WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 5 of Deep Insanity: The Lost Child, "Take 05," now streaming on Funimation.
Commander Vera Rustamova's attempt to assassinate the Exile known as El-Cee is approaching, but it's still unknown whether rookie Daniel Shigure will be able to pull through on murdering the child he once saved. Leslie Blanc, the leader of the Sleeper Squad, decides that in order for the mission to succeed, it is vital that Daniel understands that what he's doing is for the good of the team.
While Daniel has positive relationships with Larry Jackson and Sumire Mochinoki, he has struggled to connect with Reika Kobato, who fights alongside him on the backlines during Asylum missions. Daniel and Reika's touching connection made during this episode masks Leslie's ulterior motives, while villain Hayden and company continue to move behind the scenes.
Leslie is right to be worried about what Daniel will do when confronted with his mission. Even without knowing that Daniel has encountered El-Cee before, when Leslie brings up the assassination mission, Daniel admits his reluctance. Leslie, Larry and Sumire come up with the idea that a barbecue might be a way for Daniel and Reika to bond -- Larry and Sumire with no idea what Leslie's true intentions are. The more people Daniel cares about endangering or disappointing, the more he is likely to see his mission through.
However, a peaceful barbecue is not on the cards. Hayden makes a reappearance this episode, only to be assaulted by his employer for failing to accomplish anything at Asylum. While Daniel and Reika are walking together after collecting groceries, Hayden's assistant Nadia calls a creature up from Asylum that's completely new to the series -- seemingly a ghost of a high school girl.
Its appearance forces Daniel and Reika to team up -- something which, until this point, has ended in them not even being able to count down to zero together when in the field. Against the new Asylum creature, they cooperate like they haven't been able to before, but after the fighting is over, their companionship ends and any short-lived victory gives way to running until Nadia gives up the chase.
It seems odd that the Sleepers would simply continue their barbecue given the infiltration of an enemy as well as a new Asylum monster, but unfortunately, gaps in logic like this have plagued the series from the beginning. How Hayden and Nadia can call up creatures from Asylum is unknown, and there's presumably nothing stopping them from simply flooding the hallways with Asylum creatures the day of the assassination to prevent it from happening.
For all the show has improved with its world-building, characterization and general tone, these gaping plot holes continue to wrench viewers out of the narrative. At first, the characters desperately needed to be fleshed out in order to improve the show, but now that every character but Vera has had an episode focusing on them, it's time to understand how Asylum works.
The barbecue itself is a touching scene, and Reika admits that she thought Daniel was avoiding her due to her prosthetic limb. Daniel, in turn, admits that he's a huge anime fan, and that seeing her drawing anime characters on her tablet made him feel inferior for never creating content. The two of them used anime in the past as a way of coping -- Reika grew skilled at drawing during rehabilitation for her injury, while Daniel's whole reason for joining the Sleeper Team was to try to be like an anime hero. It's obvious why the Deep Asylum anime saved Daniel and Reika's bonding episode for last; the two have a gentle and compassionate chemistry; something Leslie is actually sad to see blossom since it will only hurt in the end.
There are now two weeks until Daniel's assassination mission, so it is likely to begin next episode unless Hayden takes drastic action before then. While this show hides many truths, the one big question now is who Daniel will place first -- his team or El-Cee -- and just what his decision will mean for them all.
