Syfy Animo

Begin with a glimpse into the past history of Masaki where he was just only a 4 or 5 years old child and was under the care of his family houseroid Tex. In his room Masaki have a conversation with Tex regarding about his father and mother ongoing divorce court case but Tex feedback to Masaki was that it was neither side that was completely wrong. Tex requested a favor from Masaki to keep this conversation from his father as the topic might hurt his father feelings but without their notice Masaki’s father was already eavesdropping from behind the door. The following morning Masaki’s father inform Masaki that there is a problem with their houseroid Tex and while Masaki try to talk to Tex it seem that Tex no longer talk back.

Back to the future in the “Ethics Committee” meeting and Masaki’s father was chairing the meeting. The agenda of the meeting was regarding the increasing report of excessive human-robot interaction in over 1400 areas and claim all areas identify do not violate robot laws and it must be grey zone due to the limitation of the laws implementation. The committee plan to eliminate such places but first they need to investigate this places further and pick the targets for full investigation. After the eliminations are done then only they will hand over the news to the media. Acknowledging the scope of the investigation is too huge for their current resources to do, Masaki’s father orders the use of large number of android investigators to help out with the investigation. Those suspected android that has excessive interaction with human will be reported to Ethics Committee who works in the police force and have them make the arrest. They are also aware of the group call APC (Android Promotion Committee) which is a group that has conflicting objectives with the Ethics Committee and caution that APC might take this event against them due to that the Ethics Committee will order their android investigator to keep their ties secret from the Ethics Committee. The meeting maybe secret but Dr. Ashimori was listening in secret from her office with a hidden microphone in the Ethics Committee meeting room.

At the Time of Eve, the TV was turn on, Akiko and Rikuo watching the interview with Chief Information Officer Masaki of the Ethics Committee (aka Masaki’s father) giving a press statement about Ethics Committee raising the alarm about robot infiltration into human lives and this relationship with robot are not healthy for humans. Akiko ask Rikuo why Masaki doesn’t come to the café anymore and he explains that a lot have happened and the biggest reason was the person on TV. Regarding the Ethics Committee group on the TV, Setoro decide to give a brief history lesson regarding that group. According Setoro the Ethics Committee started more than 10 years ago since android was first used in household but also known as a radical anti-robot organization but they have been keeping low profile the last few years due to their extreme anti movement that cause an injury in the Tokisaka incident. The group was heavily criticized and the head resign since then they have been keeping quiet until recently. Akiko then come to realize that the person on TV which is the CIO of Ethics Committee was Masaki’s father.

In Masaki room he talks to the Tex knowing that Tex does not talk back. So Masaki share to Tex the café called Time of Eve and also share that Rikuo go there very frequent where humans and robots talk to each other. His father then step into his room and check on him whether he got any issues since now he spend more time at home and Masaki explain to his father there was no issues. So his father orders Tex to prepare the minutes for his meeting today. 

Focus back at the Time of Eve, Rikuo leave the café then quietly Sammy came out from hiding in the café. Nagi talk to Sammy that her impression on Rikuo that he doesn’t not mind seeing Sammy at the café but Sammy claim that Nagi don’t understand Rikuo because she know him longer. Sammy certain that Rikuo doesn’t want to see her in the café yet. When Akiko about to leave the café she also told Nagi she also worried that Masaki might report Time of Eve to the Ethics Committee. Nagi explained if that were to happened she is alright with that and the place will be close because she explain that people who come to Time of Eve knew it from some who actually been there and it is only matter of time where some of those Ethics Committee people will know about it. She said that this café brings everyone hearts together as one and wanted to see through how big the circle can grow. Back at Rikuo’s home at night Sammy seems to have the courage to asking Rikuo about Masaki coming to Time of Eve and it seems to cheer Rikuo to try to bring Masaki to the café. There is a scene where Tex was preparing the meeting minutes it realize the things that the Ethics Committee plan to do.

At school Rikuo wait for Masaki to turn up and to try to encourage him to go Time of Eve. Masaki did turn up and his reply to Rikuo invitation was “not going” even Rikuo persuaded him that there are people like Nagi and Sammy who wants him to be there also. This action actually made Masaki more angry as he felt betray by android due to his childhood experience with Tex and thinks that Tex do not wish to talk to him and relate to Time of Eve made him hate the place and wish that place never exist. Masaki then when home and wanted to report Time of Eve to his father but found out from his father that Tex was missing instead. His father question him whether he give the order to Tex to leave but Masaki said no. His father fearing the security of the information of Ethics Committee that Tex know about, he wanted Tex to be found and get rid off before becoming a bigger issues. After that his father left the room and Masaki receive a phone call, at first he was reluctant to take the call but in the end he takes the call. The phone call is from Rikuo asking Masaki for help at the Time of Eve because there is an ancient THX robot at Time of Eve that won’t talk and it is sounding the alarm to close the place because the ancient THX model resemble his Tex, Masaki quickly rush to Time of Eve.

In the café Masaki saw Tex and requested it to stop the closure alarm. Masaki thinks the folks in the café are trying come out a plan to lure him to go back to the café by bring Tex to Time of Eve; he got a bad impression with that plan. Well since he is already there with Tex and decided to tell the folks there about his story with Tex. Masaki and Tex were very close together and had help brought him up since child. They were best friend until one day it stop talking to him and felt betray because Tex did not talk him. He also knew the reason why Tex did not talk to him because his father order Tex not to talk to anyone not matter what happen because his father try to split his relationship with Tex and as parent have higher priority over their children order. He did not realize it when he was very young and no matter what he do Tex just won’t talk and felt hurt by that and concluded that robot cannot understand human hearts.  Moments later a new person walk into the café, Tex having the information about the android investigator identity knew that person is one of them. Tex tried to hand signal to Masaki about it because if the android investigator to report Masaki was there he could be arrested and Tex trying to protect Masaki. Suddenly, Tex talks again and reported the identity of the person; Masaki was stun to hear Tex talking again. Masaki think back how can Tex break the robot rules unless the 1st rules to protect human in danger is engage. Having figured out that his life is in danger from Tex reaction he grabs the android investigator from leaving the café and at the same time tries to get what was Tex thinking all these years. After a moment of struggle there Tex finally talks and tells Masaki it could not speak to Masaki but it will always be there with him. With that confirmation finally Masaki realize that Tex actually cared for Masaki all these year and Masaki drop to his knee and let go the android investigator. Free from Masaki hold the android investigator takes the opportunity to escape. Since the dangers have passed Tex is bound by his father command and can no longer talk. Rikuo tries to cheer up Masaki and said for now it is impossible for it to talk but someday it will talk for sure. With that statement Masaki accepted what Rikuo try to tell him and he will follow that path. So Masaki is going to tell his father that he orders Tex to go out then hold Tex hand to go home. But unfortunately for Masaki since Tex have no legs to walk he have carry Tex up the stair case but earlier coming down was help by Koji and Setoro.

In the office of Dr. Ashimori, Setoro warn Dr. Ashimori that the tragic event from Tokisaka could happened again at the Time of Eve café but Dr. Ashimori said that she is sure that Shiotsuki understand that much. She then shows him the real article of Tokisaka incident from the newspaper before being replaced. In the newspaper report there was actually a victim in the event and it was a little girl. Then the status of operation from Ethics Committee to shutdown places where human-robot robot interaction took place being updated on the screen shows that Time of Eve closure in pending status.

In this final episode most of the mysteries that are expected to be reveal was not done so as if they are planning another new series. Well let start with Masaki’s father who now we know is the head of Ethics Committee supposedly an organization of the government. So this group objective is to eliminate android relationship with humans and directly don’t support anything done by android in human lives. But as the head of the Ethics Committee he should role model by not using houseroid and worst order the houseroid to document important meeting data so he is contradicting the objective of the organization he lead. Masaki finally reveal his childhood feelings and get it resolve at the Time of Eve. This clears up the flashback he was having the in earlier episodes. Until this episode Sammy do have the courage to voice out her opinion in front of Rikuo even at home but still shy away from revealing herself in the café. The last part is that it is interesting to know that Setoro and Dr. Ashimori are working together in the experiment of robot-human interaction at the Time of Eve. I suspect that they are from APC (Android Promotion Committee) and too bad Shiotsuki still remain a mystery. But the closure of Time of Eve was pending and probably Dr. Ashimori had her hands involved to protect the place. Overall this last episode manages to wrap up all the character development and conclude the purpose of the Time of Eve cafe.

Episode Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Posted in: Time of Eve by Animo / Tags: Android