D_Cide Traumerei: The Animation – 04

「無頼」 (Burai)
“Rascal”

This episode was mostly dedicated to Aruto. What’s his family situation like, and how he goes from not allowing anyone to see a vulnerable side of him. To opening up to the group and asking someone else for help. In this case, it was Ryuuhei who stepped in and allowed Aruto to cope. At first, I found, Ryuuhei tries to console Aruto the only way he knows how, but later he understands it’s not the way to reach out to him, and instead blocks back on using kickboxing as an excuse to get Aruto to open up. And it works!

The two bond over how the exercise allows them to release stuff that doesn’t necessarily need to be talked about. Ryuuhei almost becomes a big bro for Aruto. And I think at first Aruto was pushing back on this notion, but later understood that he can ask other people for help, and it’s not something that should be seen as a weakness. But only because he was at his limit.

However the dreamer is not Aruto, but a rando, overworked, sort of a run of the mill really, and the series really pushes on this because it uses some pretty creative, almost surrealistic scenes to convey its message. It’s not storytelling that is going to appeal to everyone, but I found it quite interesting as it almost was like trying to figure out the story of a silent film. In its execution allowed for the premise to provide interesting, without having to give too much contexts to the whole ordeal.

The guy wants to die, but he doesn’t want to make it a big problem for someone else. And so he finds his solution in the candy dreamers take to open the Traumerei.

This episode dealt heavily with the suicide thing, Aruto’s home life sort of reflects what they were going to be fighting this week. It wasn’t much, as when the dream takes form, it envelops Shibuya in a circle of Traumerei, but nothing inside of it. The man was empty, to begin with. Instead, the party just sort of floats like it’s Zero G. Aruto uses Ryuuhei to push forward and reaches the dreamer. The dreamer realizes all he wanted was the warmth of someone else to keep him company. And so the dream ends and Ryuuhei is saved.

Nevertheless, I liked how both stories just mirrored each other or at least complemented each other in a way that was easier to explain each one. Giving us an entry through Aruto, making him more than the bishonen boy and having him be an actual character. Which I like a lot more now since we got to know him as an actual human being rather than just another one who is part of the cast. The ice finally melted! Then introducing us to the salaryman who is fed up with his life of being pushed down by his superiors.

I do hope this exploration of character development continues for the rest of the cast.

Preview

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