Well, apparently the realization of the Pacific Ocean’s enormity hit home shortly after the end of the last episode, for today we find the Professor in a considerably less …forgive the pun… buoyant mood. He has realized the futility of trying to swim back to Japan, and he isn’t even much convinced of the alternative of rafting there. His assessment of the situation is so desperate, in fact, that he feels he needs to fall back on using the safe word…“deus ex machina”.
This phrase strays so close to the territory of breaking the fourth wall, there’s practically no chance a character could utter it without some sort of effect, the most likely one being the appearance of even that sort of thing.
And appear it promptly does, taking the shape of Lt. Dapi’s trusty old Soryu-class submarine, No. 512. The “deus” aspect consisting less of the fact that Lt. Dapi and Biff went looking for their friends (which isn’t a particularly original idea), and more of the fact that Lt. Dapi is suddenly competent at navigation…and even more so of the fact that Biff somehow didn’t manage to sink the sub en route by some bizarre accident.*
On a side note, I’m inordinately proud that I remembered to have Lt. Dapi refer to the map as a chart because he’s with the navy. XD
More on Thurs…uh, Monday!
* Good thing we’re nowhere near New Year’s Eve.