Guilty Crown- "a preperation" - Episode 5 Recap

Guilty Crown’s fifth episode “a preparation” proved to be a fun episode that gave Funeral Parlor a better presence within the series. After being rescued by Gai and Funeral Parlor, Shu is brought before the group and given to Ayase for training. Ayase quickly learns that Shu is pretty pathetic: he has no stamina, he's weak and he generally lacks common sense in combat. She pushes him so hard throughout the episode that Shu seriously considers betraying Funeral Parlor. At the end of the episode, he goes through a test trial with Ayase to see if he can be a part of the organization. Meanwhile Gai decides to move forward with Funeral Parlor’s next plan - to take the orbital weapon satellite Leucocyte, which can destroy targeted areas on Earth (hmm, where have we seen that before?).

Well, we’ve had a void training episode, so it is appropriate that Shu would now have a general combat training episode. After all, a special ability means nothing if he will hold the entire organization back due to his insufficient capabilities. Part of me wants to scrutinize  this episode for having Shu improve within just a week’s time, while the other part wants to overlook this detail - who wants to watch five episodes of training? I’m inclined to go with my latter thoughts, if only because it is questionable just how much Shu improved and the training was humorous. If anything he at least has better reflexes and can think on his feet, which are essential qualities on the battlefield.

Ayase turned out to be a real treat during this episode. When Gai assigns her to oversee Shu’s training, Shu immediately discredits her because she is in a wheelchair. That was a big mistake, because she puts him on his back and knocks him out. She continues to be relentless with Shu, taking him to various members of Funeral Parlor and having them train him. The task is frustrating to her because Shu is hopeless at every task and lacks proper motivation. I can’t say I blame him.. He has more or less been forced into this organization and now has to “prove” that he is worthy of being in it. I think any reasonable person would be reluctant to go along with these plans. Shu’s only motivation? Inori.

But that motivation comes to a crashing stop when Shu receives the bitter sting of rejection from Inori. When asked if she would run away with Shu,Inori tells him no. Gai is the one who gave her a name and a purpose in this world and because of that, she can’t leave him. The kicker is when she tells him that everything she has told him was an order from Gai, and on top of that Shu sees Inori go into a room with a nearly shirtless Gai. At that Shu’s frustrations with Gai’s popularity unleash, and he finds himself running through the building like a crazy man. Blinded by frustration, he trips over Ayase and causes her to fall out of her wheelchair.

I think I enjoyed Ayase so much because she gets more development in one episode than Inori has had in five. When Shu knocks her over she is initially mad, but then comes around and encourages Shu. Despite her situation she is strong and serves as a positive female character. It should be noted that what Shu saw between Gai and Inori isn’t quite what it seems, and raises an interesting suspicion regarding Gai’s motives. His statements and a few of her actions have me starting to think that Inori may not be completely human.
 
Anyhow, the test trial starts and I found myself a bit shocked that Shu is expected to take on an Endlave, or at least get around it. A machine vs. human matchup seems rather one-sided unless you are Gai, who can seemingly do no wrong. But the test is short because Shu actually uses his brain, pulling out a new void in the heat of the moment that allows him to win. We got some awesome new background music during the extracting sequence, and I felt satisfied by the end result. Shu isn’t going to become a super soldier overnight, but by utilizing his special ability the right way he might just stand a chance.

At the end the Leucocyte fires directly at the area where Gai was located, leaving Funeral Parlor in shock as they realize they might be without a leader. We know this won’t be the case, but it puts the organization in a compelling dilemma. Gai carried way too much responsibility; with him out of the picture I’m not sure how much faith I have in Funeral Parlor. I suppose next week we’ll find out whether or not Shu’s training will stick with him.