Yatterman Night

Episode 10

Well….that wasn't what I expected from this show.

This week delivered the big reveal behind how the Yatter Kingdom is run. It was one of many big reveals, as Doronbow arrives in the Yatter Metropolis, but there's one twist that stands above them all, and gives a clearer picture of what the series is trying to accomplish in its final two episodes. It suggests that at least one of my earlier theories is right: that this show is about Leopard learning that the world is more complex than it seems. Both the Yatter Kingdom and her ancestors could be bad!

Still, a lot of that complexity is sacrificed with the reveal. "Lord Yatterman" is actually Doronbei, the main villain from the original Yatterman series. He's the Giovanni to Doronbow's Team Rocket, giving them orders from behind the curtain while pursuing his own agenda. This suggests that Doronbow won after all, or at least their boss did, and they're just as evil as the old stories portrayed them to be. I expected this to be a "power corrupts" story, where Lord and Lady Yatterman were good but their descendants distorted the system. This isn't as promising, but I still don't know where they're going with this twist yet. I just hope that something with so much potential doesn't turn into a generic good-vs-evil story. This casts Galina's obvious resemblance to Lord Yatterman in a new light, too.

Before we got to the final twist, we saw a lot about how life within the city works too. It turns out the name Yatter "Metropolis" is meaningful in a couple of different ways. It's not just that it's a large and imposing city, but it also bears similarities to the influential Fritz Lang film of the same name. At the end of the day, the workers are released from behind a giant metal gate, and mindlessly slouch their ways home. The state has beat them into submission, removing desire for anything but praising Yatterman. The city's portrayal is full of allusions and inspiration from oppressive regimes both real and fictional, from the Soviet-style propaganda film, to the ever-present "Y" recalling the "T" of the novel Brave New World.

The only thing missing from these homages is a privileged class that gets by on the cruel work of the underclass. Maybe the "Twelve Yatter Guardian Gods" are something like that, as they turn out to be the Yatter Kingdom's top generals. (They're down to eleven now, with Goro's recent deposal.) Then again, everything revealed about their missing member suggests they've been brainwashed as much as anyone. We still don't know if Goro was forced to forget Alouette, or if it was a traumatic rejection. Either way, there's something fishy about the way they train these guys.

This episode gave me so much to chew on, and there are further questions lingering still. Do the "Guardian Gods" fully understand "Lord Yatterman's "true identity?" If so, why are they okay with it—or are they? If Doronbow "won," why are their descendants living in poverty outside the Kingdom? Why did Doronbei try to have them killed in the first place if he accepts them at the end of this episode? This episode of Yatterman Night is definitely one of the most engrossing the series produced in a while.

Fluid battle animation and charming adventures are all well and good, but it's the mystery behind this world and how it got there that keep me invested. I'm usually not big on "worldbuilding" in stories, but it is key to the appeal of dystopian fiction and its social commentary. Yatterman Night also works because of its strong, fun characters at the core of its story, and watching them grow has been a delight. Still, it's nice to finally get the other slice of the pie. This episode's numerous answers, new questions, and expert use of atmosphere made it one of my favorites so far. Even outside of the allusions to other stories, it did a great job communicating how unsettling the Yatter Metropolis is, but also why citizens look up to it.

It almost feels like there's too much to resolve here—but then again, not quite. This is a simple story, and the delay of the essential reveal is what kept us interested for so long. I don't know if I'm as optimistic about where it's going now that I know who the main villain is, but Yatterman Night has pulled enough interesting tricks so far that I'm still eager to see what it has in store.

Rating: A

Yatterman Night is currently streaming on Funimation.

Rose is a musicologist who studies film music. She writes about anime and many other topics on Autostraddle.com, her blog and her Twitter.