English Dub Review: Estab Life: Great Escape “You Can’t Run from Running Away”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Equa’s precognitive powers are on the fritz, and their timing couldn’t be worse: the full force of Ochanomizu Cluster has turned on the extractors. With their cover blown, they have no choice but to flee for their lives.

Our Take: 

My, how the tables have turned for the extracting team. It was only a matter of time before the consequences of illegally extracting people would come to bite them in their butts. This week’s episode of Estab Life: Great Escape shows that that time is now, as the extractors are now wanted criminals running from the law. The team has been extracting their clients for at least nine episodes this season, but now it looks like their latest assignment has the extractors extracting themselves.

Even worse, Equa’s Fatal Luck, the main reason for their successful missions, has suddenly disappeared. So the team will have to use their own luck to get themselves out of this troubling predicament. This is the second episode that forces the extractors to survive without Equa’s ability. Its sixth episode, “You Can’t Run from the Leader”, showcases the significance of Equa’s precognitive powers, with the extractors helping their client without her. Unsurprisingly, the result of that was a complete disaster. On the bright side, this element helped inject some tension and high stakes into that episode compared to the other assignments.

“You Can’t Run from Running Away” brought back this element in hopes of copying the success of the show’s sixth episode regarding the urgency of the characters’ lives. Considering the dire situation they’re in, this shouldn’t be an issue for the sci-fi series, especially since it’s close to the end of the season. After suffering a bit through the previous episodes, I’m glad to say that this is another episode that strays away from the formula for the better, with enough action and development to make it the best one in the season so far.

The crucial element driving its tension-filled plot is Equa herself. Equa is always known for her positive attitude and willingness to help others, but only because she has Fatal Luck by her side. However, after losing her powers, her personality gradually changes despite having the slightest bit of her can-do persona. She begins to doubt herself while figuring out which wire to cut to open the security gate and becomes a bit more depressed than usual. This sense of vulnerability makes Equa more than just a one-dimensional pretty face, and to me, that’s a pretty impressive improvement over her personality in the previous episodes.

Another improvement is that the episode finally digs deep into Equa’s backstory. She received her Fatal Luck three years ago from the Manager, or Mr. M as she calls her. The Manager happens to be an AI entity responsible for the city and giving the extractors specific assignments. Of course, this begs the question of what this “Manager” is up to, but it looks like we won’t know until next week.

Overall, “You Can’t Run from Running Away” gets the struggling series back on its feet with its constantly thrilling scenario and solid character-driven moments. The action is the best part of the episode, with Equa choosing the wire being the highlight regarding the tension and direction. Unfortunately, the quality of its previous episodes overshadows the intended emotional depth of this situation. But at least the show provided something exciting in its tiring formula, especially when it ended on a cliffhanger. This team will need more than luck to survive this dangerous predicament.