First Impressions / Mirai Nikki

「全件削除」 (Zenken Sakujo)
“Delete all Messages”

I actually enjoy the omakes at the end of Mirai Nikki episodes, but I’ve noticed that their absence tends to be a good sign – it usually means the pacing of the ep was as batcrap crazy as Yuno herself, and that’s the Mirai Nikki I like best.

As I mentioned earlier, the eleventh diary owner was the dark matter of this series – we couldn’t see him and didn’t know what he looked like, but we knew he was there because there were impacts in the perceptible would that couldn’t be explained any other way. The reason why he seems to have such a long reach comes to us courtesy of Yuki, who arrives – Yuno in arm – at a meeting of diary owners looking dapper and confident with a new haircut and a wardrobe update just as he and Yuno are about to kicked out of the game by Deus as punishment for disappearing for five days. Eleventh, it turns out, is none other than the mayor of Sakurami City, John Bacchus (Hashi Takaya, who will always be a favorite of mine for his performances as Gilliam in Outlaw Star and Kondo in Peacemaker Kurogane). A seeming oddball in every sense, Bacchus wears spectacles and covers his bald head with a skull cap, and by all accounts appears to be a gaijin. He manipulates the city council into voting to shutter Eighth’s children’s home with a flood of crocodile tears and a sly smile.

There’s no denying Yuki is a changed man, and it’s obvious from the minute he styles his way into the owners meeting and coolly plants a kiss on Yuno – the clothes, the hair, the smile, the demeanor – heck, he even seems taller somehow (and drives incredibly well for a 14 year-old. The fact that he’s actually performing from a script written by Yuno is a bit of an asterisk to his transformation, but I think it’s quite genuine – As Kris Kristofferson said, “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose” and this Yuki seems liberated by the fact that he’s hit rock bottom. With Eleventh’s identity revealed everyone left in the game knows everyone else, and Deus lifts the veils from their faces. Yukiteru Amano, Yuno Gasai, John Bacchus, Minene Uryuu and Kamado Ueshita – and then there were five. With the need for subterfuge gone, all that really matters now is who’s the best at playing the game.

But has Yukiteru really changed? The plan calls for an alliance with Eighth against Eleventh, and Yuki is the point man for the operation. We don’t know the exact nature of Eleventh’s diary, but we know he’s in a position to exert his influence in more mundane ways if necessary, and this alliance seems to make sense. Yuki works mostly with two of Eighth’s children, Miyashiro Rin (Kozakura Ritsuko – also present in the bloodbath at the religious compound) and Nanba Taoru (Shindou Naomi – the “Ta-kun” who Eighth referred to). Tarou is suspicious but Rin remembers Yukiteru’s kindness from the massacre at the compound, and thus trusts him. Any doubt as to the seriousness of Yuki’s resolve is surely dispelled in the way the confrontation with Eleventh plays out, though Yuki does commit to make it right once he wins the game and becomes God. If Yuki is still squeamish about doing what must be done, there are no indications of it here.

But this is Mirai Nikki, and nothing is ever as simple as it appears – especially for Yuki. While he’s been spending his time gathering intel to identify Eleventh, Akise has been busy with research of his own. Working with Nishijima – who in turn is working with Minene – lots of interesting information about Yuno has been uncovered. She’s adopted (her parents were rich bankers) first of all, and spent time in an orphanage – and it’s from this orphanage that Akise has retrieved a grisly relic that allows the DNA testing which positively identifies the third body found in the pit at Yuno’s house. It’s none other than Yuno herself – and when this information is passed on to Yukiteru his newfound resolve to stick with Yuno to the end is put to the test yet again. I remember being a little shocked when I read the chapter that starts this episode in the manga – almost as if I’d missed one inadvertently – but this sequence feels almost as if it’s told in flashback even though it’s actually linear. And by the time we got where we are as the ep closes, Yuki’s behavior made sense. You can’t play tight poker if you’re in with Yuno Gasai – it’s all all-in bet or a fold, and it seems as if Yuki finally figured that out, though as always events conspire to test him. Still, he’s confronted nothing on the order of the surprising news Akise dumped on him here.

With Eighth having survived Yuki and Yuno’s trap and literally landed in Eleventh’s arms, the cards are shuffled yet again. Eighth seems to be the one diary owner who’s displayed no overt hostility towards the others until now, but she’s been betrayed by First and Second. Ninth’s ultimate goals, as ever, are obscure – what endgame does she have in mind? As for Eleventh, while his diary’s abilities still aren’t clear, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that he’s in this for for the accumulation of power – though just what he’d do with that power is anyone’s guess…

104 Comments

      2. Yeah, but there are shades of grey to represent other colors, except light colors that is mostly represented by white.

        Still, I would have given them more points if their colors match too. Yukki would have slightly resemble a certain “Mage Killer” when they did…

        Total point for this episode: 4/5!

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

  6. Okay, this was an improvement.

    My favorite part in this episode was, finally, Yukiteru. He finally showed some consistent balls, and I couldn’t be happier with it. Sure, a lot of the speeches were previously planned by Yuno (LOL), but that is the Yukiteru we know. The fact he killed all those ‘children’, and drove and crashed a car without hesitation is the best part of this episode. He finally has his resolve to become a God, no matter what…Kudos, Yukiteru!

    I could still complain though, like Nishishima’s stand in all this, or why the hell didn’t Yuno fire when she had the chance, but that’s been usual points with this show, so it’s no real bother. At least not compared with the huge pros this episode had.
    However, the only thing I’m fearing now is Yukiteru abandoning Yuno. Okay, big revelation, Yuno is in fact an impostor…So what? Yukiteru knew from the start Yuno has some mental issues, this should come as no surprise. The fact she uses another name doesn’t mean she was lying this whole time, because Yuno clearly is in love with Yukiteru and cares for him…Isn’t that enough, boy?

    I would love to see Yukiteru actually using this as an opportunity to gain Eleventh’s trust only to backstab him and return without problem to Yuno, but I (unfortunately) doubt that’ll come to be…

    Anyway, good episode. Finally! Oh, and Eight got trolled big time. In fact, she’s just as goody-goody as Yukiteru was before his parents got killed…

    Justinnnnnn
    Reply

      1. From what I understood, those DNA tests proved that the third corpse were Gasai Yuno’s, meaning the Gasai Yuno that we’ve seen all along throughout the series is actually a girl pretending to be Gasai Yuno. Don’t know the reason behind it, but that’s what I think Akise said.

        Do correct me if I’m wrong, though!

        Justinnnnnn
        Reply

  7. My my, so Yuki looks more manly than usual. Mmmm, though I would not see it smart to have him kill his allies like that.

    Now everyone who did not read the manga, We have one plot twist here with Yuno, but don’t think that’s it.

    L002
    Reply

  9. Alright, we finally know what Eleventh looks like!…except we found that out four episodes ago when the 2nd OP came out.

    Alliances are forged and broken to gain advantage, and this isn’t even the half of it. The high octane action of this segment of the story has got to be my favorite overall. But I gotta say, all of these color palettes were not what I expected, like Ta’s hair or Eleventh’s black…skull cap? Always wondered what the hell that is.

    Da5id
    Reply

    1. To Guardian Enzo and the asshole posted a reply to me last week:

      (Not really a spoiler but just a response to those two with regards to predictions that got deleted.)
      Show Spoiler ▼

      thenewhorde
      Reply

      1. Guesses about Akise, putting on spoiler tag simply because GE deletes my guesses.

        Show Spoiler ▼

        Guesses about MurMur and Duex:

        Show Spoiler ▼

        thenewhorde
        Reply

  13. Maybe this is the episode (or was it last week’s episode?) where Yukiteru finally gains the sympathy (and dare I say it, the grudging admiration) of the some of the fanbase, just like Ikari Shinji redeemed himself in Rebuild of Evangelion.

    https://randomc.net/image/Mirai%20Nikki/Mirai%20Nikki%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2006.jpg

    ^ Damn. I would have money to have Yuno on my arm like that. It’s like having a dangerous yet sexy Bond-girl. That sexy-dangerous smirk. Yuki, you lucky bastard. ALL OF MY JELLY. XD

    https://randomc.net/image/Mirai%20Nikki/Mirai%20Nikki%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
    ^ One does not simply wear a black lacy dress with zettai ryouiki in the middle of a warzone between diary owners, but Yuno manages it well. I just wish Studio Asread could keep her bust size constant, it seems to change depending on the episode.

    https://randomc.net/image/Mirai%20Nikki/Mirai%20Nikki%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2014.jpg

    ^ Uryu Minene here kinda gives off a moe feeling with that squirrel eating nuts on her hoodie. Where did she get the money to buy that coffee-and-sandwich meal anyway? Since her M.O. is bombing religious people and locations, it’s not like she had much money saved when she joined the survival game, right? Or is Detective Nishijima paying for their “date”? XD

    The_Magus_Killer
    Reply

  15. I was really surprised when the ED came up. I guess I was so engrossed in what was happening I lost all sense of time for how long the episode had been going. I thought for sure I was only 10-15 min in, and then the end. Gahhh, another 7 days to go…

    baltar
    Reply

  17. So it begins. This is nearing the part when i actually stopped reading the manga for a while, because of what will happen in these next few episodes. I’m not going to spoil it, for the ones who haven’t read the manga. However, i will say that things only get more bizarre from here.

    Snicket
    Reply

    1. that’s not true. i mean remember how Yukki promised the Yuno that he’d marry her when they grow up? so if he’s been with some other Yuno instead of the one he made the promise to, then isn’t that alone pretty fucked up?

      thenewhorde
      Reply

      1. It’s still the Yuno that’s kept him alive since this whole thing began. He at least owes it to her to hear her out after everything she’s done for him. In the world he’s surviving, a clone or alternate-reality duplicate wouldn’t be that surprising to me honestly…

        Aex
        Reply

  19. Given that 8th sent 7th and another guy to attack Yuki and Yuno, she is no innocent which also shows that she’s lying about not wanting to become a god. Of course, there is the possibility that 7th may have been the real mastermind behind the attack there.

    Yuki is again being an imbecile. You have 11th and his mysterious but very powerful diary in front of you. You shot and killed young people. You have Akise telling you Yuno is fake. What is your first response? Regardless of anything, i would think shooting 11th is the highest pirority and it takes only 2 seconds. After that, 8th is powerless and thus a lower priority than keeping 9th and Yuno in front and in view while sorting out the mess.

    9th is not dumb, bringing grenade to the affair and keeping relatively close to the group of diary holders, since if Yuki shoots her, he might very well be in the blast radius as well.

    Since this Yuno is fake but seems to recognise the box, the Yuno we see may be another kid who was the real Yuno’s friend or such.

    Zaku Fan
    Reply

    1. I’m still confused about 7th and 8th’s relationship. We know that 7th were both originally residents of 8th’s orphanage, and that they both got apprentice diaries from 8th, as seen in their first appearance. But Ta also tried to kill them at the tower a couple episodes ago. So either they got their diaries and kept them secret until when they fought Yuuki and Yuno, or they worked together like Yuuki, Yuno, Keigo, and Minene did.

      But I guess it doesn’t matter now. Just speculation.

      Da5id
      Reply

      1. I believe it’s been mentioned in this episode: the kids in the orphanage want 8th to become god. That leaves 7th acting on their own to fulfill that goal. I don’t remember exactly how much involvement 8th had in the attack, but she was told by Rin that Ai and Marco (and Nanba Taoru) were going to find Yuki/Yuno (middle of chapter 26). She didn’t order it or anything.

        Luxor
        Reply

    1. The irony is that the shoe also fits the other foot. GC’s version also underwent a drastic “manning-up” of sorts. Unfortunately, the difference in writing quality in these two series is as vast as the latter’s volatility.

      hoiut
      Reply

  21. Man I was harping on Yukki only to have my jaw drop when he appeared in this episode, he is truly amazing if he put his mind to it with a little ‘help’ of course. Then there is his relationship with “Yuno” that goes up and down from “I trust you” to “I don’t trust you at all” (which I found “normal” oh god!) but this revelation that the girl you had crush on is a imposter… well with that Yukki you have my sympathies, the question is how long has it been since the “switch” was made and if so how did Yuno that we’re seeing end up looking like the dead one and how did the imposter end up falling for Yukki? then again Yukki seem to like to rewrite her memory and did not know about the bodies she recently buried, then she remembered when there was a chance of it being found out. I know Yuno will definitely NOT LIKE that this secret is revealed and Akise you Kaoru lookalike, better also have a AT Field to protect your ass since that’s the only way I’ll EVER see you live though this

    FantomOmega
    Reply

  22. good gawd almighty now what a wham to go

    this ep

    mayor person want a orphanage to shut down yet cry but secretly smile.
    some days dairy meeting here yuki & yuno expose 11th as crying mayor yet all dairy owner revealed yea yuki yea i’m back with yuno & better than ever.
    yet whole yuki man-up just act with yuno making all plays & plans so next team with big head 8th.
    meanwhile 9th & squriel meet young cop reveal body 1 & 2 it yuno’s parents wait on 3rd body yet pull yuno’s parents can’t create own so assume yuno is adopted.
    now we yuki & yuki with big 8th & her white followers plan & launch attack mayor 11th.
    but mayor 11th yea i got emp car & it’s a double cross unleash yuno & slaughter big 8th’s white followers.
    so now car chase yuno see yuki’s message goes oh no while mayor 11th yea i got it all plan.
    even from car side bump to push to fly cars yet landed all perfect.
    here come wild card it’s 9th-grenade & aru with reveal.
    from maury’s dna test & drum roll body no.3 is you are yuno gasai.
    “yuno” going that a lie telling yuki it a lie & yuki going no way what going on.

    yea got wonder now yea body no.3 is yuno & then who “yuno” that still alive???

    MR.KLAC
    Reply

    1. FTFY:

      Good God almighty, what a blast!

      This episode:

      The town’s mayor smiles secretly behind his fake tears as he shuts down the orphanage. During the dairy meeting Yuki and Yuno expose 11th as the mayor and Deus reveals the competitors’ appearances. Yuki is back with Yuno and better than ever. But Yuki manning-up is just an act because Yuno is making all the plays, so Yuki teams up with the big-headed 8th.

      Meanwhile, 9th (with a squirrel in her bosom) meets Nishijima to reveal that bodies 1 and 2 are Yuno’s parents, but they’re still awaiting confirmation on the 3rd body. Yuno’s parents are sterile so they assume yYno is adopted.

      Then Yuki and Yuno with big-headed 8th and her white followers plan and launch an attack on 11th, but he has an car equipped with an EMP. However, Yuki double crosses eight and unleashes Yuno to slaughter the big-headed 8th’s white followers.

      Now in a car chase, Yuno reacts with surprise to a message on Yuki’s phone while 11th seems to have a plan.

      Even though Yuki rammed his and 11th’s cars off an overpass, they managed to both land perfectly. Then the wild card 9th appears with a big reveal. Drum roll please… The third body is Yuno Gasai! I think “Yuno” is going to lie and tell Yuki that 9th is lying to him so that Yuki with have no idea what is going on.

      You have to wonder that if Yuno is body number 3, than who is the Yuno that is still alive?!

      Enmire
      Reply

      2. Just a straight translation.

        I am serious. At first I thought you were trolling, then I realized you were making an honest effort to share your opinion. So I figured I’d make it easier for other people to read.

        I can’t answer this one, I read the manga.

        Enmire
        Reply

  23. I was a little worried about pacing before but they seem to be blazing through 3 manga chapters for each 1 episode of the anime without it feeling too rushed – and they are still staying true to the manga.

    The next ep will be good, I’m really looking forward to it.

    It will be interesting to see how people respond to the ending – it will either be WIN or WTF? Regardless, I’m sure people will have pretty strong views on it one way or the other.

    7godeohs
    Reply

    1. Yeah, the ending is really the one thing that people are really split over. They either love it or they hate it, or else they wish that it ended a bit earlier than it did. I’m expecting the same for those that view the anime as well. I liked it though, so I’m okay.

      Donyo
      Reply

  24. Now, this is getting even more interesting.

    Last week, I made a mistake when I said I want to see Yuki’s reaction when he found out the identity of the 3rd corpse. What I really want to see is the reaction of those who did not read the manga at all. Come on, you can’t tell me that’s one hell of a plot twist.

    Still, Show Spoiler ▼

    For now, all that I can say is, BRACE YOURSELF.

    Terrorhunt
    Reply

    1. Everything Shoo or what ever his name is say the phrase “what would Gai do” i feel sick since he is always not acting like himself and at most whimpering to his life size ‘doll’. As for Yukki, I at least can understand that his situation is unique and never wanted to be involved but LOOK he’s a goddamned badass now! so my Vote is for Yukki for king of Time and Space

      Now the more important thing is WHO should make the best queen! Inori the pretty girl with a personalty (when she’s not under the ‘influence’) of dry balsa-wood who is skilled in combat but not much else OR Yuno who is a Great Cook/Tactician/Murder/Wife-to-be/Emotional Support and actually SMILES (bad thing if you NOT Yukki, but i digress…) sure she’s a “little” crazy but hey aren’t the Crazy Ones the best in bed?

      FantomOmega
      Reply

      2. Could u elaborate?

        I mean, after all, they’re awfully similar in the mold of Yuji Everylead the Bland ™ — except for the fact that they seem closer to the anti-hero end of the spectrum, which makes them less than ideal characters for the audience to identify with. But from what I saw Yukiteru seemed more consistent than Shu, for one is just an antisocial wimp while the other is a horribly Inconsistent & self loathing version.

        Since I dropped GC early I cannot comment on Shu’s recent transformation.

        Zammael
        Reply

      3. Id say you are trying to compare bananas and plantains.

        While Shu is being pushed around, everyone is trying to kill Yuuki. While Shu’s mother betrays him, Yuuki’s died.

        Same when people complain and compare Fam and Claus.

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

  28. Yukki manning up? Yuno having another plot twist about her? Who cares, we got 11th, the best Diary holder in the series! Not only does he actually play the game like it was meant to be played, with sharp wit and cold heart, he also manages to be the most dangerous Diary holder even without his Diary!

    SingerOfW
    Reply

  30. I was a little curious if Mirai Nikki was going to take the same path as Guilty Crown, it somehow did and I’m pleased(almost) of how it ended this episode.
    As for the next episode my guess is that Yukkii stays with Yuno. That Yuno isn’t Yuno isn’t that big of suprise then finding some corpses in your girlfriends house.
    If Yukkii wanted to dump Yuno he would have done so from the beginning.

    Pera
    Reply

  32. I haven’t read the manga but folks, same DNA… Identical twins? The answer is not necessarily that Yuno is an imposter and Akise being the Conan-like kid genius he is should have deduced that at least… C’mon now, Akise-kun…

    SirMuffin
    Reply

  33. Well, its more like that Yukki has everything (family and happines) to gain… and his newly found determination shows up. Definitely took a level in badass.
    But rela star of episode for me is the 11th – he is sure a quite mastermind, and I’m unsure what exactly does his diary do… but with access to the entire city’s resources he probbaly has something of a Big Brother capabilities. Plus he seems quite the chessmaster.
    The thing with “real” Yuno being dead has me riddled… Did she have a twin sister? Were they secretly switching as did Mion and Shion in the Higurashi NNKN? Were her parents trying to “darwin out” a perfect progeny from the twins? But then why didnt Akise run into any mention of siblings in the orphanage records? The Yuno we are dealing with seems to have exact memories that were before the entire affair started, so I am at a loss here.
    There is alternate solution to that, but it involves things being best left to mad scientists aka time travel. This of course raises questions of how it was achieved (god powers of the Deus?) and for what reasons?

    ewok40k
    Reply

  35. Sooo… are we gonna see Yuki act like an idiot again because of this revelation? I mean does it really matter if the current Yuno is different from the one from his memories? It’s still the same Yuno who swore to make him win this game anyway.

    MartianMage
    Reply

    1. This question keeps coming up, and all I can say is just roll with it, haha. It was briefly pointed out how odd she looked in one of the side chapters, but other than that either they’re fine with it or they just choose to ignore it.

      Donyo
      Reply

    2. who knows besides whoever came up big headed 8th really must be like so “wasted” or “high” or “big” on let it whatever.

      & yea give i’m assume 8th’s dairy got to be inside the hat come look at size of 8th & hat yea so got be in the hat.

      also um yea whole “yuno” person yea got wonder how it reveal it cause really whatever they got yea i think sooner or later the “magic words” might happen.

      MR.KLAC
      Reply

  37. Up to now, I always thought Aklse was genius with a complex for Yuki… It’s like he wants Yuki for himself, always trying to separate him from Yuno. Anyways, how the heck does he rationalize that Yuno is an imposter? I thought he would be at least smart enough to realize you can’t fake your DNA…

    ybaby
    Reply

    2. He says that she’s an impostor because the Gasai family’s adopted daughter was found to be the identity of the third body, so the real Gasai Yuno is already dead, meaning that she can’t possibly be standing next to Yukiteru unless she was someone impersonating her. And it’s because a DNA test can’t be faked that he came to this conclusion, not that he came to that conclusion in spite of it.

      Other than that, I do agree with you. Around this part, Akise started acting rather clingy towards Yukiteru, though not nearly as clingy as Yuno always is, admittedly. That said, he really had no reason to introduce Yuno to Yukiteru as an impostor other than to stir up some drama and sort of pry Yuno away from him. Really, I can’t quite think of any reason other than a personal motive, so this part always kind of frustrated me for Akise’s character, since his clingy side started creeping in.

      Please do not read further if you have not read the manga because I just want to mention a further repercussion due to his actions here.

      Show Spoiler ▼

      Donyo
      Reply

      1. Solid answer, and I haven’t read the manga past the end of this episode.

        Akise Aru acting clingy? Is that in the future? So far he seemed more of a manipulative person, rather than a passive aggressive one that gave all control to another person and held them responsible for all consequences.

        His intellect tends towards manipulation: by appearing near the Tenth Diarist’s home, he knew something would happen — hence his appearing at the park with the others.

        So I’m more curious about your interpretation of clingy-ness based on the previous 19 episodes….

        Zammael
        Reply

      2. @Zammael

        Show Spoiler ▼

        Donyo
        Reply

  38. looking at this objectively, even if yuno is an impostor, that changes very little for yukiteru because he is going to kill everyone and bring them back anyways once he becomes god (because that is in his character and he hints at it).
    so i don’t really get what the fuss is about to be honest.

    sto
    Reply

  40. Having marathoned episodes 1-19 of this series, I have to say that while I like the premise and some of the characters, the anime as a whole feels a bit contrived. Of course we have the quintessential wimpy male lead, but working within a yandere pairing makes for some freshness and added intrigue. All the same, some of the developments just don’t sit well with me.

    First and foremost is the believability of some of the “bad things” that happen. The entire plot is focused around some form of omnipotent god fabricated by the main character’s imagination who decides to thrust the main character’s city into chaos for the sake of conveniently staging a “kill-em-all” game between 12 seemingly random participants. What’s more, the (obviously human) winner of this game is somehow promised the imaginary god’s throne and to rule over time and space. Believability aside, nobody even bothers to question this.

    And then we have some of the annoying characters who complement the show’s misplaced humorous segments. We’re introduced to a seemingly badass counter-villain who gouges out eyeballs and injects drugs, but who is later unconvincingly revealed to be a misguided childlike buffoon who supposedly acted in accordance with a juvenile sense of justice (replete with Power Ranger pelvic thrusts near the end of his arc). Once this aired, it dialed back the supposed ‘maturity level’ of the show considerably right before it dialed back up — and then way back down.

    There’s also a bunch of unbelievable antics from the main character, especially in recent developments. Unlike how Death Note handled its main plot gimmick, the diaries don’t feel as real — we’re supposed to believe the kid would write all the answers into a phone, so he can then use a ‘future diary’ to cheat on all his tests without anyone noticing, even when the teacher calls out Yuno just for playing with clay. And then the increases in his grades are immediately used as irrefutable evidence that he’s a “diary holder,” despite nobody even knowing the fundamental capabilities of his dairy? The whole situation is beyond absurd.

    What’s worse is that this character seems to be used as a poor conduit for the plot. He does things that don’t seem believable given his characterization — the only thing consistent about him was his wimpy awkwardness, which was recently overwritten to make room for a subplot in which he ruthlessly betrays and murders innocent people in order to become god instead of accepting his lot and moving on. He hasn’t even seen a lick of evidence that the so-called imaginary god can resurrect people (in fact, the only evidence is to the contrary). Yes, he lost his mom and dad, so I could certainly understand motives for revenge, but even after the cheap ploy of associating his rotten father with stargazing at the very end, that’s absolutely no reason to kill everyone in the name of a (literally) false god…all in hopes of later somehow BECOMING the god and resurrecting everyone from the dead or something. You’d think if he was this “determined” he wouldn’t have been so keen to accept all the other crap thrown his way (the game, the betrayal by his friends, the crazy stalker, the deaths of countless people directly attributable to him, and so forth. Besides, his methods are certainly more than questionable at this point.

    Having seen corpses in the girl’s house, he decides to “forget about it” after unconvincingly fretting for a while and then pretty much falls in love with her later. Suddenly one of the corpses is identified as the same girl and he gets all riled up about some sort of ridiculous “betrayal”. So she had a twin or something. How is that more traumatizing to our “changed lead” than her killing her own parents? And as long as there were corpses and skulls being dragged around by this girl — the same girl who recently tied him to a chair, force-fed him and collected his piss in a glass bottle — why should the familial identify of one of these corpses even weigh into things? The guy hardly knows the insane chick beneath the surface (and he acknowledges this repeatedly), so why is an arbitrary fake name something to suddenly go nuts over?

    Suspension of disbelief is fine — I’ve suspended disbelief a lot more forcefully in some other shows and ended up loving them to bits. What a story needs is a CONSISTENT level of believability. This show tries to convince us that everything is incredibly realistic in one scene, when in the next it seems to wink and show something that would make any viewer shake his head. Compared to this, the stuff that Deadman Wonderland and Guilty Crown try to pull suddenly doesn’t feel too off-base, for better or for worse.

    hoiut
    Reply

    1. A lot of good points here. I’d probably be calling this show out a lot of the time if I hadn’t already read the manga. I kind of went into this show with the mentality that I’d like it if it went along with the manga’s events, but you’re right about how over the top things get all the time.

      As for your paragraph about this week’s episode:

      Show Spoiler ▼

      Da5id
      Reply

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