English Dub Review: Girls’ Frontline “SILENCE 02”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Commander Gentiane sends her dolls on a recon mission to check out a nearby Sangvis secret plant that isn’t so secret anymore. AR15 is being held captive there, and there are legions of Sangvis dolls protecting the base. They aren’t sure whether to attack or hold back, but when the Sangvis dolls start shooting each other, they capitalize on the opening and go in guns blazing—but the true hero of the mission turns out to be AR15 herself.

Our Take:

Girls’ Frontline is the kind of show where it seems like nothing ever changes. Each episode is just the exact same plot with slightly different situations, like the meme about copying homework just enough for the teacher not to notice. Episode five continues that pattern, carrying on the story of M4 and the AR team’s search to rescue the captured members of their crew.

The dolls find a hidden base in the forest and receive a call from the Sangvis Hunter who tells them that AR15 is a prisoner there. AR15 comes on the line and pleads for them not to come get her. It’s supposed to be this dramatic hostage situation, but of course, there’s no real teeth to any of it. Why does this matter at all? They are robots who don’t feel emotions and can easily restore AR15’s personality and knowledge data banks in the blink of an eye. Why did they even program fear into the dolls? This show requires so much suspension of belief that it’s almost silly.

The most interesting thing in the whole episode, which is admittedly, not a high bar to cross, is when Gentiane asks for stats on the dolls and her assistant says that there’s something off about M4. It’s unclear exactly what she’s referring to, but the chart seems to indicate something about the advanced doll’s AI sector. While they mention the possibility that routine maintenance wasn’t completed, I wonder if it’s more than that. M4 has definitely shown some major human-like signs, which leads me to believe the AI might be evolving or something, I don’t know. Then again, all these dumb dolls behave exactly like humans when the plot calls for it, so who the heck knows.

Overall, SILENCE 02 is more of the same from Girls’ Frontline. It isn’t really any better or worse. There’s a mission that had the potential to be exciting—a secret base hidden in the forest where a captive is being held—but then just wastes it with boring dialogue, tons of expositional monologues, and little actual action. Now that M4 and AR15 and SOP2 are all together again, I hope the next member rescue is more entertaining.