「羽化 emergence」 (Uka)

Well, I complained about wanting Guilty Crown to step it up a notch last episode, and this week Guilty Crown certainly offers up a lot of things as it heads into its penultimate episode. The conflict gets brought back to Gai, Mana/Inori and Shuu, which is fitting since that’s how ‘Lost Christmas’ came about the last time.

Yuu makes more of an appearance in this episode, and although he manages to reveal several things, and answer some questions, he’s gone like the wind by the end of the episode. But since Daath was an organization that made things more complicated than necessary, Yuu going out of the picture is not necessarily a bad thing.

So! Same drill as last time – summary –> tl;dr. I feel it worked pretty well last episode, so I’ll be using it again this time.

  • Yuu wants to speed up evolution by forcing Mana and her chosen ‘King’ to propagate and make a new race.
  • Because of the above, Gai never had a ‘choice’ in being revived
  • The Leukocytes were a bluff, but the UN forces get trashed anyway by the Void GATTAI fusion between Kenji, Arisa and Yuu
  • GHQ seems to have come up with a way to ‘counter’ Voids, if Daryl’s new Arc-reactor rip-off is anything to go off of
  • Funeral Parlor makes their attack, with Shuu at the front on a segway
  • Gai and Inori share a nice moment, where he erases her identity while she professes her love for Shuu
  • Yuu reveals himself to ‘be Daath itself’ and ‘strips’ Shuu’s ‘right to succession’ after he refuses to create a new race with Mana
  • And just in time for the finale, Mana is reborn

Now, onto the episode. Like I said above, taking Yuu out of the picture isn’t a bad thing. In an ideal world, he would have either made a bigger impact or none at all by never appearing, but in GC‘s universe, this episode is as good as any for him to disappear. He brings up an interesting point about humanity and evolution though. Yuu (and by extension, Daath) claims he represents the ‘will of the human race’, which is apparently to evolve. He’s trying to force natural selection by the way of the Apocalypse, using Mana and either Shuu or Gai as the tools.

That leads in to the conflict that will probably take centerpiece in the finale: Gai vs. Shuu. And while Gai’s initial goal was to be with Mana, I felt like to him at least, that goal was already fulfilled; I’m not entirely convinced he wants to be the ‘new King’. He knows now he had no say in being revived, so it’s almost like he’s just fulfilling the role of the bad guy now. It puts his character in a more tragic light, and gives Gai some much-needed dimension to his character, because let’s face it: he’s never been an interesting character. He also acts as a much better foil to Shuu now and there’s a clear role reversal here – Gai is now the one being jerked around while Shuu is the one to step up. It’s why the cool Gai is not the protagonist of the Guilty Crown, and why he can never be.

Unfortunately, while the reluctant antagonist does help in characterization, it also saps the tension out of the conflict somewhat. Gai still probably wants to be with Mana, but like I said, I’m not fully convinced he’s invested in his role; he knows he has no say, so it’s more like, “I guess I’ll screw humanity” rather than, “YEAH I’M GONNA SCREW HUMANITY”. It might seem like a subtle difference, but from the perspective of the central conflict, it lacks finesse. That’s why I’m hoping the conflict in the finale gets framed around Gai and Shuu rather than the questions of who’s going to be Mana’s new man. Now that’s a development I can get behind.

And of course, the episode wouldn’t be complete without discussing the elephant in the room: Inori. I actually felt something for her character this episode, and while it doesn’t fix the problems I had with her as whole, it does make me sympathize with her. Now, if this sort of thing had happened consistently for the last twenty-one episodes, I probably would have shed a tear or two. I understand Inori is just a ‘vessel’, but there was no need for the producers to take that so literally and make her so… unresponsive to everything throughout the show.

The final thing I’ll address is Shuu and Inori. I’m sure a lot of people will disagree, but me? Wasn’t feeling it. Actually Inori’s monologue about Shuu was poignant and I was actually pretty invested. I felt for her and I could understand why she would say those things. But when Shuu opened his mouth – with “None of you know Inori” no less – I sighed. His words had all the right ingredients: emotion, conviction, etc, etc. It’d make the post too long to properly explain why that whole scene bothered me, so I’ll keep it short: I couldn’t really figure out why he would be saying them.

In any case, a pretty solid action-oriented episode in preparation for the finale. I have vague ideas about what may happen, but not much else. Inori will probably be back by the end, although how she does make it back should be interesting. My only hope is that the Gai vs. Shuu conflict gets all the fabulous animation and development it deserves.

It’s been very fun blogging episode 20 & 21, and I hope you enjoyed my brief coverage as well.

BakaMochi, out!

P.S. Souta! Yahiro! Argo! I guess while everyone wanted to be an astronaut when they were younger, Shuu wanted to catch ’em all. Also, does anyone know who the last two Voids belonged to? He didn’t call them out, so I wasn’t too sure…

 

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166 Comments

    1. Ep 20 writer seems to have gone drunk with power.

      WHAT COULD THIS MEAN FOR THE GUILTY CROWN WRITING STAFF?!

      Find out in the exciting finale!:

      “The Power of the King!! Director-san Puts His Foot Down!!”

      Da5id
    2. Mixed feelings is what Guilty Crown does best

      Inori’s ‘relationship’ with Shu never evolved beyond the “quiet comfort” phase and still look like something from the start of season one than anything beyond that, its like a companion in misery or kindred spirits I suppose

      Whenever any of the ‘other girls’ interact with Shu in even the ‘slightest’ amount care than necessary you see the chemistry going, like Tsugumi cheering Shu on then Ayase who within this episode alone got more development in her ‘relationship’ with Shu beyond what could be perceived as friendship, and lets not forget the obvious Hare who had so much going for her but was taken (by the writers) as to say “you best choice at love is dead so why don’t you go for Inori instead” they just made the choice for him rather him come to terms who he cares for verbally admit it and the story suffers for it

      I never did like series that put the most unlikeable (emotionless/stoic/bubble-headed/oblivious) character who only saving grace is being pretty to pair up with when there are far better and well developed characters who are actually striving to “be” the main character’s love interest while the person who the MC is trying to win over takes the ‘passive’ role just standing there taking the affection unknowingly (Nayn Koi comes to mind)

      Guilty Crown story started on the Technological side about viruses and oppression with the hope for freedom then sprinkled all this mythological stuff with no way to elaborate on it, why is a “ceremony” needed to force evolution when its a virus that just needed to be spread and is it truly necessary of Inori to be tussled in some pseudo wedding gown? How is a personality so different that it will bring from scissors to a freaking FRIDGE to be your Void even if you not a compulsive eater, how does the Soul have anything to do with it?

      The Brother/Sister obsessive thing striving for some human instrumentalit-i mean human EVOLUTION project that just got revealed (and it reminded of a older series Soul Taker on the incest bit and heck even Code Geass had this happen to be what Emperor Charles was planning to do) and its all RANDOM with no plot buildup

      Yuu’s Plot Amour ‘conveniently’ wore off this episode and in a anticlimactic fashion too… he was powerful even WITHOUT voids and got killed and I wasn’t satisfied, it felt lacking. he fought with SLOW over elaborate swings compared to his decisive (and precise) attacks at the end of season one

      Putting two (Ex)friends to face each other sounds like kicking someone who’s down (Gai) and have no way to get up. Mana’s obsessive malice will have to be the Final Boss since Gai’s ‘heart’ isn’t invested in this fight with Shu and Arisa will jump in at some moment to take a killing blow it would seem

      so, what’s gonna happen with that so-called ‘organization’ that wanted this to happen? they must have a backup, none of this cant be resolved with ONE episode left

      FantomOmega
    3. At this rate either the writers is pull out a bittersweet ending, a “uroboru… Apocalypse Virus will be released into the atmosphere, ensuring complete. GLOBAL. SATURA….EVOLUTION!!”, or just “ITS eOe ALL OVER AGAIN!!!”.

      Why do I hv a feeling tht this is not the last we will see of it?

      D-LaN
      1. Mana: Uroboros Void Virus will be released into the atmosphere, ensuring COMPLETE, GLOBAL SATURATION *Heavy Breathing*

        ChrisShu: You’re just another one of Umbrella’s GHQ’s leftovers… *clenches fist* I’m no superhero. But together, we can end this!

        Mana: Your feeble attempts only delay the inevitable. The ENTIRE WORLD will be INFECTED, A new Genesis is at hand and I will be the CREATOR.
        (there D-LaN, we just made GC awesome to watch again)

        FantomOmega
  1. GESPENST?!? A F****** GESPENST!? No no no no! The Gespenst is an awesome MP Mecha! Daryl is not worthy of a mecha called the Gespenst! F*** YOU DARYL!!!

    Ok sorry, had a little SRW nerd rage there. I’ll talk about the episode now.

    It was lame. For a climactic battle it was inredibly underwhelming. Nothing much happens other than people I don’t care about dying and our heroes running around like headless chickens. It doesn’t help that Shu is going to battle with a hover Segway. A HOVER SEGWAY! Shu looks so laughably stupid I can’t take his hero messiah act seriously.

    What is the point of Yuu anyway? The presence of Gai invalidates his antagonist role and makes him a “mid-boss”. Why put him there if they were going to put Gai back to life and make him the Void-wielding antagonist?

    And why would the writers make a great ShuxAyase scene that is far better than any scene with Inori in it when they are trying to shove Inori down our throats as OTP? Also I find Inori’s statement about “Shu being human” and “Shu made me human” laughable when they are the two most unrealistic characters in the series. In hindsight that does make them perfect for each other.

    One more episode, I seriously doubt they’ll do any satisfying wrap up with 22 minutes remaining. Still I’ll miss this show and its glorious idiocy.

    fragb85
  2. So, one main question for next episode is will “Kill them all Dayl” pulverize Ayame or will a certain Chibi change his heart and he will die, either way I can tell that thing on his chest is no fashion statement, more likely a time bomb.

    Daath made an interesting fight. Though he could put a more better fight. I really wanted to see Shu fly with Ayame’s void and do fight while flying.

    It was interesting how Inori came to be. Though I am wondering why Gai, if he did, made Inori into a star wih Egoist. He saved her from a military so why make her famous.

    well let see the “Dark Queen” (Mana) do. She had a lot of power when she did NOT have a body. Now she has a body, will she unleash a huge void power. Even Inori herself displayed a vast power before she got caught. I look forward to see what Mana can do, and if she still has yandere love for her little bro.

    L002
    1. I’ve mentioned this before, but EGOIST is just a poorly used plot device. There’s just no actual purpose of having Inori be a singer, except to act as a convenient GPS in episodes like these

      BakaMochi
      1. Well, it’s probably because GC’s way too short AND they have such lousy writers. I agree with you, they could have made better use of this, maybe like how the writers of Macross did. The fact that Inori is a “songstress” only came into my mind three times: the first episode, the second coming of Lost Christmas, and before Inori turned into the queen of blades (yeah, that kissing scene with Shu). And for me, a singing heroine is a big plus for the characters.

        The Story You Don't Know
  3. Mochi, thanks for the post! I like the format!
    the last two voids might be from Haruka and that secretary lady, that would be my guess…
    I thought Yuu is a cheater in his abilities… such as teleportation and using void… they never explained how he got the power…
    Ayase, you have fallen for Shu, haven’t you? and Inori > Mama in my opinion…
    but the fight is fun to watch! can’t wait to see how they handle the final 🙂
    ps. all purpose rice cooker can even become segway? awesome, anyone knows how much they sell for it?

    jrj
    1. And Yuu’s void does not looks like it draws out people’s void either, it’s like he draws a blank void and shapes into the weapon that he wants to use.

      And yeah, that would be my guess as well about the last two voids.

      Serapita
      1. I think the Void combos are the ones that can be shaped however they want it.
        Like Shu making a long range cannon to shoot the Leukocyte.
        Like Gai making the one shot missile with the students.
        Like Gai making a bow that shoots cancer arrows (makes no sense since hacker kid’s void is suppose to be anti-gravity).
        Like Yuu making a jet engine like cannon.
        Like Shu making a Spirit Bomb (I’m guessing from mixing Yahiro, Argo and Yuu’s Voids)

  4. The battle between Shu and Yuu would be quite epic if Guilty Crown is an Action or RPG Game with Yuu as a boss.

    And seriously, I still think if they have more episodes and times to work the background story with, things in the past episodes might be a lot better.

    Serapita
  5. I thought for a second that Inori’s battle outfit after “brainwashed” will be semi-naked. Oh well.
    And more ShuxAyase is heavily welcomed, althought it’s a miracle if I.G.’s going to do it in the final episode.

    Kusabi
  6. Couple of quick random thoughts:

    Who needs a endlave/ghost unit/armored vehicle when you can just shove a stick into Funell and ride it like a boss.

    Yes or No? NO desu

    The way Shu calls out people’s void reminds me of pokemon..I had to say it. (saw what you did there mochi)

    Lastly totally calling that Inori somewhat still exists inside of Mana.

    Summary format is refreshing and a good addition. Keep it up!

    LightnDark
  7. And so the most rollercoaster-like series is coming to an end…and it’s ever looking like a beauty…

    …just like how we all like our explosions (think Mythbusters)

    a short spoilerific summary due to all the “eye-candy candy-store having it’s closure sale that spans 2 weeks”:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Thoughts/Prediction:
    -guess that 256 Leukocytes was only 1 real and 255 knockoffs/hacks
    – Haruka, Haruka, if you want to stay young, try not to let them call you “Haruka-mama”…as if you’ve already adopted Tsugumi (which I’m sure that you haven’t officially did)…
    – more death flags – Argo this time (ignores Ayase’s and Tsugumi’s)
    – Neo-Gai’s way of taking voids is really crazy this time, knocking people out.
    – oooh mini-boss and a segway-“knockoff”…
    – It looks like Inori’s void/heart/concious was brought out and crushed to allow Mana’s void/heart/concious to take over the body…
    – – that one flower that’s whats left of Inori, Shu’s gonna take it and get the BFS once more…
    – Daath (or Yuu) is still being very mysterious, with zero details about himself…or itself
    – any my prediction from ep 19 is still on…

    info600
  8. you miss mention ayasexshu moment…… and baka!
    and what the last void shu use? hiden weapon of someone we dont know?
    what!? daryl death flag? most of this ep really good but with one ep left i hope it had decent finale and the cahace for song Egoist-Kimi Sora Kiseki to make apperance , its really good song!
    oh …. and harukamama?tsugumi really know how to speak!

    chanceOFlife
  9. The last 2. Shu may have just used the “Void Summoning circle” Thing that helps him move from place to place easily *like episode 17 when he bounced off it to slash the endlave* . Except on his hand this time and hit Yuu with it. Good move actually. And the final void was most likely a combination of voids from Argo’s Souta and Yahiro’s or maybe even all of the voids he had. Who knows ? But we do know that particular void is a combined one

    VoidHack
  10. Hmmm 1st thing that I really noticed is darly…. he looks really matured now(on this episode only who know he might go gahhh waahhhh on the last episode)

    Another one is tsugumi’s “hacking” scene I really missed that one I’m glad to see that one again

    No comment on others 😀

  11. Really hard to take the counterattack seriously when the one leading the charge is riding a segway.

    And Ayase confirmed for pure maiden. This would please some certain people.

    Da’ath Mugi being the second to the last boss fight really make his character all the more unimportant despite what he says he is.
    Well whatever, he’s too hax.

    One episode left. Just get this over with.

  12. Honestly this anime would’ve been a lot better showcasing battles and nothing else. Their music and fight choreography are fucking up there, but it’s all turned too garbage with the crap they call a story and characterization

    Sheapy
  13. Like I said in the channel, the fact that Yuu did not die gives room for a movie or a sequel.

    This Yuu/Daath is seriously reminding me of Jupiter and Charles zi Brittania.

    I am guessing what is going to happen now is that it’s going to be Shu + Inori vs Gai + Mana + possible Gai’s battle harem. Gai will probably let Shu win at the end, since it has been hinted for a while now that Gai is not actually evil. Maybe (just maybe) Yuu will go back after Shu vs Gai concludes… but I can’t really say at this point.

    suff
  14. oh yeah this show had mechas (_ _lll)

    still a great episode compared to the previous ones hope GC can make a last minute stretch and win back the crowd in the bottom of the 9th.

    rasone0104
  15. This has never been observed, but one might expect one’s heart to change, thus changing the void as well. Maybe if Inori gets revived somehow (out of Mana), her void will also change… just a thought.

    suff
  16. Let’s see, the second last void should be a complementary part of “power of king”, since it is his left hand (think of it as Inori’s ‘beauty sleep touch a couple episodes ago’). The last void should be the void of the guy Shuu cured earlier this episode. If he needs to yell out a person’s name, I think yelling out with short cutin of the person’s face would make it much more conherent. Plus they can just make up a name for that deus ex machina who provided that extra void. Funny how I nicknamed Inori’s touch >.<.

    Anyways, I love Inori's new look! Reminds me of Koeda in My Dearest PV. Maybe I should start calling her Mana since she technically is Mana. Still!

    Inconsistencies: Arisa being next to Gai despite her 'betrayal'. She was always treated as part of the faceless army and wasn't allowed anywhere near Gai. How did she end up there?

    Oh. We might never know why Yuu/Daath is able to teleport around, since he owns a void = he is a human. But I guess he is able to revive people from the dead = he's an evolved form of human? That should also explain why he never ages. Oh, I just realized, the point about Keido creating the perfect adam last episode creates the perfect origin for the lost x'mas protagonist Scrooge.

    Void Gattai: Hm… Makes more sense than the missile, but still weird. Maybe because it looks like the Yuu bow in some ways.

    A lot of biblical references this episode. fyu-neru got trashed 🙁 I guess it's a segway now, is it.

    RainbowIslands
  17. The great bad ass leader who will save the world rides to battle like a boss. In a scooter.

    Kidding aside, Inori’s speech about Shu and Shu’s speech about Inori would have been (more) epic if only their relationship was more developed. I mean, I almost felt very sympathetic for the both of them except that it felt that something was missing – and that is a good development. A few episodes in the first season focused on Shu and Inori’s development, with Inori actually talking, would have helped a lot.

    And oh, that goddamn scene between Ayase and Shu was so like – MMMMMMMMMFFFFFFFFF!!!!!

    Overall, I think GC has improved a lot since episode 18 or 19. I’ll be honest, right now if there’s an anime I’d like to get a remake, it’s Guilty Crown. They have all the tools they need to make this one epic. They just have to redo the storyline and some of the characters (don’t turn Arisa into a bitch and don’t make Souta and Yahiro lame), make good developments, and maybe add new twists.

    P.S.
    I said earlier that Shu has a deathflag, but I think it’ll be the other way around. Shu can’t die now because if he dies, Ayase and the others will die as well. Though I hate to think about it, I guess Inori will sacrifice herself or something to keep Shu alive. Damn, all I hope for is a happy ending for Shu and Inori.

    The Story You Don't Know
    1. Here’s what they need to do to get Guilty Crown right in the remake:

      1. Extend length to 50-54 episodes, which leaves room for episodes meant solely for singular character development, expansion, and maybe even 5 or 6 that could just be about flashbacks. Also helps to establish a status quo, something this show lacked in its second half. In the first half, it was Shu had two lives: Funeral Parlor and School. They could have kept that going for 20-something episodes if they had the time. The “trapped inside the school” arc could have lasted longer too, which would have helped to make Shu’s turn to being a tyrant seem realistic and easier to sympathize with, as we would be seeing his demeanor change gradually instead of swing from moral extreme to moral extreme.
      2. EVERY SINGLE JOHN AND JANE SMITH DOES NOT NEED THEIR OWN VOID. A void is meant to be a representation of someone else’s personality and dreams. Thus, for any of the Voids to hold significance beyond being stylized weapons that kill when they break, each character who has a significant Void needs to be elaborated on and maybe even get the spotlight once in awhile. You can’t do that when you have a whole army of nameless extras whose Voids all end up looking the same.
      3. Just take the whole 13-18 Episodes out. Or at least rearrange them. Makes it way easier to root for the characters.

      I’m hoping the finale ends with some good guys dying, all the bad guys dying (including Daryl), and ties everything up. No sequels please.

      Da5id
      1. No, not even then. If they’re elite mooks, then they deserve more attention than regular mooks, which means they at least deserve a bit of backstory to explain why their Void looks and functions the way it does. This is something GC could have accomplished if they had more episodes.

        Da5id
      2. Because most stories can work within 24-26 episodes. GC would have likely done better with its pacing if it had 3 or 4 extra episodes under its belt, even if they were just to expand upon the end. They could have Given the flashback an extra episode from Gai’s point of view to show how he ended up making his own terrorist group, then another to be about Shu’s group assaulting the GHQ, another one to focus on beating the grunts and Daryl (ending with Shu confronting Yuu), the penultimate 100% focused on Shu vs Yuu and explaining Daath + Inori’s creation and purpose, and the last episode to focus on wrapping everything up (kill keido and yuu, rescue inori, flee and somehow resume normal life).

        Dear god…hopefully once this show is over, I can try to pour pages and pages of typing into something productive…

        Da5id
  18. Okay, as I said, this post will only be about expanding on points I liked about the episode. So I’m going to side-step all of the plot-holes, dropped ship teases, fridge logic…I think I’ll shut up now.

    Finally, FINALLY, Yuu gets some focus. It’s taken 20 episodes, but he finally gets some sort of dialogue that isn’t a cryptic load of nothing. I always thought he was a character with a lot behind him, and got pretty excited whenever he was on screen. The over-exaggerated biblical imagery didn’t help, but at least we saw him doing something other than floating around and plotting…something. I hope he’ll at least show up in the last episode to confirm that he’s an alien or something.

    Gai finally got a single flashback about why he’s on the other side. He didn’t get much into the role, as Baka said, this adds something to his character. Gai being the bad guy means, like with Haruka, that Shu has someone on the inside. Not someone who is going to take his safety into consideration, (otherwise Shu wouldn’t even need the void-arm), but someone who will at least make sure that he doesn’t die.

    AAAAAAND…that’s about it.

    NOW THE BAD PARTS.

    Da5id
    1. Oh, and I’m glad Daryl and Tsugumi’s ship tease didn’t amount anything. It’s better just being in fanfiction than anything else.

      Seriously, it’s cute, but what reason would they have to hook up?

      Da5id
  19. So the 256 leukocytes were a scare tactic after all and the UN didn’t buy it. Glad to see the writers definitely have handle on the ideas behind the series but they really should have gotten better people behind the execution. Guilty Crown really could have been amazing if they had just polished it more.

    UnFear
  20. If there was a second season it will consist of Shu saves humanity and Inori, Funeral Parlor becomes famous, Shu forms an army, they find out there is higher deity that is an enemy, they go to space to fight it, Inori is actually a void sent by that deity, she gets captured, the entire Funeral Parlor go saves her (again) in space, saves her, gets married, she disappears.

    cow
  21. LOL. Gespenst… And no fancy moves? Darn shame.

    So My thoughts about this episode:

    > Shu vs Gai was imminent ever since we first saw Gai and decided he’s an asshole. But I never expected Gai to be the one who would want to screw humanity. Should I have been cheering for him instead? Not really. The buildup I expected is a bit generic, but I don’t think it’s as bad as everyone expected.

    > Shu’s arm is a fucking Game Breaker. I thought I was just badass last time. I wonder what it would be like if this is how the Void worked from day 1? Shu, and GC as a whole, would have been making more noise by giving a whimpy hero with the power to screw the world, and himself, ten times over.

    > That Segway does break the scene a bit though.

    > Mana!Inori’s dress reminds me of a flamenco dancer. I wonder why….?

    The Moondoggie
      1. And ballet no less! When was it implied or even hinted at that she knew ballet or any dancing whatsoever?

        Never, that’s when. I wonder if the seen she’s doing it in will have any actual significance?

        Da5id
      2. Since when has jumping over a build had anything to do with dancing?

        And thanks for reminding me about that, because the reason Inori was able to scale an entire prison by just hopping was never explained either.

        Da5id
      3. I don’t think it needs or is meant to be implied that she’s done ballet or any form of dancing, that’s taking it too literally. I’m guessing she’s in some sort of trance just before all s*** is about to go down.

        Sukoshi
    1. Gai’s pretty much as much of an asshole as Shu at this point.

      Was it really necessary to have Shu pull out Voids that we’ve never seen before? I mean, what was that triangle thing?

      Da5id
      1. Yeah but before episode 10 Gai and Daryl are the only ones who qualify for that description.

        Voids we haven’t seen huh? Well not really. In fact I would have liked it more if they limited his weapons to those we have already seen, to give GC a more RPG feel.

        The Moondoggie
      2. Daryl’s been less of an asshole and more of a psychopath that had no chance adapting to anything but soldier life in the first place. Gai was definitely troubled, and a bit dickish at times, but, prior to his resurrection, I actually liked his character. He had a motivation, he had charisma, and he was able to use the tools at his disposal. I even liked his death, because it was fitting for his arc.

        But then he came back.

        And yeah, I was fine with Shu’s “use every void he had at the moment powers”…he pulled out the triangle. Does anyone here have any idea what that triangle was?

        I can’t even understand most of the Void-combos. There’s the missle Gai made that didn’t make sense, then the virus arrow he made out of Arisa, Kenji and Yuu’s voids…but I have a theory: Maybe people with that kind of experience with Voids can turn Voids into stuff like Stem Cells, then form into whatever. It would explain what Yuu and Gai did, but not what Shu did with the triangle thing at the end of his fight with Yuu.

        Da5id
  22. I couldn’t agree more with your PS note Mochi…It gave me a good laugh, even if brief, to hear Shuu have to call their names when using their Voids.

    The finale is getting closer (Guess I’ll be finishing GC and BRS the same day)…The story may not deliver, but I sure as hell hope the animation does, at least.

    This show…it’s just that…So many plot points tossed around without any previous hinting. It gives GC such a low-quality grade…And it showed so much potential in the beginning…I actually rewatched the first episode a while ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed it: the Undertakers, the interesting Mechas; the excitement of knowing there are so many possible ways the show’s direction could take, an interesting universe to be shown indeed…Too bad it chose the worst one.

    “Who are you?”
    “I am power. The Guilty Crown formed between people’s hearts.”

    Epic one-liners in your first episode are motherf*ing Epic.

    1. Oh, and about whose Voids those last two were Mochi, I think they were nobody’s.

      (Don’t know if somebody else already said this here) I think Shuu went with his own abilities there, and was pretty cool too:

      First, Shuu went bare-handed against Yuu so as to draw out his void and KO him, but a barrier protected Yuu and he was sent flying away (Void Safety: ON).

      Second, that thing Shuu did to stop Yuu’s Chakra-Bomb, was…Well, that’s anybody’s guess. Maybe he just took it all in, just like his Void cures cancer by being a martyr.

      1. It’s more like “happy go lucky” cool. Like the kind of thing a really positive, excited kid rides to school in the future. And besides that future part, Shu is the exact opposite of that.

        Da5id
  23. Does this mean the whole Daryl/Tsugumi ‘flag’ is subverted? I sure as heck hope so :/ Though now I’m left wondering why Daryl saved the chibi few episodes back.

    “He knows now he had no say in being revived, so it’s almost like he’s just fulfilling the role of the bad guy now.”
    I actually preferred Gai before that revelation. I mean, “he gets revived therefore he will follow through Shuichiro and Daath’s plans”? To me, this felt like a last ditch curve ball the writers threw to make Gai sympathetic. Sort of like Yuu declaring “I am Daath” so that once Gai/Yuu/Shuichiro are killed, the entire organization would collapse.

    I did call bullshit on Yuu’s “This is the will of humanity!”. And the Yuu vs Shu fight- where’d Yuu get that intangibility from? o_0 Though I guess this isn’t the first time he’s displayed it.

    Also, no mention of the ShuxAyase BakaMochi? XD

    Beedle
    1. I admit the revelation of Gai’s reluctance is kind of… half-assed, from a plot standpoint, and even from a characterization standpoint, it came too late. But at this point, I should just take what I can get XDD

      And also… I know I didn’t mention the AyasexShuu thing, but it was just one of those things I had to cut out to prevent the post from being too long ;—;

      BakaMochi
  24. Pretty sure those last two voids were just Shuu’s void. The king’s hand is all about absorbing things. I get the feeling he absorbed Yuu’s attack and then fired it back, amped up a few notches of course. Because what’s a reflection attack without a nice power boost for a little extra kick?

    Enmire
    1. I don’t think that’s the case. As I said in my last comment I believe that first strike Shuu made was just the Power of Kings Circle. (The same thing he always used to bounce off from or to block like the same thing in episode 1 to block and repel the missiles) except he just used it to strike with this time. The second may have just been a combination of everyone’s voids’ he held or maybe a select few. I know for sure that isn’t Shuu’s void cause Shuu’s void is the right arm with it’s ability to temporarily borrow any Void he wishes. That’s not any of the voids he held onto either. The only logical thing to think about is that’s definitely a combined void.

      VoidHack
  25. I really agree with you Bakamochi about the contrasting feelings invoked by Inori’s monologue versus Shu’s monologue. I could finally kinda sympathize with her after all this time of her character being so passive. I enjoyed her discussion with Gai, and that scene did it for me for this episode. x_x; However, Shu’s… it felt really, I don’t know. Didn’t quite demonstrate the same effect on me, lol.

    Haruka
    1. ……otherwise everything seems to be heading in a better direction, so here’s hoping we at least get great finale.

      Oh and hooray for Mana’s “return”, she’s looking damn nice with her new outfit.

      ronri
  26. I’m pretty sure that the flower formed near the end of the episode will play a role in Inori’s revival. She probably had transferred her conscience (unknowingly) into that teardrop and Shu’s desire for her to be by his side will somehow activate it and in turn, materializes into a new body. Then, it’ll be a Shu+Inori vs Gai+Mana showdown, which was hinted near the end of the OP footage where Gai and Shu reaches their hands towards their respective partners. For those who are suspicious, this is NOT a spoiler.

    1. I don’t think that had anything to do with a conflict between them, more like making parallels between the two relationship-wise. Which is strange because THERE ARE NONE.

      But yeah, I agree totally on the flower. It was just so oddly placed in this episode (among other things) that I didn’t get it right away.

      Da5id
  27. Gespenst.

    I was like o_e when I heard that. SRSLY SRW?!
    That is so one of my main units in the game. Nice try trolling me, Daryl and GC staff.

    Aaaanyways, lol I do have the feeling that Shu is not typically human, even though Inori tells that he’s “heartbreakingly human”. For what Shu has done the past three eps, I don’t consider him as such. He may even be a monster like Inori. Also, Mana’s back. HUH. AS A BALLERINA. Your outfit is nice to cosplay too. /rofl

    Funell was demoted to scooter, btw.

    1. I’m pretty sure Yuu is done for after Shu’s last attack, which, destroyed all the voids in Yuu’s possession at the time. Also, the way he dissipated after the fight was identical to how Gai and Mana did at the end of episode 12.

      1. Mana+Gai disapated like broken crystals like those with the virus die, while Yuu/Daath looked like he was teleporting (probably back to where he came from) Its pretty obvious that Yuu didn’t take on Shuu’s attack instead teleported out of the way. My guess was he was testing Shu’s resolve and once his void slaves where destroyed he left. Meaning he isn’y dead

        Did you notice that Yuu’s elevator lead Shu right to Inori and Gai?

        Dczzz
  28. Gai: You hate me?
    Shuu: No…
    Gai: I will always be with you in your heart as a wall that you must have to climb over, even if you hate me..
    Shuu: (Stares at him)

    (Naruto Ripoff).

    Felix
  29. ED1 of this show would be the best of this whole series imo
    I sat through the ED everytime for the first part of this series, cos the song was good and every episode’s ED is different
    After it was gone, I simply skipped to the end

    Sebas
    1. Exactly the same. Not only do I feel Koeda’s ED song is worse, the sequence is too. Not changing, no beautiful background imagery. It’s nice to see one time but that’s all I need. The song’s not even worth staying for.

      OP2 however. I watch that every time even if it is unchanging, sequence was also worth watching at least 10 times and the song has really grown on me.

      I love ED1 the most though, the lyrics and chelly’s voice. It’s simple but beautiful.

      Sukoshi
    2. I’m more fascinated by the fact that everything in both OPs has pretty much been seen in the show thus far. Totally not looking forward to whether or not the writers are planning on taking “The Everlasting Guilty Crown” literally.

      Mundo
    3. I agree, I like ED1 and OP2 more which was done by Chelly of EGOIST(which is Supercell).

      What I don’t like about Koeda(OP1 and ED2 singer) is the way she forces her voice to do high pitches but that’s probably her style. But if you listen carefully, you’ll also find out that she really has a good voice when she tones it down and sings normally. The fact that she’s just 15 years old, I believe she really has a lot of talent in her.

      But still…

      Nagi > Chelly > Koeda. ‘Nuff said.

      The Story You Don't Know
  30. The animation for this episode was truly amazing. Some might be disappointed that the fight scenes were so slow for Yuu and Shu’s fight, but in my opinion, it was done perfectly. The fact that it was so slow and smooth already tells us that they put a lot of effort and money into drawing and planning. Reason is, when drawing a faster scene, less frames are needed to be drawn because the audience does not capture every frame that goes by, as for slow scenes, the movement of the body parts really needs to be drawn properly to make it seem smooth to the audience. Along with the animation, the camera works and music syncing surely was a step up. It felt like as if I was watching a movie. Even though the last couple episode was very well planned out; I still can’t forgive the fact that the writers did a poor job of setting the road for the earlier episodes. So in some way, it feels like we’re getting bombarded with so many things at once in these couple of episodes.

    Just A Random Guy
  31. kerrigan finished morphing already ?! How come this become really good. wait for final showdown.
    Well ya know I gotta say it but I love this anime the way it be , Not that bad nice graphique still full of hope but if they give kill Shu that is it.

    pokpokza
  32. When Inori started singing in the end I got some HAL 9000 vibes from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

    When that end card came up it made me think that redjuice designed all these characters with a little something different in mind than what this show ended up being. It happens I guess.

    sealouse
  33. I also like Yuu to be out of the picture, but didn’t Shuu defeat him rather easily/quickly. Yuu seemed so much more powerful (teleport, shield, ect.). And where did that crazy last attack of Shuu come from?

    Djalaal
    1. A lack of time and proper thought, that’s where it came from. Also possibly drug abuse.

      Yeah, Shu’s only had that Void for about two days at most by now, but he can totally beat an ageless alien who has more grasp on the situation than anyone else in the show! MAKES PERFECT SENSE.

      I need a drink…

      Da5id
  34. So if Inori is supposedly in love with Shuu, she certainly didnt act like it before, especially how she blatantly rejected him multiple times in the past.

    But sure, I’ll believe what the writers of this show want me to believe since they cant write cohesively.

    YanDaMan
    1. So if Inori is supposedly in love with Shuu, she certainly didnt act like it before, especially how she blatantly rejected him multiple times in the past.

      I’m a sucker for romance so that rejection left me unsatisfied that Shuu just shrugged it off like nothing. Yeah, incoherent writing is incoherent. :'(

      0927123
  35. Gonna post this again, since it’s more appropriate for this episode:

    Now Shu has 3 options:

    Mass Effect 3 Spoilers: Don’t read unless you’ve at least heard about the ending

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Da5id
    1. That’s…impossible. Yuu’s Void is a Bow and Arrow. Gai used it to capture Inori at the end of Episode 18. Besides, Shu didn’t put his hand in Yuu, he pushed him away. And even if he had, he didn’t have a hand on Yuu, so Yuu would have gotten knocked out if Shu had pulled the Void out.

      Still doesn’t explain what the hell that thing was that Shu used. It doesn’t even look like an object at all.

      Da5id
      1. wasn’t that the force field thingy that has been appearing randomly ever since ep 1?
        he’s been able to use it as jumping platforms, shield, and now for attacking

        how he got it? erm…when he’s using a void…(?) how? beats me

        Then again it’s GC, so why would anyone even expect it to make sense?

        jellyfish
      2. I’m not saying this to be mean, but I really don’t see the confusion with the last 2 attacks Shuu used. The first one was the Power of Kings on it’s own. The forcefield circle he’s been using this entire time as platforms and shields. The only difference is now he’s using it to attack. Remember Shuu has hold of Souta’s, Yahiro’s,(I believe he gave Tsugumi’s back) and Ayase’s void. It isn’t a confusing thing to figure out that he combined the voids. Gai has been spamming that since episode 18. This isn’t a confusing thing to grasp. Other things in GC are confusing I understand that but I just don’t see the problem with this, cause it looked clear as day. It’s just a repeat of what’s been happening all through the series. Just executed differently. The “confusion” and “misinterpretation” here is just odd.If you really try to grasp and following the powers in GC it wouldn’t be too hard to understand. Cause those 2 things are just repeats from different episodes.

        VoidHack
  36. Well, at least
    The part where Yuu just freely destroy people’s voids

    Your typical shoujo protagonist: will be put at an disadvantage, having to save the voids and keep up with the fight

    Ouma Shuu: “tch.”, and finishes the battle quickly afterwards (keep dodging the sword even)

    Gotta give him credits on that. Being a “messiah” as he is, he still knows his priorities

    jellyfish
  37. (disclaimer: to put it simply, I enjoy watching Guilty Crown. This is just the result of all my pent up frustration that has been slowly building since episode seven)

    Guilty Crown makes the romantic in me scream bloody murder. I get angry just thinking about how much more potent Inori’s confession would have been if they had given her the development she deserved as a main character. Heck, Shuu’s small scene with Ayase this episode had ten times more emotion than Inori’s ‘kiss’ scene with Shuu two episodes back. If the developers are going to set the audience with a pairing from the get go, especially one that’s painfully obvious, they better damn well make their love more believable than it isn’t. I could write better romance than this for pete’s sake. This is why I’m always skeptical of large casts, as result of feeling like they have to flesh out the entire cast (which more often than not is unnecessary) they tend to lose sight of the actual main characters.

    Anyway, in a nutshell I’m just a bit mad that my OTP got shafted the development they deserved. That’s it from me, bring on the next episode! Let’s see if they can salvage what’s left of this beautiful mess.

    1. Glad I’m not the only romantic! I hear ya and I agree with your points. It’s so true about Ayase, I felt they had more chemistry, particularly when Shuu was helping her. If I could KYAAAAA~~~~! I would, but knowing that they’re not the ‘canon’ pair I can’t do it. Finally she accepted him, for as we knew before that she refuses anyone but Tsugumi to help her, IMHO that’s a better development for me.

      Better hang on coz the magnificent train-wreck is coming to a stop this week Thursday!

      0927123
    1. @Da5id
      I wish I could watch raws, but I think I’ve watched too much anime to understand the basic gist of things. Commie released their subs pretty early this time, usually I see it at midnight but today I d’led it this afternoon.

      @Seven
      I guess that’s to be expected, oh well.

      0927123
      1. This show is a lot like The Place promised in our early days, It has a really cool Sci-Fi setting, but does nothing with it. It has a week romance back ground with no explanation at all for it’s Sci-Fi aspect.

        Seven
  38. Just finished watching the final episode. Get ready to laugh your assess off at how fucking stupid and nonsensical it is. I was literally on the floor laughing at how bad it was.

    LaughingMan
    1. While I admit there were several ‘wtf?’ moments in the finale, don’t forget that…
      that…
      …that
      ……
      Aw damn it, I can’t say anything goo- oh! That the soundtrack is amazing! Especially that insert song before Departures started playing 🙂 The entire scene that played out with Departures also felt sweet, so it’s a nice way to end the series, I guess.

      That, and this series is finally over!

      Also Show Spoiler ▼

      Beedle
      1. Yes indeed the OST, the music, the animation is in another level (Listened to The Everlasting Guilty Crown and its remixed version for like a whole day), the coherency of the story however is left to rot somewhere.

        0927123
      2. Things Guilty Crown has going for it:
        Soundtrack
        Animation
        Character Design

        Things that bring its quality down:
        Story/Plot
        Characters (Relationships and Development fit in this category)
        Pacing

        Which brings this show to an even 50%. Also known as an F.

        Da5id
      3. @Moondoggie: whelp, that explains everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) I guess…

        Wonder how Divine feels about that scene when Shu and Gai were fighting; he’s only had that picture as randomc’s banner for pretty much a whole year…

        Beedle
      4. Rebirth was just the beginning of End of Evangelion…because it wasn’t finished yet. Not a smart move, I know, but it paid off.

        Well, they had originally intended for End of Evangelion to be the original TV ending, but I think I remember reading that there was some Executive Meddling (as there is in all anime during the 90’s) because it was getting too dark and violent (which was mainly because Anno was going through a depression at the time), and they were running out of money in the show budget…so they went for the cheapest and quickest way to get the point across. Naturally, this caused a major fan backlash (not unlike the ME3 backlash that’s been going on the past couple weeks, though there were fans that actually vandalized Gainax Studios in protest), so they made EoE.

        That’s what happened as far as I know.

        Da5id
      5. Speaking of Evangelion, where should I start watching? I haven’t really watched Evangelion cept when I was a kid in which at that point I didn’t really cared much about cause I was occupied watching Zenki. :S

        0927123
      6. Well, I suggest watching Episode 1 of the original, but you could also watch the first movie of the Rebuild series, which covers Episodes 1-6 near exactly, though the 2nd movie is almost completely different and the 3rd won’t be out till fall of this year. I’ve always wanted to get an opinion from someone who watched Rebuild before the original and see how the first impressions differ.

        So yeah, there’s Episode 1-26, then Episode 21′-24′ (same episodes, but a bit of extra scenes, basically director’s cuts. you should probably watch them in place of the original episodes to save time), then End of Evangelion, and then the Rebuild films. All the other rereleases like Death and Rebirth are just for the really anal viewer…like me.

        If I knew how to contact you, I’d ask you to let me know how you liked after watching, but I don’t, so enjoy.

        Da5id
  39. I recommend you watch it completely backwards, from episode 24 to 1. It will make about the same coherent sense by time you get to episode one. The answers to almost everything are in End of Evangelion anyway.

    Seven
  40. THe reason why Shu turned blind is because of his void. He assumes everything and its weight which means he took Inori’s blindness. Also having Shu alive and handicapped really lives up to the name of the series. Guilty Crown.

    VVootang
  41. I enjoyed this episode overall, but as you said, Shu’s speech while fighting Yu/Daath was very out-of-place and made no sense to me. All I could think was, “That isn’t consistent with their relationship so far!”

    As for Gai, I’ve always found him to be one of the most interesting characters of GC (Call me a fangirl, whatever) even with his came-back-wrong-and-became-the-big-bad arc. With this new development, I fear for Daryl’s life by the finale’s conclusion, as I was really starting to get interested in a Tsugumi x Daryl pairing.

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