English Dub Review: Metallic Rouge “Appropriate Gear”

After Naomi’s sudden betrayal, Rouge finds herself detained by Aletheia. However, she’s broken out by Jill– who reveals herself to be one of the Immortal Nine. 

I knew it was going to be business as usual this week. That doesn’t make me any less disappointed however. We spent last week taking a lighthearted yet bizarre take on a murder mystery and I was loving every second of it– in a vacuum at least. It just made the shift in tone from last episode to this week’s episode all the more jarring. We’re more than halfway through the series and everything still feels so scattershot. 

Like every Metallic Rouge episode that attempts to give the audience some answers, they only lead to more questions. Everything surrounding Naomi, for one. What does her role as the “Divine Facilitator,” mean? Was her relationship with Rouge merely a farce? Can we even trust anything that she says? There were vague hints about Naomi being someone who knew more than she let on, and now that we have proper confirmation of that… I feel slightly annoyed if anything.

Meanwhile Rouge’s inner conflict is still no different from what she’s dealt with before. Others push their own ideals on to her, more specifically their views on freedom. Jill is someone who’s willing to fight for her own freedom, while Rouge gets overwhelmed by the very thought of it. The twins who showed up last episode – who are actually the same person and are also a part of the Immortal Nine – also question and berate her because of her indecision. Though it fails to make an impact, it just feels like we’re retreading old ground. If Rouge’s growth was a gradual progression throughout the series then maybe I would be a little more invested in her internal dilemma. 

One thing that I find really strange is the need to constantly tear Rouge and Naomi apart. I’ve said it multiple times, but their relationship is the closest thing this show has to a proper emotional core. And I always find myself being the most engaged when they’re together, and yet every couple of episodes they separate. It feels like next week is going to be more of the same, I can’t get over how odd of a choice this is. Why keep your main duo apart for as long as possible? Playing with audience expectations? Possibly. That’s still not enough for me to be fine with it though. It just feels like another indicator of the show’s indecisive nature. 

And that’s how I’m feeling about Metallic Rouge. For every step forward it takes two more steps back. Hopefully next week is better… The even eps are supposed to be the good ones, right?