I’m noticing a big uptick in the amount of “flavortext” subtitles, there was at least one in each scene. I do wish these were translated but they still represent a lot of information that you’d never be able to read at normal speed. Maybe fansubbers can do them justice.

Commie subs has already picked it up. They publish their version in a day from the release, so it’s not a long wait.

I agree, the first part of the episode looked incredible. I love how silly Fuchikomas are. That weeeee when trying to shoot the guy was hilarious, and so were their deliberations.

On the other hand, we had some heavy philosophical stuff in this episode too. Imagine having a wife, a child, a whole history with them in your head, and then finding out it was all fake. What a blow that must have been. Poor guy. Some solid existentialism during that conversation between Motoko and friends as well. I really like how the comedy, action, and philosophy balance themselves out. In my eyes this makes for a much more convincing image of the world than versions of this story that mostly focus on the bleak, futuristic atmosphere and badassery alone