‘Gachiakuta’ Episode 2 review: “The Inhabited”

Rudo Surebrec (Aoi Ichikawa) is about to become everyone’s new favorite shonen protagonist. Blending some fantastic character work with surrealist action, Gachiakuta Episode 2 delivers a high-impact follow-up to its excellent premiere. Now that we’ve taken the plunge with Rudo into the Pit, the real story at the heart of the series begins.

“The Inhabited” speed runs a lot of setup, but succeeds because it never feels rushed. Instead, it finds grounding because Rudo is constantly on the move, trying to escape new hurdles and monsters in every scene. But the main introduction is Enjin (Katsuyuki Konishi), a Cleaner with the Giver gift. While we don’t learn much about the former in Episode 2, we do know that to be a Giver means a person can inhabit an inanimate object, imbuing it with life. And of course, being a shonen lead, Rudo too possesses this ability.

But to find this out, he must endure what has been the longest day for any protagonist intro. From discovering his surrogate father, Regto, murdered, framed for his murder, thrown into the pit, facing off against trash monsters, and chained and threatened by raiders looking to sell him off, he’s going through it. And through it all, Enjin watches on to see if Rudo possesses that Giver strength, wary of enlisting him until the teen has proven himself.

And prove himself he does in one of the most wonderfully unhinged, character-defining moments of these early days in the series. Rudo’s captors chain him up and force-feed him garbage as a means of torment. And, in a fit of rage, Rudo happily accepts the trash while ripping the skin clean off his tormenter’s fingers. Rudo is lovable, kind, and believes that no item is too small or too worn down to be unworthy of care. He also bites.

Rudo cares for the objects others forget.

Rudo’s duality is what makes him so lovable, and a crucial flashback makes his nature all the more purposeful. In it, we watch a young, downtrodden Rudo return home, as Regto takes him in and cleans him up. The former refuses to fight back against those who taunt him about his love for collecting and repairing old items. All of which stems from the belief Rudo holds, which Regto instills in him.

“If an object is treated with care, a soul will eventually come to inhabit it.”

This is the thesis for the series. It’s not just about whether or not a soul comes to inhabit an object, giving it powers like the weapons Rudo utilizes. It’s about how people show care to others, and that, in and of itself, can manifest happiness and a sense of belonging. Nothing and no one deserves to be tossed aside.

The sequence strikes a hilarious contrast with the Rudo, who chomps fingers and wields tremendous, untapped power. It also makes his tunnel vision desire for revenge make so much sense. Of course, he’s going to want to destroy the world that took the one person who cared for him away and threw him away like garbage.

Gachiakuta Episode 2 delivers some fantastic direction. While the 3D animation for the trash beasts takes some getting used to, the overall quality and aesthetic work wonders in the world-building. No, they aren’t underground, but yes, their world is populated by the trash the Spherites discard, polluting its air and giving rise to the trash beasts. And yet, despite that, the series still manages to allow for some vibrancy and color, such as the tattoos adorning Enjin’s skin or the explosion of light that erupts from the beast’s belly once it’s defeated. It’s not a muted world, just one that exists with more brows and reds.

Gachiakuta Episode 2 delivers a blend of tones.

The episode also delivers a strong balance of comedy, action, and horror. Humor is abundant in Enjin and Rudo’s first meeting, with the former growing so agitated by the latter’s incessant volume that he lets loose, drawing the attention of the beasts they were trying to avoid. The image of Enjin yelling as a trash beast lumbers up behind them is hilarious in its straightforward approach to the gag and offers insight into who this would-be mentor figure is.

The abrupt ending punctuates the humor and their first meeting. Enjin promises to help Rudo return to the sphere as long as Rudo helps him by joining the Cleaners. Rudo, wide-eyed and bloody, responds with a polite “I’d rather not,” eschewing the general format of battle-shonen types with protagonists all too ready to leap into fights.

The horror stems from Rudo’s meeting with the raiders, which is amplified by the direction of Satoshi Nakagawa and storyboarding by Fumihiko Saganuma. The scene where the battle squirms its way into the back of the van, meeting Rudo’s eye, is genuinely unsettling due to the abrupt, jarring editing that makes him seem alien, deliberately inhuman. Because, it would seem, monsters are everywhere.

Gachiakuta Episode 2 continues to establish this world wonderfully, its characters, and the sense of style and atmosphere it brings. It successfully brings the dark and fantastical work of Kei Urana to life, ensuring that we continue to return to see how this story unfolds.

Gachiakuta Episode 2 is now available on Crunchyroll, with the series airing weekly on Sundays. 

Images courtesy of Crunchyroll / Studio Bones. 

Allyson Johnson

Based in New England, Allyson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of InBetweenDrafts. Former Editor-in-Chief at TheYoungFolks, she is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Her writing has also appeared at CambridgeDay, ThePlaylist, Pajiba, VagueVisages, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, Inverse, Bustle, her Substack, and every scrap of paper within her reach.