Episode 8

Everyone's Reactions

Episode 0 of 'The Puppetmaster' sheds light on things, and the distinction between self-driven AI and today's chat AI suddenly makes so much sense. Major's struggle against being rewritten from the outside is relatable—even though she can just change her cyborg body's appearance, identity verification is a pretty serious issue in cyberpunk. The contrast between the comedic banter and the flashy execution scene is delightful, and the conversation between the Major and Batou, who seems to be rooting for the Puppetmaster, is quite heartwarming. Watching Beelzebub at the radioactive waste removal plant scatter micromachines from orbit feels like it's connected to ancient networks, giving off a strong near-future vibe. The end card is by Shinji Otsuka, and with the anime-original development secrets and tweets from the key animation assistants, the evolution from the original work 40 years ago is truly exciting.