Fractale Episode 2: Nessa

A ten year old redheaded girl pops into being and extreme cuteness follows when Clain meets the second girl to invade his solitary life.   A whirlwind of happiness, the girl tests the teen’s ability to cope at every turn. But who, or more importantly what, is Nessa? Fractale: Reiterated continues with updated HD captures and text – July 2012.

The information about day to day life in the world of Fractale continues to be revealed and the plot advances quickly. But it is character development that takes center stage, with much of it being surprisingly emotional. A complicated plot does not a good series make on its own and here we find out if Fractale has more to offer.

Following the stunning emergence of a little girl from Phryne’s brooch in episode 1, episode 2 starts out with a multitude of panicked women at what appears to be a temple of some sort. They are trying to find out where Phryne disappeared to.  Suddenly, an imposing figure with long lavender locks appears and is addressed as the Grand Priestess.  There is something off about her attitude as she seems to relish the prospect of punishing the missing girl.  Phryne is revealed to not just be a runaway, but a thief who has stolen “the key to the world.” 

I wonder what that could be?

Meanwhile, Clain is dealing with an exuberant girl who is very happy to meet him.  Wondering aloud if she is a holographic doppel, provokes an adorable reaction from the little redhead.  With a big smile she offers her head for him to pat.

This is a scene of utter joy and quite a way to introduce one of the cutest characters to ever be animated. To his great surprise, Clain can touch her.  Very amused, the girl reveals she doesn’t know much about herself either but speaks of herself in the third person as Nessa. She also declares “Nessa likes liking!”  The dub goes in a different direction and has her be much more self aware.

Once again we hear the Day Star song, this time sung by Nessa to Clain as she wishes them to be good friends.  Off like a shot, she bolts downstairs and Clain has no option but to follow -- only to see his doppel parents there.  For some reason they aren’t pleased to see another girl in his place.

And so ends Clain’s career as a swinging bachelor.

After extricating himself from that misunderstanding, Clain heads to town with Nessa on his bike in a lovely sequence highlighting how joyous her personality is. Once in town, Nessa runs amok since her innocent curiosity leads her from one thing to another. Eventually, that causes a great deal of trouble.

The nameless town is pretty and very vacant as people don’t want to be tied down to one place and because the Fractale system is having problems. Spotting a group of people living in caravans, or RVs in the States, Nessa inquires about them. There is exposition by Clain about the nomadic life those people live that puzzles Nessa and her comment about them being lost is haunting. It turns out the nomads follow areas of Fractale coverage because the “stars” are failing and falling, so that only the largest cities and certain areas are guaranteed coverage. So the very system of Fractale itself is in decay.

The mayhem that Nessa promptly causes doesn’t register with her at all. There is no awareness of doing anything wrong and it causes Clain to get angry with her. But the interesting part is her explaining where her home is – it is wherever Clain is. Here we encounter the ingrained and willful isolation of the people living under Fractale that won’t be explained until later. Clain’s becoming frightened of Nessa’s statement, and especially her smile, is very strange and unnatural.

But danger await the two as Clain makes a very bad decision about Nessa’s future and Phryne’s pursuers return…

Thoughts

Episode 2 of Fractale builds upon the world we were introduced to in the first episode very nicely as we are shown how alienated people have become from one another.  The underlying mystery of Phryne and Nessa deepens as the unusual doppel shows equally unusual abilities once in town. Action is to be found in very well animated scenes too, so there isn’t a dull moment.

At the heart of Fractale is a scathing commentary on how entertainment technology and welfare have destroyed the bonds that hold society together.  Many people have become nomads with no sense of home or family while having all their needs tended to by the Fractale system. This episode delves deeper into a lazy and narcissistic world that isn’t that implausible given current social trends in the real world.

There is a lot going on in this episode, just like the densely packed introduction to the series.  A lot of character development happens for Clain, with his whole life being shaken up and the boy really doesn’t know how to react.  Of course it ends on a cliffhanger that provides a feel of high adventure to it.

But what I came away with more than anything else was the joy of watching Nessa interact with an entirely new world for her. Nessa loves love and it is impossible not to love her in turn. She may well be the most charming animated character I have ever seen.

BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!

 

 

 

 

When the boy leaves Nessa and the brooch at the police station, it comes back to haunt him. Captured by the enemy we see him attempt to protect Nessa in a verbal battle of wits that he fails. Released, Clain is tracked by his apparently incompetent pursuers back to his house. There he begins to realize how big and empty the main room is. Something is awakening in him and he’s become restless as the creators social commentary begins to kick into overdrive.

What follows is a dramatic family meeting called by the doppel parents in response to the teen’s behavior. In the tense exchange, the Orwellian philosophy that families are best kept apart so that they can deeply understand each other and build trust is espoused by the father. In fact, Clain’s question asking why they don’t live together is greeted with anger at the idea of being tied down and losing their freedom. When the boy replies that all they care about is doing whatever they want, it ties back into his frustration with Phryne’s running off in the first episode. It is also a blistering indictment of modern society creating “latch key kids” and fading families led by selfish parents.

Fractale is nothing if not layered and complex.

Rebellion follows as Clain’s awakening to his loneliness and that there is something very wrong with the world forces him to examine his feelings. When he runs in the countryside, he feels like something is trying to explode out of him. It is more than the pains of adolescence awakened by meeting Phryne. Nessa has made him aware of the need for family as her face flashed through his mind during the argument with the parents.

Exhausted, the boy reflects on his desire to see Phryne again and to apologize to Nessa for abandoning her as he attempts to make a wish to the “star.” Instead, he reaches into the depths of his heart and to the root of the problem. He simply wishes to not be alone anymore. What follows is magical.

It is another adorable sequence as Clain thinks to himself that Nessa’s smile isn’t scary after all. This show has considerable heart. That’s something to think about even as it gets progressively darker. Under all the pain, sadness, and death it never loses sight of what is really important: family, friendship, and love.

Sometimes the most ridiculous trap works and Clain’s pride is hurt more than his body, I think. The scene of the airship hauling them away was pure Miyazaki.

MASSIVE SERIES SPOILERS!

 

 

 

Big clues on what Nessa are dropped with electronic devices and doppels acting strangely when she touches them.  Hints that everything we see may not be real come from her touching the umbrella’s at the RV park – they shouldn’t shoot off like bottle rockets since they wouldn’t be high tech.  So how much of the town is real, I wonder?  Given what we are shown in later episodes, that pretty appearance is probably just a holographic façade.

Given that the system is based on the template of the original Phryne, the possibility that keeping families separated originated with her trauma occurred to me.  But this part refutes that idea and we are left to wonder why it became part of the brainwashing that happens during “prayers.”

It is also interesting that Nessa refers to herself in the third person. This had to be deliberate foreshadowing of her being a creation of the original Phryne 1000 years before.  While she is the mind of Fractale, the regressed ten year old personality Phryne created to escape her abuse ended up named after the sixteen year old’s stuffed rabbit.  It appeared that the toy was her only friend and Nessa exhibits a pet like charm, especially during the scene where Clain first touched her.

An Easter egg of sorts? I’m fairly sure the bicycle on the wall is a nod to The Prisoner. It would fit with the overall message of escaping the system.