Metallic Rouge – Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review

Wander In The Labyrinth

Episode 2 of Metallic Rouge starts with a gentleman and Inspector Ash discussing Dr. Roy Yunghart’s murder case. Ash’s friend’s convinced they should go to Mars to do some investigating. Elsewhere, Naomi and Rouge hitch a ride somewhere and Naomi interacts with two children aboard the bus. She tells them to look at a nearby battleship and explains how it was used in a war between humans and usurpers (an alien race). 

During this conversation, Naomi tells them that humans relied on Neans to help them combat the usurpers. Emily (one of the children) confronts a Nean named Huey and asks him if he killed someone before. Huey promises her he hasn’t because of the “Asimov Code” embedded in his mind. Huey says his new mission is to protect the couple on board. Suddenly, Naomi and Rouge meet Jill, a journalist who is investigating Neans due to the discrimination some receive.

Naomi tells Jill she and Rouge are on their way to Weltz Town to take in its lovely scenery. After giving the two insight into everyone onboard the vehicle, Naomi convinces Rouge to take the kids to the vehicle’s rooftop so they can take snapshots. Naomi confronts Ash about his line of work. Rouge notices several armored vehicles heading their way and confronts Naomi about them. Naomi’s unsure what their intentions are and thinks they could be random military junkies.

The military studs shoot at our hero’s bus, causing the driver to stop it. The mercenaries send our passengers a virtual message, demanding they hand over Rouge. A salesman thinks it’s a good idea, but an elderly woman thinks they’ll be in danger either way. The two confront the driver and he’s unsure what to do. Several mercenaries hop on board and we see some notable characters like Rouge, Huey, and Jill combat them.

During this exchange, the elderly woman pushes the driver aside so she can take control of the bus. The elderly woman drives toward a nearby forest to get the other mercenaries off their trail. Simultaneously, Ash tends to Huey’s wound and our heroes toss the defeated mercenaries off the bus. In the forest, the driver’s concerned they won’t be able to fix the bus’s damages. Naomi mentions there’s a military facility nearby with spare parts they can try to use.

The driver hands her a RG200 cabe and asks Naomi to look for one at that establishment. Rouge insists on tagging along, but Naomi tells her to stay and protect the passengers. Rouge spots Jill conversing with the kids because the boy took a snapshot of the mercenaries’ vehicle. From the photo, Jill says the mercenaries work for SOA (Sons of Ares) and were possibly hired by someone. Jill and Rouge discuss freedom for a bit and Rouge meets with Emily.

Rouge plans to take Emily somewhere so she can take a photo that looks as incredible as her brother’s. After receiving a snippet of Naomi and the bus driver exploring the military facility, we cut to Rouge, Emily, and another gentleman stumbling upon Cylinder Head (the usurpers’ war machine). Naomi and the bus driver return with the tool and learn Emily and Rouge are missing. Emily gets a closer look at Cylinder Head and accidentally turns it on.

Emily ignores the gentleman’s warnings, causing Cylinder Head to awaken and chase them down. Suddenly, the SOA arrives and trails them too. The SOA notices Cylinder Head is after them and shoots at it. Unfortunately, Cylinder Head is protected by an invisible barrier that prevents the SOA from damaging it. Cylinder Head murders the SOA. Left with no other option, Rouge transforms into her red Gladiator form.

Cylinder Head chases the man and Emily to our heroes’ bus and starts attacking it. The elderly woman starts the bus and attempts to flee. Cylinder Head chases them but Rouge arrives and tries to protect them. Rouge fails to get aboard the bus but helps her allies escape. Naomi confronts the gentleman who returned to the bus with Emily. Fortunately, the elderly woman and the others find Rouge. Rouge hops aboard the bus and eavesdrops on Emily’s conversation with her brother.

Rouge reveals she has an older brother and understands her pain. She hands Emily a chocolate bar and Naomi acknowledges Rouge’s maturity. The episode closes with our heroes continuing their venture to Weltz Town. 

The Episode Review

While the first episode didn’t evoke the energy and structure you’d want from an introductory chapter, episode two offers viewers a better experience. This chapter gave fans decent world-building and thrilling segments to observe this week. Everything flowed naturally and the information detailed in episode two will compel audiences to keep up with this series. 

Having said that, it was a genius move to have different characters relay intel about Mars, its diverse societies, and the history surrounding the war between humans/Neans and the usurpers. This allows the background characters to feel more authentic and less flat. The more this series goes by, the more apparent it is that its creators are attempting to capture Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto’s magic. 

Additionally, Metallic Rouge’s interpretation of Mars has been a delight too. Where episode one gave fans a cyberpunk-like experience with its impeccable-looking city, this one has our characters battling mercenaries and a giant robot in a desert landscape akin to anime like Trigun. It’ll make you wonder what other gorgeous areas lie ahead for Rouge and Naomi. 

Overall, this was a fun episode of Metallic Rouge and a step up from the previous one. Hopefully, the series can deliver something refreshing to the genre though.