Sonic X, Episode 1.11: Fly Spy

Sonic X, Episode 1.11: Fly Spy

Japanese Title: The Beautiful and Mysterious Thief Rouge

Japanese Air Date: June 15th, 2003

U.S. Air Date: November 15th, 2003

Rouge the Bat has been a member of the "Sonic" cast for twenty years now, which is long enough for her to be considered an essential character for many fans. I'm old, so I remember the reaction to Rouge when she was first introduced. A "Sonic" character with jiggle physics was met with skepticism by some people. There was a line of thought that it was a desperate attempt to appear edgy or a plea to the seedier corners of the furry fandom. Yet, once the game actually came out, Rouge was fairly well received. Part of why the bat became a beloved member of the "Sonic" cast was likely the prominent role she played in "Sonic X." Ten episodes after her cameo in the first installment, Rouge would get a proper introduction. 

Rouge has apparently been biding her time in Earth, stealing jewels whenever it pleases her and lusting after the Chaos Emeralds. After overhearing a tip from Chris Thorndyke's teacher that an Emerald was found in an abandoned warehouse, Rouge investigates... But it's a trap by the U.S. government to ensnare the notorious thief. She is offered immunity for her past crimes if she agrees to help the government take on Eggman. The Rouge-led infiltration of his base goes awry when a noisy security bot attacks, though the bat still establishes herself as a willing agent of the state. Oh yeah, Sonic is somewhere in there too. 

What I like about Rouge is that, while she's not evil by any means, she's not really a full-fledged good guy either. She ultimately does whatever she wants, motivated primarily by her obsession with shiny gems. If that happens to help save the world, so be it. That doesn't concern her so much. The "Sonic X" version of the character understands that perfectly. She's introduced snatching a giant diamond from a museum. When the President offers her the deal, she agrees to it solely because it'll get her closer to the Chaos Emeralds. And, yeah, the sex appeal doesn't hurt. It's amusing to me that, despite all the weird censorship 4Kids did to this show, they left Rouge's generous cleavage intact. 

Another amusing element of this episode is Rouge's witty repartee with Topaz. Topaz is the stern professional G.U.N. agent who oversees Rouge's capture and first meeting. From their very first scene together – which features an S&M joke loooool – Rouge is poking holes in Topaz's overly serious composure. She calls her an old lady and mocks her fashion sense. (Even though Topaz wears earrings and lip gloss into combat.) Topaz seems to relish putting a Snake Plissken-style exploding bracelet on her but Rouge doesn't let that get her down either. By the end, despite their constant snipping at one another, the two are working together like pros. It's a classic buddy cop dynamic that I love and really keeps the energy lively and fun throughout. 

This episode is also notable for the U.S. government finally deciding to actually do something about Eggman. You can tell an American didn't write this, because they don't just send in jets to carpet-bomb his base out of existence. It's actually determined that Eggman's tech is too powerful for the U.S. military and that a partnership with this Sonic creature, or someone like him, must be forged. Wait, you're telling me the president decided extreme military intervention wasn't a solution to a terrorism problem? During the Bush administration?! Despite that detachment from reality, it's nice to see the show's elected officials actually deciding to do something about the mad scientist from another planet who has publicly announced his intentions to take over the world. 

Of course, the real reason the President doesn't just drop a nuke on Eggman is because that wouldn't make for a very fun action sequence. Rouge and Topaz and a trope of G.U.N. goons heading into Eggman's base does lead to lots of action. In an amusingly weird touch, the robot the heroes fight utilizes ultrasonic sound weapons... Which manifest as the robot, punningly named E-70 Noizi, speaking with the voice of a high-pitched child. A giant kill-bot talking about being afraid, while crying like a toddler, is too bizarre not for me to love it. (4Kids did remove this from the dub, because bat boobs may be acceptable for American children but quirky robots are not.) The action scene also features tons of gunfire and explosions, lots of robots going up in flames. Chekov's exploding bracelet saves the day, a satisfying turn, and Rouge and Topaz outrun a fireball. Good, wholesome fun. 

You might notice that I've barely mentioned Sonic or Chris in the last six paragraphs. That's because they have almost nothing to do in this episode. If it wasn't for Chris' teacher mentioning the fraudulent emerald, in an attempt to capture Sonic that grabs a Rouge instead, they wouldn't contribute anything to the plot. Rouge changes the road sign to the factory, leading Sonic and the gang on a wild goose chase. They are totally left out of the action-packed climax, the hedgehog and his friends only putting in token appearances. I don't mind this at all and, in fact, I think it's pretty funny. Despite their small roles, Chris still has a scene where he whines about Sonic, when the hedgehog almost falls off the X-Tornado. Maybe you should actually sit in the cockpit, Sonic! Also, Chris casually introduced Danny to the furries as if they aren't intergalactic fugitives or something. 

If this show was to become The Sexy Adventures of Rouge and Topaz full-time, I probably wouldn't mind too much. Apparently, their relationship becomes even more subtextually sapphic as the show goes on, which is already blatantly obvious. This is definitely the most entertaining episode of "Sonic X" thus far. My only real complaint is that they reuse the animation of Rouge doing her Screw Kick attack a few times. I guess kids action anime just can't resist doing that shit... Anyway, I liked this one a lot. [8/10]