Sparks of Tomorrow Episode 8 Explores Kengo's Guilt Over Seiroku
The reveal confirms what was already implied about Kengo's relationship with Seiroku rather than deepening it, and the episode's anachronistic palm scanner reinforces the review's criticism that the show invents technology as the plot requires.
Reporting from 1 source: Anime News Network.
Episode 8 of Sparks of Tomorrow reveals why Kengo Kuga supports Kihachi despite his alignment with Yosuke Mizoe: he carries survivor's guilt over Seiroku's death in the Russo-Japanese War. Seiroku died in a bayonet charge while Kengo survived because a catalogue half in his pocket stopped a bullet. The episode also shows Kihachi and Inako restoring power to the electric door guarding the rest of the catalogue, though it includes a palm scanner that did not exist in the early 20th century setting. Jonathon Ha's English dub performance as Kengo is singled out as effective.
The backstory episode finally names the source of Kengo Kuga's guilt. Seiroku, Kihachi's brother, shared his study of electricity and his work on the electrical catalogue with Kengo while they were deployed together, then died in a bayonet charge. Kengo survived because the half of the catalogue in his breast pocket stopped a bullet, and he believes that same protection could have saved Seiroku from a similar wound.
The framing comes from Kate's scholarly father, who reveals that the elector protecting the other half of the catalogue is broken and who first introduced Seiroku to the study of electricity. Kengo recounts the story to his fiancée Noriko and the other main characters. The review credits Jonathon Ha's English dub performance with delivering Kengo's agony and remorse, but notes the episode offers little beyond the survivor's guilt that was already obvious.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime News Network Sparks of Tomorrow Episode 8