The second episode improves on the first quite substantially, in my opinion. In addition to Isaac Asimov, we now have a reference to
Philip K. Dick as well. The writing team clearly knows it is treading on familiar ground, but at the same time, manages to go down a fresh, new track.
The theme is not so much about discrimination and how we deal with it, it seems. To me, it's apparently a play on rules, and how we use them to define ourselves and our meaning. Android behaviours are defined (and confined) by Asimov's Three Rules. Similarly, Eve's Cafe imposes its own sets of rules to protect its customers' privacy, and ironically, to create its own sense of space and individuality.
As for the larger conspiracy, it's something we've seen before in many other sci-fi shows involving robots, so I'm not particularly surprised nor excited by the "individuality" circuit. But I'm certainly interested to see how it plays out in relation to the cast.
And oh yes, Chii-chan is adorable. She's the first anime character to make me laugh spontaneously this whole season. It's been a pretty dry summer, unfortunately.
