「ピエロの処方箋」 (Piero no Shohōsen)
“Clown’s Prescription”

There are no rainbows or tea parties to be had this time around.

The dramatic contrast between the bleakness of this episode and the ones immediately preceding it is almost shocking. Prior to this episode, bad things happened, but there was always an underlying sense of fun and whimsical craziness to uplift the more depressing subplots. Now, however, we get a real change of pace as we concentrate on Gareki’s past and how Tsubaki’s selfish decisions affected his adopted siblings. There’s not a cute animal in sight as things come to a head between the altered Yotaka (who is in the process of turning into a Varuga) and Gareki’s allies, and things get noticeably darker, even when it comes to the color palette.

Though the larger plot at play has to do with the twins and their transformation, this episode, more than anything, is about Gareki. His conflicted emotions about the whole affair arise from the trauma of Tsubaki’s death as well as from the fact that he’s ultimately facing the death of a family member he abandoned in the first place. There’s definitely guilt in the way he goes about dealing with Yotaka and Tsubame, but there’s also attachment and love, something he’s clearly tried to push beneath the surface all this time. Yotaka too seems to feel betrayed after having been abandoned by Gareki, but in his last moments it’s Gareki whom he pleads to kill him, not as an act of revenge, but as an act of compassion. This, more than anything (especially more than the slightly ill-timed flashbacks) speaks to me about the bonds between the three of them, and it’s only that more tragic that Gareki actually gathers his will to go through with it before Hirato beats him to it.

As to the mysterious man behind the whole thing, he turns out to be a Varuga (can anyone not think of the word baluga when they hear this? Seriously?), though his goals in experimenting on the twins are still as mysterious as the general narrative of this series has been all season. I have to wonder when and if we’ll start getting answers, but depressing though it was, we at least got a good look into some of Gareki’s psyche and motivations, and characterization is always a plus in my book.

Full-length images: 08, 09.

 

Preview

19 Comments

  1. About that sword. If you watched the frame before the cap you have it shows him slicing of the Varuga dude’s arm off with the sword on his hand. The cap just has an awkward angle is all.

    CodexVII
    1. Hmm, I’d have to watch it again, but I think I remember seeing the same thing, a sword attached to his arm. Let me take a look and make adjustments.

      Ah whoops, yep you’re right. Thanks! I had a really bad night yesterday, so I kind of watched this episode in tears…. ._.

      1. On a different note, I’m really starting to like this series 😀 This episode will probably set the ball in motion now and I can’t wait to see where it’ll take us!

        CodexVII
  2. I wasn’t expecting such a bleak and depressing episode… It was good, just unexpected. It wasn’t fun, bright, or flashy this week- and that threw me off guard. But hey, at least things are starting to make sense!

    katsudon
  3. I felt really bad for Tsubame when her brother died, but I’m glad Gareki didn’t have to kill him since it probably would of lead into her hating him. In the next episode I can’t wait to see the end of the fight and what happens to Tsubame.

    agr0n
  4. I have watched 5 episodes until now. And all I can say is that it made me feel really sleepy. LOL.
    I don’t want to be mean to those who like this show. I do believe that everyone has the right to express their opinion though, so don’t take this personally. This show doesn’t have an amazing story so far, I only found Gareki to be a bit interesting as a character, but not so much that it would actually make me want to keep watching this show.

    Arukiella
  5. One more thing. I was like wtf when I saw Gareki’s shirt and I thought it was gay. When I said that to my friend, she put it in a way like I don’t have the right to think that way. And why is that? If you like something it doesn’t mean that everyone else has to like it! Plus I didn’t mean it in an offensive way, just like oh it’s gay. I wasn’t insinuating that Gareki is gay.

    Arukiella

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