REVIEW: ‘The Darwin Incident’ Episode 2 — “ALA (Animal Liberation Alliance)”

The Darwin Incident Episode 2, “ALA (Animal Liberation Army)”, immediately delves into how Charlie’s (Atsumi Tanezaki) town reacts to the recent ALA terrorist bombing at a steakhouse in the middle of downtown New York City. Episode 2 continues to drop some hints about Charlie’s past, while exploring more about the way Charlie thinks differently from his fellow homo sapiens. While this episode and show lack a unique art style, they offer great dialogue, characterizations, and a memorable score. 

The ALA attacks New York City, killing several people in a bombing. When news about Charlie’s past ties to the ALA resurfaces, the town grows suspicious of his terrorist connections in The Darwin Incident Episode 2. Unfazed, Charlie goes to school as usual, not realizing what the ALA has in store for him, as a mysterious man, calling himself Max, but is already known to be Rivera Feyerabend (Akio Ôtsuka), approaches Lucy (Mitsuho Kambe). 

The best part of The Darwin Incident Episode 2 is its ability to present black-and-white problems with abstract answers/solutions. From the opening moments leading to the bombing of the NYC restaurant, this more in-depth vantage point shows how the restaurant patrons are disgusted by the ALA. But it also shows the little girl’s innocence, who gets caught in the crossfire of the message the ALA is trying to send to the world. Unfortunately, this mimics a lot of real-world issues with terrorists and radical activists. 

The Darwin Incident Episode 2 features many thoughtful, intellectual conversations between its characters.

The next intellectually stimulating conversation in The Darwin Incident Episode 2 begins when Charlie’s lunch is interrupted by his bully, Ozzy, backed by his one-person posse, Trevor. Ozzy and Trevor are the typical bullies who present a problem with insults, hear an arguable comment, and respond with ignorance and insults again, almost like a reflection of some modern politicians, CEOs, and influential figures. 

The worst part about Trevor backing up his boy Ozzy is how he says, “Vegans like you killed a child because of their beliefs.” The stereotyping is crazy work here, and gets worse when he comments, “It’s people like you who are why we’re not allowed to say ‘Merry Christmas’ anymore.” Of course, Charlie speaks with logic but without emotion, as he doesn’t fully grasp human emotions.

When Ozzy is done hearing Charlie’s argument, he walks away and talks under his breath, “He’s half-monkey, so he probably doesn’t understand what we’re saying.” The Darwin Incident script writer, Shinichi Inotsume, deserves some praise for writing a real, human exchange between people who see things from one perspective versus someone who sees a problem from multiple angles. 

The budding friendship between Charlie and Lucy is a highlight in The Darwin Incident Episode 2.

The second stimulating conversation in The Darwin Incident Episode 2 features Lucy and Charlie, who decide to sit outside the forest near the school and chat. Ultimately, Charlie shows Lucy and this show’s audience how he has only studied animal behaviors and not humans before. Thus, Charlie is fascinated by all his human interactions.

The comedy gold part of Charlie and Lucy’s conversation is Lucy’s laughter, and the animation shows how fascinated Lucy is by Charlie’s words, going so far as to ask for his number. The animation, editing, and character design work in tandem to create this lighthearted moment. It shows Lucy’s eyes going wide and speechless; then Lucy laughs out loud, her hand over her blushing face; then it subtly cuts to the forest, with sunlight beaming down on the two of them, from Lucy’s perspective as she looks up. Everything in this small conversation amounts to a warm chat between two budding friends. 

Throughout The Darwin Incident Episode 2, Charlie’s conversations about morality and humanity remind me of other great anime shows with engaging dialogue and out-of-the-box thinking—like Violet Evergarden and To Your Eternity. There’s always something captivating about watching characters try to understand human emotions, even as they try their hardest. 

Unfortunately, the art style and animation in The Darwin Incident Episode 2 are lackluster.

The last conversation that gets one’s neurons working is when Lucy runs into Rivera for a one-on-one, posing as a Kornberg Primate Research Institute worker named Max. The camera close-up shot when Rivera asks, “Why do you think the Humanzee exists,” is diabolical. This close-up shot is taken straight from the manga and is just as unnerving. Ôtsuka’s line delivery adds to the creepiness, too.

After Lucy and Rivera’s exchange, the story quickly reveals that Lucy knew Rivera was lying about who he was. If there’s one major plus of The Darwin Incident Episode 2 and its storytelling, it’s that the camera and story beats don’t linger too long. Epic dramas like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End sometimes have shots or conversations that linger a beat too long, which can be a good thing. But not all the time, when the show is structured around thoughtful discussions. 

The Darwin Incident Episode 2 brings plenty more unique, engaging dialogue to make its characters and audiences think about real-world scenarios and issues. Despite the artwork and animation style being nothing to brag about, it’s the conversations between characters that make this show an intellectual one. While this is a sci-fi thriller, it appears that these first few episodes are setting up a chain of events that will lead to a more chaotic ending—especially when the ALA eventually directly contacts Charlie or potentially kidnaps him.

The Darwin Incident Episode 2 is streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes premiering on Wednesdays.

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