Fractale – 6

I think everyone was happy with Fractale 6.  Or at least a majority.  Or whatever, that was baseless, I don’t know.  I just know that I’m happy and that’s probably the first time I can say so since the second episode.

So, anyway, let’s take a step back from everything for a sec, away from the temple, Phryne’s minor revolt, and Nessa’s purpose and examine the people living in the 33^rd century.  And yes, this is what I was expecting from Fractale all along.  We finally got to explore the various forms of humanity in this strange land.

Four very dissimilar groups of people were presented in this episode, each with their own philosophies and cultures.  Clain and Phryne, our eyes to this ultramodern dystopia, spent some time with each group in the sixth episode, allowing us to see the differences in mentality and morals between the groups.  Specifically, we saw the Granitz division of Lost Millennium (LM), the Alabaster division of LM, the vagabonds abandoned from the Fractale system, and the man trying to restore the Fractale system in this desolate region.

What’s notable about these groups is their varying levels response, all due to the decaying Fractale system.  So, let’s start off with the wanderers; those passive citizens who search for acceptance back into the Fractale system with a seemingly endless and tiring journey.

Clain first noticed these weak and uninspired travelers in their caravan crossing the Irish-inspired landscape.  With the falling star/balloons causing the Fractale system to lose its ability to redistribute radio waves… or whatever… in this region, the population immediately lost their leisurely ways of living and were thrust into the depressing reality of a Fractale-less world.  Being so dependant on their former ways of living, they wander the gorgeous, scenic, and untamed milieu in desperate search for a new home under the blessing of a functioning Fractale system.

In many ways, I feel that this would be the typical response for most citizens once they lose the Fractale system.  Without any preparedness for the disaster ahead, these people would likely remain resilient at first, trying to figure out a way to return to their familiar lifestyles before eventually succumbing to anxiety, grief, and other psychological symptoms.  What results is some community unity, as these people now must rely on other humans (unthinkable!), as they seek out for a return to life under the benevolent Fractale system.  All they could possibly care about is returning to their ‘home’ instead of dealing with the hardships that are in the real world.  Next are the three proactive groups who all intend to do something about the deteriorating Fractale system, specifically the two divisions of LM.

The Granitz faction of LM has already rejected the Fractale system from their lives and survives using their own methods.  And upon viewing their newfound livelihood as a true version of human life, they are set out to reveal the pitfalls of the Fractale system through terrorist means and impose their beliefs on everyone.  The Alabaster division of LM, too, has rejected the Fractale system and seeks out the destruction of said system, but targets the disenchanted citizens of the world and forcibly removes their Fractale terminals, thus gaining members unable to return to the Fractale system.  Both divisions have similar believes and goals but use different approaches to their ambitions.  Granitz set out to expose the brainwashing the Fractale system imposes on its followers and also had no qualms about killing innocent people and members of the temple.  Alabaster instead seeks out those who are powerless and have reason to hold a grudge against their former ally and turns them into potential followers of their faction, usually through force.

It’d be easy to say that the Granitz division is more righteous, since we’ve spent time with them, seeing their solid sense in community, togetherness, and humanity (such as in episode 5) compared to the immoral and forceful Alabaster faction.  But I’d say that the Alabaster faction has higher morals than Granitz.

Although we’ve seen very little of Alabaster and what we’ve seen has shown them in the negative light, they haven’t really done anything yet.   If you look at Granitz, they’ve spilled innocent blood  (Alabaster did kill one person but he didn’t pay for the soup or vaccine so they’re off the hook).  Alabaster, although tricking people into joining their faction and destroying their Fractale terminals, readily provided food and shelter to the homeless and allowed them to make a choice on their fate (I should call them the Kyubey division of LM).  Granitz instead decides to capture a young boy and girl and keep them as prisoners, forcing them to toil in their overheated airship and subject to constant harassment over their nonexistence ‘ecchiness’.  So even with the anime trying to portray the food-and-shelter-donating, non-violent faction as the ‘evil’ or ‘immoral’ ones, I’d still say that Alabaster is the better section of LM.  That is until they start killing people and blowing up property.

Lastly is the upbeat man who was abandoned by the Fractale system.  Instead of wandering aimlessly through the rolling hills of grass, which actually sounds quite fun and healthy, this man is working to bring the Fractale system back to the abandoned land.  The mentality behind this man is actually rather simple.  He realized that humanity has become too reliant upon the Fractale system and needs it to survive.  After seeing what happens when the system is suddenly removed, his goal is to bring the Fractale system to the people instead of have the people search for the Fractale system.  It also turns out this man is Clain’s father or at least someone who shares very similar interests with Clain and who has pictures of Clain as a baby.

Anyway, Clain’s father decided to do something that would help keep the Fractale system functioning for the benefit of his small community.  He took it upon himself to restore order and livelihood in the region.  But it appears that his efforts my go unrewarded.  If he waits too long, the people of the region might find a new area to settle and never return to their original home.  Additionally, as time passes, the Fractale system will continue to steadily decline and the antenna will require more and more equipment and labor to achieve the necessary goal.  Still, this man remains the only person in the series who realizes the impending disaster and is actually trying to help society with the Fractale system, instead of against it.  It is significant to know he is the only person who seems to want to fix the Fractale system in the entire series, whereas the other three groups try to ignore the problem or force humanity under their ‘superior’ ideals.  To me, Clain’s father is the only one who is doing the right thing in this episode: he’s doing what he can to save his community.

So that’s what I got out of the sixth episode.  It was finally an episode that focused on the world that is Fractale and explored the people living in this era.  We’ve also seen the Clain, Phryne, the temple, and normal citizens as well, so we’re beginning to see everyone is like under the Fractale system.  And that’s what I’ve wanted out of Fractale, to examine the world, its technology, its culture, and its people.  I suppose you could point out my hypocrisy and say that the fifth episode provided a window into the society that is the Granitz faction and that I should’ve enjoyed it, too, but I didn’t.  It was because we’ve seen those characters and that I wanted to see new people and new areas.  When I was looking at images of Fractale before the season began, I saw images of Clain, Phryne and Nessa flying around in a personal airship in the sky looking excited and content.  As a result, I was expecting Fractale to take on a more adventurous role with exploration and understanding as major themes.  So seeing this episode rekindled the dying expectation I had in Fractale and it couldn’t’ve come at a better time.