the whole situation down with perfect clarity, before announcing she’s got a scheme for handling any potential pirate hunter attacks. Marika demonstrating two key facets of pirate captaining: the ability to think strategically and not be bogged down by minutiae, and the playful, inventive spirit that keeps her allies confident and enemies guessing

“I heard Ririka got a pilot’s license for large ships.” Well that’s a detail that surely won’t come up later on

“See you in space.” Love that that’s just a conventional goodbye in this world

“The past is the past, and now is now.” Marika maintains a remarkable degree of poise while Show riffs her about her bad grades. Marika’s confidence is even more important given her age; she has to constantly prove with her demeanor that this whole situation isn’t some kind of joke, and that a high schooler can indeed serve as a reliable pirate captain

Apparently Lynn handed over the yacht club president reins to Marika as well. I mean, at this point the yacht club is already pretty much a space piracy advanced placement class, so I suppose it makes sense

I like how Marika’s communicator takes the form of an old-school analog pocket watch. If all of your actual functions are going to be operated via holographic HUD, I suppose you can actually have your communicator take whatever physical form you’d prefer. I can imagine a post-smartphone era where form and function of communicators no longer needs to be linked

Kaine and Marika get a private moment together in the journey off-world, where Marika admits that it can still be tricky to speak naturally with this guy who’s shifted from her teacher to her subordinate. Also, no more bullshit like during the Nebula training

“What will you do after you graduate? Will you commute to the Bentenmaru from the Sea of the Morningstar, or will you become a true sailor?” It’s true that Kaine still treats Marika very differently from the rest of her crewmates, seemingly still withholding judgment on whether she’s truly qualified to be captain or not. And as the helmsman, many of the other crewmates defer to him, meaning these two developing a comfortable trust would basically signify Marika’s final confirmation as captain

Frankly, distrusting Marika is something Kaine probably considers a personal responsibility. The other crewmates are talented but carefree, and would accept Marika even if she weren’t necessarily worthy; Kaine’s here to ensure they gain a captain worthy of their trust

Marika’s plan is revealed: their license renewal mission will actually involve serving as escort for a different pirate ship, so they can join forces against the pirate hunters if anything goes wrong

Hyakume raises a surprisingly sharp point: doing a mission like this is an inherent risk, because it is only pirates’ relative independence that keeps government forces from coming down on them. If they start teaming up, they risk becoming a threat worth stamping out

The pirate captain they’re collaborating with is incredible. His aesthetic falls somewhere between a caveman and Crocodile Dundee

“No one can take us down. Is anyone in space that strong?” Immediately followed by an alarm, of course. This captain is unskilled in the ways of narrative foreshadowing

And of course, he immediately charges ahead the moment the enemy appears. Well, Marika can only do so much to account for her collaborators being idiots

The enemy ship looks terrific – all sleek blue lines and sharp pointed angles. Its aesthetic seems inherently cutting edge

It exploits some gravity control engine to fly like a fighter jet, dousing their escort target in lasers

Suddenly another massive ship appears! And there’s… a man riding on top of it, doing the Gunbuster pose!? What is happening!?!

And Done

Aw shit, we’re really in it now! This is easily the most immediate peril the Bentenmaru has yet experienced, and I frankly can’t imagine how Marika would have gotten out of this without some unexpected backup. This franchise’s traditionally subdued approach to conflict resolution has left me entirely unprepared for a big goddamn space battle, but now our heroes’ escort lies in ruins, and a ship beyond scientific imagining stands poised to obliterate them as well. Marika’s always possessed either the skills or the support necessary to navigate any professional hurdle with grace – but here, in the midst of a grand space battle, I’m eager to see her grapple with a conflict that’s clearly exploded beyond her control.

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