WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Rust-Eater Bisco Season 1, Episode 2, "Soar on King Trumpets," now streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
The latest episode of Rust-Eater Bisco gave viewers a much greater idea of who Bisco as a character is. The reason he's seeking out this fabled mushroom is revealed to be one of a personal nature. Bisco's motives that drive the story are clear, but the introduction of a new opposing force and their reasons for stopping Bisco keep the audience on their toes.
Episode 1 ended with Bisco attacking Imihama, where he used the chaos to slip away and corner Dr. Milo in his clinic. Much like Episode 1, Episode 2 bounced between the present and the days leading up to Bisco's attack on Imihama to flesh out his backstory, primarily through the lens of his relationship with the old man Jabi.
Jabi was shown to be injured at the end of the first episode, but that's not the main reason Bisco "threatened three people" to track down Dr. Milo. Jabi is established as Bisco's mentor, as well as a sort of father figure. Sadly, Jabi is succumbing to the Rusting, and Bisco's adamant refusal to let him die was what sparked the hunt for the Rust-Eater mushroom. Since Bisco was revealed to lack the skills needed to synthesize mushrooms into a cure, he took Dr. Milo hostage to complete the task.
Dr. Milo is clearly an important individual to many, like the citizens of Imihama, Bisco, and even the Governor. It's alluded to in Episode 1 that Milo has rejected the Governor's offers to work for the city government on more than one occasion. What's odd, though, is how the Governor callously ordered an attack on the clinic. Obviously it was ordered since Bisco was seen inside, but it showed a total disregard for Dr. Milo's life, contradicting his supposed importance that had just been established. Could the Governor's ordering of the attack without an effort to secure Dr. Milo serve as coercion for him to comply?
Or could it have also been a way to test Pawoo's duty to the Watch, given she was still in recovery leading up to Bisco's attack on Imihama? Odder still is the fact that the rabbit-masked group isn't even part of the Watch at all. Their first encounter with Bisco occurred after his attack on the city gate. An Escargot, a snail-equipped helicopter that spews mucus, attacked Bisco and Jabi that night in the desert. This was what led to Jabi's injuries, as he dove to protect Bisco from the Escargot's stream of bullets.
Bisco was confused to see it wasn't the Watch behind the attack and also appeared bemused that the Escargot was identifiably from a corporation called Matoba Manufacturing. If the Governor was relaying orders to the Watch, as well as these mysterious rabbit-faced attackers, why wouldn't they be working together to capture Bisco? Viewers will need to tune in to find out, because the episode ended with a suited-up Pawoo confronting Bisco, offering just a peek at the battle to come.
This episode offered more clarity to Bisco's mission that drives the series, but not without sprinkling in new, pressing questions. With two heavily equipped groups on Bisco's tail, and their motives still murky, it's likely that there remains plenty to uncover about Bisco and the mushrooms. Bisco's personal stake is defined, but what will happen if, or when, Pawoo finds out that her brother's been forced to assist the so-called terrorist? Perhaps the biggest question to keep in mind as the anime plays out, why do so few seem to be aware of the medicinal potential of mushrooms, and why are Bisco's enemies so dedicated to eradicating them entirely?
