Episode 2

**Half Man** / **Halber Mensch** (半分人間, *Hanbun Ningen*) is the second episode of LISTENERS.

## Synopsis

Echo and Mu who flew out of the city of Liverchester as if they were to escape. Waiting for them were an uninhabited wilderness and an endless track. Thinking that the peaceful journey will continue as it is, Echo who are suddenly attacked by the Minami. Despite desperately fighting, the two were thrown into the forest. Furthermore, an unidentified prayer attacks it.

## Summary

Some older men tell young Echo a story about Merle Forest and how people going there end up turning to Earless. His sister, Swell, comes and takes him, telling them to not tell him scary stories. Echo asks Swell if Earless are human and she denies it, but explains Players are those that know the most about Earless and that they fear them the most.

Traveling on the train and crossing a bridge, Mu wakes up Echo and shows him how deep it looks. In that moment Mu's medallion shines and Earless attack and they use Echo's Equipment. They start fighting, but Mu is unable to fire her attack and they end up falling off the bridge. The Noise Sisters show up, commenting the light is from what they have been looking for.

Echo and Mu light a fire to warm and dry themselves. Echo guesses the attack didn't work as they need to name it and suggests Arizona Chainsaw. As Mu pulls out Players Almanac, Echo guess they can ask other Players about who Mu is. He reveals he knows everyone on that almanac, but there are Players like the one he met in his childhood, who isn't on the list and guesses there must be a special reason for he and Mu to not be on it. When Mu falls asleep, Echo decides to go and pee, but to his surprise he sees a weird looking bathroom, but still decides to enter. He meets the Noise Sisters and attempt to run, but they still catch up to him. They ask him about Mu's Core Part and if she is the successor or remnant of the Collapse. Echo recognizes them as the Noise Sisters and explains he is a big fan and asks for an autograph. Hearing that, the sisters are unprepared as its the first time anyone asks them for an autograph and start to panic and wonder what to do, wanting to take autograph by him too.

Mu awakes and goes to look for Echo. She finds him unresponsive and sees the sisters. The sisters use their powers and activate their Equipment. Echo does the same, but as she attempts to attack one of the sisters, she disappears and Earless appear. The sisters realize she doesn't know how to use Dada's power and is even weaker than normal Player. They tell Mu that Earless are humans who failed to become Players and are seeing salvation from the Players. Mu sees a man in her memory and the sister explain he is the king of the Earless. They show her Echo being held and in her attempt to save him, they mock her and in her anger, she hits Echo. The real Echo then wakes up, seeing how the sisters defeat Mu, but then a red mecha arrives from the sky.

## Characters

* Echo Rec
* Swell Rec
* Mu
* Ein Neubauten
* Stür Neubauten
* Zende Neubauten

## Trivia

* The episode title is a reference to the song and album "Halber Mensch" by German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten.
* Einstürzende Neubauten is also the namesake of Ein, Stür, and Zende Neubauten.
* Einstürzende Neubauten's songs "Weil Weil Weil" and "Let's Do It Dada" are also referenced.
* The Noise Sisters are adherents to Dadaism, an avant-garde art movement, and specifically reference "Fountain" by Marcel Duchamp within a collapsing new building, which itself is a reference to the translated meaning of Einstürzende Neubauten.
* The setting of the episode is notably in Pripyat, Ukraine, the site of the Chernobyl disaster, as the Pripyat amusement park is shown.