「白い繭と青い炎」 (Shiroi Mayu to Aoi Honou)
“White Cocoon and Blue Flames”

I’ve said this before but this series has really hit its stride over the past couple episodes. Whether its the animation, the developing plot, or the cast of characters, the quality has only gotten better and better the further along we go. Evan Call‘s OST, especially for the sequence where Arata walked home alone from Shinjuku Station, does wonders to capture the fun, mystery, and for that scene in particular, loneliness of the series.

Thanks in no small part to Satoru purposely setting Arata up with a case that was a bad match to his abilities, it was once again made clear that while Arata’s Ears of Sand allow him to communicate, they do not guarantee that he will understand what he hears. Kohaku, for example, was even more frustratingly enigmatic than usual, spouting nonsense without context about a festival for the gods that had Arata shaking his head until Sakaki and Seo filled in the missing pieces of information he needed. Although those two have settled into the background, their unwavering support of Arata was integral to him holding fast to his ideals when it comes to dealing with Another peacefully.

It’s true that not every Another can be talked down – such as in the case of the Moth babies, Azazel, or Persephone – but some of them can be reached if you’re patient enough to try. When Sakaki and Seo explained their viewpoints on the situation, it was probably Sakaki’s method that resonated the most. Yes, you try the peaceful way, but if it comes down to a choice between Another and human lives, he would choose the humans. Unlike Satoru, however, burning the stadium would be his last resort. Simply moving the eggs to another, less populated location is such a simple answer though that it’s a wonder why Arata himself didn’t suggest it. As much as I enjoyed several characters taking the time to maturely discuss the issues at hand, it felt like Arata gave up and went home a little too easily. Having his actions be motivated by saving the “elites” from the Moth Queen lessens his agency, making him feel more reactive, which is essentially what he’s been all along. If only there were some kind of a disaster god he could have asked for help…

Kanoichi Akane (Shimamura Yu) is proof that humans can come to an understanding with Another. She may not know what her house god is saying, but she can tell when she’s happy from her expressions. She treats her house god as though she were a child, because essentially she is. Similarly, the Another in the Red Hood was a child who only wanted to play. They didn’t know the harm they were causing. And Azazel, for as twisted as his methods were, only wanted his love back. To date, Satoru is the only character (outside of flashbacks) that has committed acts of violence with spiteful intent. It’s somewhat justified due to his father prioritizing the house god over his own son’s life during some kind of hostage situation, but not enough to earn him much sympathy here. In his few appearances, he has stomped on an Another and set a stadium filled with eggs that look like this ablaze, so if his only redeeming quality is some affection for his cousin, then I say Arata should save Shimizu Shota (Sakaguchi Daisuke) and then get out of the way of the storm.

 

Preview

3 Comments

  1. Two things that I hope happen before the season ends: 1) People stop telling Arata what the Ears of Sand can and can’t do because of, at best, second-hand information so he at least tries to figure stuff out himself, and 2) Arata stops being such a sappy doormat and gets some actual drive to take charge of his own damn circumstances.

    He might not have as much experience as the others, but if he’d stop being such a wimp every time someone disagrees with him he’d be ahead of them in a lot of ways. Arata knew they had to find/talk to the mother Another, but folded the second everyone else didn’t want to bother. So of course the people that can only guess at what’s going on make things worse, and now instead of being a step ahead like thy could’ve been with Arata’s help they’re a mile behind and everyone just has to hope momma’s still in a mood to talk after her babies have been set on fire. Be nice if human stubbornness stopped leading to stupidity for at least a few episodes.

    Aex
    1. Momma definitely didn’t look like she was feeling up for a convo

      Had Arata been able to talk to her beforehand, they probably would have gotten somewhere, but now it’s seems like it might just be too little too late. Also, Kohaku is so cheerfully down for murder, like, “You want me to just disappear this little problem for you?” What a good friend

      Stars
      1. Considering what was going on, I honestly can’t get mad at Kohaku for this one. It might’ve been just to get a debt, but I’m not gonna get mad if people who kick in an Another’s door and start killing its kids get disappeared.

        Makes you wonder how many of the disasters Kohaku has caused were because of humans stepping on an Another’s toes and not knowing enough to back off.

        Aex

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