Gachiakuta Episode 2 Review: The Trash Anime Is Good

Gachiakuta Episode 2 Review: The 2nd episode of Gachiakuta is here, and I loved it. Let’s discover how this episode plays out.

Gachiakuta Episode 1 Recap

This anime introduces a thought-provoking setting where societal division is depicted through two contrasting worlds. One that worships cleanliness as a virtue and another is condemned as filth, home to people treated like garbage. In the middle of this bleak environment lives Rudo, a boy surviving by scavenging discarded items from the more privileged side of the city. Despite already facing extreme poverty, Rudo is further alienated for being the son of a convicted murderer.

Yet, his life isn’t entirely devoid of warmth. A girl shows him rare kindness, and Regto, a guardian figure, raises Rudo as his own after the boy suffers irreparable trauma at the hands of his biological father. However, this fragile sense of stability shatters when Regto is taken from him, triggering a devastating turn of events that leads to Rudo being cast into the Pit. It is a massive chasm where society dumps both literal waste and those it deems irredeemable.

The Pit looms beside Rudo’s slum, serving as a grim reminder of punishment and abandonment. No one truly knows what lies within it, death, or perhaps something worse. With this tragic descent, Rudo’s character begins to shift, consumed by rage and a thirst for vengeance. He promises that he will kill each and every one who framed Rudo for the death of his own beloved father.

The most important aspect is the fact that when Rudo lands in the pit, he sees a monster, something that he was shocked to see.

Gachiakuta Episode 2 Review

This episode starts with Rudo finding himself in the utter hell that is within the pit. The three monsters that he saw were entirely made up of trash, and they wasted no time in attacking Rudo with their junk-filled bodies. Their attacks and the toxic air completely overwhelm Rudo, and for a moment, he thinks about what has become of him. Why do the people above even punish others by throwing them here because this kind of punishment is definitely too much.

However, instead of succumbing to his fate, Rudo reminds himself how he cannot die so soon. He must seek revenge on the killer of his father, and thus, even if it hurts his body, he must survive. Hence, we see him beating the shit out of these monsters, even though he has no weapons and the only thing he can use are the junk materials lying around. Needless to say, he clearly went through a power-up about which we got to know later.

Thankfully, with the introduction of a new character called Enjin, we learn a lot more about this world. Enjin is a Cleaner who is supposed to clean this trash-filled world that was not really like this from the start. Apparently, the underground world is not actually underground, but rather the world that Rudo comes from is a place that resides in the sky. The people living there are called Spherites, and they completely destroyed the world below by throwing their trash and toxic wastes here.

Their practices also gave birth to these monsters, and now the people here must utilise a special power to defeat them. This episode was definitely a lot better than the first one, as it delved deep into the lore of this story. I specifically loved the second half, where we got a bit of a surprise and understood the world dynamic more.

Verdict

All in all, I loved this episode way more and would wish to see the third episode as soon as possible. The protagonist of this story, Rudo, is a very good hero whose struggles and conviction towards his goal make you believe in him.

Must Read: Gachiakuta Episode 1 Review: A Nice Start To A Promising Shounen