The influence of Big Duo has now been "revived".
Lost Memories[]
- Previous: Lost Memories Chapter 8, Old Movie Star
- Current: Lost Memories Chapter 9, Revival
- Next: Lost Memories Chapter 10, Yesterday Once More
Overview[]
The Big Duo mass hysteria has resurged thanks to the release of “The Invisible Man”, and soon begins interfering with Roger’s work. However, what’s an even bigger obstruction is the appearance of a giant floating orb appearing amidst a crowd of bandaged followers. Now, citizens of Paradigm City are in immense danger, and an unsettling amount of this situation has involvement from Alex Rosewater of the Paradigm Corporation.
Synopsis[]
A bandaged doctor is checking through names and files at a hospital, only to see that one of them is named “M Seebach”, which he recalls is the director of “The Invisible Man”. Upon closer inspection, he realizes that many of these files have that name printed onto them, before he’s then confronted by bandaged medical students of his. They all demand “The Truth” from him before promptly swarming him. As he screams, we see an outside view of the hospital where a giant painting of Big Duo symbol (the same kind constantly being painted since chapter 14) is painted across the entirety of the parking lot.
We then cut to Paradigm HQ whilst Alex asks Angel for details regarding some trouble happening with a recent dome expansion. Angel explains that squatters are holed up in an old church in the area, as a pastor among them stated that an angel would descend there, and currently negotiators and Military Police are on their way. Alex however says it’s fine, as he believes all valuable memories have been salvaged from that place and noting that Memories show up on their own regardless of human actions anyway.
Alex's questions regarding the Big Duo incident make Angel go silent for a moment.
We get a view of the various amnesia billboards that appeared in Lost Memories Chapter 7 as Alex monologues that it’s all about understanding and managing memories, before then asking Angel if she remembers the “Angel Fiasco”. Angel states this incident was caused by former Paradigm Press employee Michael Seebach. Alex smiles eerily at Angel and asks her if she ever met him back when she used to work there, causing Angel to go silent for a moment. Angel then replies she may have crossed paths with him before, but doesn’t remember.
Alex continues grinning at Angel and then notes there was another person involved in the Angel Fiasco, to which Angel asks if he’s referring to Beck Gold. Alex ignores this statement and states it’s like a “stray cat” has wandered its way into the city, and that it’s time to expose this “instigator”, asking Angel to investigate for him. Angel complies.
We then cut to visuals of various bandaged cultists sketching Big Duo symbols into brick walls with chalk, before then running away, followed by a visual of a withered church, where more cultists are in a riot with police.
Angel meets Gordon for the first time in a while.
Next we see to a conversation between Angel and Gordon Rosewater, the latter recalling that “Angel” was the name she gave herself before. Angel notes it’s been a long time since they’ve last met, to which Gordon asks her what brings her to his farm. Angel merely responds she came to see him, noting his title as the founder of Paradigm City and Alex Rosewaters’ father.
Dastun meets Roger in bandages, but because of a riot instead of a movie.
We then transition to Roger talking with Dastun at his mansion whilst drinking coffee. Roger points out the bandages Dastun’s wearing and asks if he’s another fan of “The Invisible Man”, only for Dastun to say it was a boring movie and he doesn’t know why so many people are a fan of it. Roger asks why Dastun covered himself in bandages like all the other fans have, only for the colonel to reveal these are actually injuries he received whilst dealing with the recent dome expansion riots.
Roger asks for more details, prompting Dastun to nearly go on a cynical diatribe on the unpleasant duty of the Military Police to kick people out of their homes to make way for the dome expansions, and almost states it’s both their jobs. However, he corrects himself at the last second, noting this has nothing to do Roger since he's left the force. Roger notes there’s times Dastun wants to discuss these things and times he's is willing to listen, which reassures his former boss.
Dastun notes that Roger has done an excellent job as this city’s negotiator, and on that subject there’s a negotiator at Paradigm’s Head Office who keeps referring Dastun to Roger to deal with these recent riots, since he himself couldn’t handle them on his own. Roger states he doesn’t take jobs like those, to which Dastun jokingly replies that they’re all part of “The Invisible Man” mass hysteria now.
Roger states this isn’t the best way for the Military Police to enforce order in the city, which Dastun agrees with in amusement. We then cut to a visual of large building being burned by Invisible Man cultists as Roger monologues the following:
“Well, the "invisible man" boom is over. Trends that spread rapidly can cool down quickly. That same day, the Invisible Maniacs set fire to a movie theatre, and at the same time, a movie company was also set on fire. The film “The Invisible Man” directed by M. Seebach has disappeared from this world. I never got to see that movie. Even now, the streets are full of bandaged people. A strange atmosphere enveloped the city.”
As he says this monologue, we get visuals of various bandaged people, along with graffiti of the song lyrics from Chapter 14, and many symbols of Big Duo. He asks what’s going on, and Dorothy says there's no demonstrations, festivals or other events happening around here. Roger finishes his monologue:
“The people were not lively, but there was something glaring in their eyes. The streets were full of pictures of angels and the words “I want to know” were written on them, this was like.”
This is followed by a quote from someone else, presumably Schwartzwald:
“This world is full of lies and fiction. People should know the truth. Everyone who lives in this city has the right to know. Memory is not something that should be monopolized.”
Alex looks on at the city flooded with Invisible Maniacs, which he observes as the “Angel Fiasco” he admittedly isn’t a fan of. Angel then looks on from atop a building at the arrival of Roger and Dorothy, who are struggling to move past the mass of bandaged followers.
Roger meets the Sphere, which endangers everyone with a phonosonic shriek
Roger tells Dorothy he promised to meet his latest client in front of Paradigm HQ, and Dorothy says it’s a young woman named Linda Anderson. The crowds chant about the dormant memories of this city, which is then followed by the arrival of a floating sphere half covered in tubes and the other half covered in indentations, and the entirety covered in flamethrowers. Alex notes this was based from a megadeus they had uncovered, and didn’t expect he’d be using it so soon.
The sphere lets out a phonosonic screech that causes pain to the crowds, including Roger. Angel goads Roger to bring out Big O, followed by the negotiator doing exactly that and causing Alex to stop smiling for a moment. Roger, at Big O’s controls, tells the sphere he may not know where it came from, but he won’t let this continue any further, followed by an attempted punch. However, it’s blocked off by the sphere’s phonosonic screech, causing Big O to rebound.
Angel watches this and comments on her and Roger’s opposite natures: Roger aims to protect this city no matter what, whilst all she cares about is uncovering the memories beneath the city no matter what, and smugly goads him to keep on fighting. Alex meanwhile, watching from his monitor, also speaks rhetorically to Roger, stating Paradigm’s citizens are fools who can’t utilize memories properly. He asks if protecting them is truly worthwhile, and he figured Roger was smarter than this.
Dastun watches as Big O fails to land another punch in what’s become a stalemate, and asks why the black megadeus isn’t using firepower instead of brute force, before then theorizing that it’s probably to protect the civilians. Alex goes on another monologue amidst a visual of Roger standing in front of a floating Schwartzwald balloon, arms spread out as if to obscure it:
”Negotiator, do you even understand what you're protecting? Much like how these people want something they can’t understand, that could potentially end them, you protect these same people despite the fact they could end you. In the end, does this just make you another one of these fools?”
We see a visual of the floating sphere side-by-side with a visual depiction of the sun, Roger and Big O, the baby that was “piloting” the Electric Sheep from Chapter 6, all whilst the second half of Alex’s monologue plays out:
“In this city where the sun does not rise, even though I am guiding and illuminating the people, why do you stand against me? You seem to be under the illusion that you are something special, but even a baby can move a Megadeus. Your Megadeus was created from unknown memories, but in the end, it's still just something created by humans. You might pretend to be a hero protecting people with your shallow sense of justice, but you are no different from the ordinary masses.”
Dastun relates to Roger's lamentations as Big O struggles in battle.
Dastun meanwhile is trying to evacuate civilians, even after lieutenant Johnny tells him Paradigm HQ ordered them to stand down. Dastun chastises Johnny for this, stating it’s the duty of the police to protect the people. Dastun then thinks to himself in a monologue towards Roger that, even though he can only imagine himself living as an officer whilst Roger quit the force, situations like these make him feel closer to the negotiator than ever before.
Angel watches on as Big O continues to struggle, criticizing Roger for even being willing to protect citizens that turn into “ghostly pariahs” seeking memories, before we then get a flashback returning to her earlier conversation with Gordon and something he said:
“If I don't remember something, it's as if it never existed in the first place. And, forgotten things are no different from being dead to those who have forgotten them.”
This prompts Angel to ask Roger if he even remembers her.
Johnny then informs Dastun evacuations are complete, to which Dastun orders maximum firepower against the sphere. Alex looks on, noting he never gave them orders to attack. However, nothing stops the sphere as it continues to shriek, bewildering the police and remaining crowds. Alex closes his eyes in impatience, stating everyone’s time in life is limited, so Roger should abandon these fruitless endeavors. Roger meanwhile starts his own monologue, questioning what is the point of manipulating memories this way. He declares memories are created by accumulating the present, and he’ll stop anyone from doing things like this.
Big O Destroys the sphere.
Big O then uses Missile Party, which seems to stun the sphere and cause it’s screech to stop for a moment. The black megadeus seizes the opportunity and punches the sphere, making it explode upon impact. As this happens, the bandages covering Dorothy and all the Invisible Maniacs fall off, the mass hysteria of Schwartzwald finally over.
Alex, though slightly annoyed, rests his hand on his fist and gives one final monologue with ominous implications:
“Roger Smith, you may think you’ve won, but it looks like most people's memories of the past few days have been erased. Many people have stopped making noise, and soon, there will be no more noise at all. Paradigm City will soon be quiet again.”
Angel tells Dorothy to thank Roger for her.
The chapter ends with Dorothy and Angel crossing paths. Angel asks Dorothy if she remembers her, which the android confirms. Angel notes androids aren’t built to forget, and asks Dorothy to send her regards to Roger. Dorothy questions if there’s any need for that, to which Angel replies there absolutely is, before then walking away.
Trivia[]
- Megadeus: Big O, Big Duo (Cameo), Floating Phonosonic Sphere
- The church mentioned during Angel and Alex’s discussion on troubles with the recent dome expansion seems to be the one featured in episode 11 of the anime, Daemonseed.
- It’s possible Alex was already aware of Angel possibly being part of the Big Duo incident in chapter 14, as he eerily eyes her down smiling smugly whilst questioning if she had any involvement with the main culprit, Michael Seebach.
- He also stated his suspicion of another person being responsible besides Beck, referring to this 3rd party as a “stray cat”. This may imply he even was aware of Angel possibly being an foreign agent who caused this fiasco, and outright stated in Chapter 21 that he always theorized there was civilization beyond Paradigm City.
- The negotiator Dastun said had referred him to Roger was the same man seen in Chapter 2 of the manga, Electric Butterfly.
- It’s heavily implied in this chapter that various events following the Angel Fiasco from Chapter 14, particularly the Schwartzwald bandage trend, was orchestrated by the Paradigm Corporation to coincide with the floating sphere’s arrival, all for the sake of either mass murdering the citizens of the city or at least altering their memories.
- This chapter gives an insight into Alex’s ego and why he looks down on Roger as a dominus. Also, his plans for genociding his own people, which was depicted in episodes 25 and 26 of the anime, are hinted at throughout Big O’s battle with the sphere.
- Roger’s client, Linda Anderson, has the same name as a woman born in 1941 who is renowned for her memory paintings, which might be intentional considering the series’ themes surrounding memories in general. Considering the setting of Paradigm City, Linda likely would’ve been a young woman during this era as well considering her 1940s birth.
- It’s never stated what megadeus the floating sphere is modelled after, but it’s very likely Dantalian from Chapter 13, The Chosen Ones, due to their association with memory alteration, ability to float, and phonosonic powers. They were even defeated in near identical style, first having phonosonic abilities disrupted, followed by a singular killing blow. Both defeats also involved Missile Party.
- Interestingly, several of Alex’s statements during his monologues directed towards Roger contradict the things he says in Episode 22 of the anime. He regularly condescends Roger as inferior and incapable, yet in episode 23 he tried establishing similarities between them and what makes them special. This is likely due to context. Episode 23 showed Alex’s attempts to coerce and manipulate Roger to his side whilst this chapter reveals Alex’s true feelings about the negotiator.
- This chapter reveals two encounters Angel has had with other characters in the past: She’s visited Gordon long ago prior to this chapter, and at an unspecified time in history she and Dorothy knew each other.
- It’s once again mentioned (this time by Angel) that Dorothy was designed to not forget, which applies to her implied history with Angel. This also seems to apply to the anime, but in the anime it’s more 1 sided as Dorothy visibly distrusts Angel from the very beginning whilst Angel doesn’t seem to have the same kind of familiarity with her, unlike in this chapter. Angel only seemed to be aware of this design feature in the anime, and it’s never explained how exactly.
- However Dorothy and Angel met before, it couldn’t be very far into the past, as Dorothy wasn’t fully built until Chapter 3 of the manga. Despite this, no signs of the 2 meeting each other between these chapters has been found.
- Considering how Dorothy’s memories seem to transcend beyond physical limitations as seen when she recovered from having them taken away in order to restore Big Fau, she may have met Angel in another one of Paradigm City’s algorithmic cycles prior to the manga timeline.
- Although it’s possible Angel’s role as the director could give her similar privileges, this didn’t seem to apply to the anime timeline. However, it’s stated that in the anime, Angel implied several times (particularly episode 25 of the anime) that she has no memories of her own in general, possibly including any history with Roger or Dorothy, which she has memories of in the manga.