First Impressions / Mirai Nikki

「新機種」 (Shin Kishu)
“New Model”

For Amano Yukiteru, it’s a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world, except for Yuno. Well – mostly because of Yuno.

I anticipated a storm of Yuki-hate when looking forward to this episode of Mirai Nikki, and though I’ve intentionally avoided visiting the usual places where such things are debated I’m fairly confident I know what it sounds like – “Yuki’s an idiot. Yuki should die. Why doesn’t Yuki trust Yuno? Yuki’s such a f**ing coward!” I’m not going to say those feelings are invalid, but I would offer an alternative view as to why Yukkii behaved the way he did this week. I think that if you look at Yukkii’s behavior over the first seven eps, you’ll see that what he craves more than anything is normal. He’s never been normal. Home isn’t normal – where’s Dad, first of all, and Mom is a bit of a female Peter Pan with an ecchi complex. School isn’t normal – he’s so painfully shy that he’s never had a friend, and spends all his time writing entries (which are never about himself) in his diary. And all that was before said diary turned into a magical talisman that made his entire life a death match with eleven people who either have to kill him or die trying.

This, for me, is fundamentally why Yukkii resists surrendering fully to Yuno. He “trusts” her, in that he believes she wants to protect him. But the one thing he wants most is what Yuno can never give him – normalcy. She can’t be a normal girlfriend, though that doesn’t stop him dreaming she could – that’s why he was so happy on the day of the amusement park date (and so broken at the way it ended). Yuki always wants to do the right thing, although it isn’t always the best thing for him, and he resists Yuno’s cynical, violent solutions to every situation. The problem for Yukiteru is that pretty much every time Yuno offers a course of action based on paranoia and violence, she turns out to be exactly right. Intellectually he knows this, but emotionally he resists it. Yukkii doesn’t want to believe in a world where Yuno’s way of thinking is the right way, because in such a world he can never, ever be normal.

In that context, Yukiteru can hardly be blamed at being a little giddy when his first day at his new school seems to be going a lot better than he expected. We briefly see a silhouetted diary holder ask Deus for permission to loan his diary to another, then jump immediately to Yuno and Yukiteru, walking to their new school. After a rough start with his old tormentor Ouji “King” Kosaka (Shiraishi Minoru), who tries to blame him for the bombing deaths at their old school, Hinata Hino (Matsuoka Yuki) and her pal Nonosaka Mao (Yukana – finally another “name” seiyuu) come to his defense and, despite a Yukkii-induced wardrobe malfunction, new friendships are formed. An after-school adventure to a local crime scene plays out like fairly typical early-teen hijinks (yes, visiting murder scenes is a step towards normalcy for our hero) until Hinata goes off on her own, and everything starts to go all wrong again. Very wrong, as Yukkii’s diary leads the children to Hinata’s dismembered body and a pack of menacing dogs with orthodontic enhancements.

It’s as this point that we meet the most interesting of the new characters introduced this week, Akise Aru (Ishida Akira). Akise fancies himself a boy-detective and knows an awful lot about Yukiteru, which has the expected impact on Yuno. However, he does lead the kids to safety in a watchtower, with the dogs literally nipping at their heels. Yukkii now must face yet another decision – follow Yuno’s advice to let the others distract the dogs while they escape, or reveal his diary by using to tell the others where the dogs will attempt to break in. Meanwhile, as the politics of their situation play out “Lord of the Flies” style in the tower, a strange man (Hiramatsu Hirokazu) feeds his dogs steak and 30 year-old wine as he dines on cup curry in a control room, watching a monitor where five targets are being tracked.

I don’t think anyone should be surprised at what Yukkii chooses, or what the result is – both are perfectly in character and predictable. Hinata being alive and announcing that she’s after Akise’s diary, now I admit that was tough to see coming. The explanations for that (along with Akise’s missing bicycle seat) will have to wait, but it was fascinating to see the dynamic of that group play out. If anyone was reminded of Evangelion in this episode I wouldn’t blame you, as I know I was. With Ishida-san – who also voiced Kaworu Nagisa – playing Akise and Togashi-san’s Yukiteru sounding so uncannily like Ogata Megumi’s Shinji, the echoes of the Shinji-Kaworu relationship were all over this meeting, right down to the physical familiarity Akise shows towards Yukiteru. Akise is all calm, reason and logic – such a marked contrast to Yuno’s powerful animal ferocity – and Yukkii is clearly drawn to that.

This is an important moment for the series, as the character dynamics in this episode are quite different than any that have come before. This arc marks the first time that non-diary holders are intricately involved in driving the plot, and events take on importance for reasons not directly related to the execution of Deus’ game, but for how they impact Yukiteru and Yuno psychologically – though the game and diary holders are certainly right in the middle of it too. I would say this is probably the most character-driven arc of any so far, and in some ways the most “realistic” – by Mirai Nikki standards anyway.

 

Omake

222 Comments

  1. Can that silver haired Aru guy be the new MC, he seems like he’d be useful to have around instead of another certain MC who TRUSTS EVERYONE BUT THE PERSON WHO WANTS TO PROTECT HIM. Seriously grow a pair or stop going against Yuno’s advice. Seems like he wanted this to happen almost

    Fallenrock
    Reply

  3. Yay third! We can’t talk about Akise until later right? I mean this episode is typical for Mirai Nikki in a sense that it’s aim is to build up tension. You have here Yuuki being friends with people. And we all know how Yuno feels about it.

    The Moondoggie
    Reply

    1. Show Spoiler ▼

      Oh and “Hinata being alive and announcing that she’s after Akise’s diary.” I think it’s safe to spoil:

      ~Vetoed! – Enzo

      The Moondoggie
      Reply

    3. I was shocked that his new friend died so easily, but when they show the family picture of 10th ( I assume), she was the daughter and I knew it was all a setup before she even walk in.

      I don’t think the bully or Akise are bystanders either. They are all in on this one way or another. Nobody is innocent in Mirai Nikki, Nobody.

      chaos
      Reply

  5. To me Mirrai Nikki is getting weaker and weaker. It’s not as aweseome as it used to be. But it is still interesting and good nontheless.

    The ‘recent’ developments seem very typical to me — just like what you would expect from animes/mangas with similar plots like this.

    Thought this anime was gonna be unpredictable -_- They did the unpredictable by making things predictable.

    The manga readers say that the manga is miles better compared to the anime. I just hope that is the case

    Alec
    Reply

    1. I’m a bit curious. If the story is predictable then explain to me what will generally happen event wise next episode. Saying something is predictable while looking backwards is beyond easy so why not try some forward projection?

      KoroshiyaKi
      Reply

    3. I like this series but find stupid stuff that happens annoying. In my entire life I have never seen anyone fall and pull down a girls clothes around her ankles totally exposing her panties like that. Yet apparently it happens all the time in Japanese animes. This is a fun and interesting anime just leave out the “roll your eyes” stupid stuff.

      Karmafan
      Reply

      1. Yeah, but if that happen in real life then I would love it. So everybody, next time you accidentally fell down next to a girl, be sure to grab her pant and pull it down to suchion your fall. I will have my camera ready for some hot pictures. And maybe some even hotter blackmailing later behind the shred in the back of the school. Yay!

        chaos
        Reply

      3. A world with idiots, then you should be thankful. It means you can surpass them and be rank as one of the elites that control the world.

        Without idiots, you would be a commoner. Every thing in the world is build on a hierarchy. For somebody to be on top, you need somebody to be on the bottom. Unless you, I appreciate idiots and blessed to be rank above them. They served their purposes.

        Despite what you may assume about the world, everybody that exist today is no less than a miracle in existence. In fact, this motto is one of the most profound statement ever said:

        http://www.digdang.com/media/images/you_are_result_of_4_billion_years_of_evolutionary_success_7895.jpg

        chaos
        Reply

      5. Nice find…

        ”A world with idiots, then you should be thankful. It means you can surpass them and be rank as one of the elites that control the world.”

        I facepalm more often than be thankful. But then, idiots have their uses anyway so I don’t hate them.

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

      7. Ah, but anime is based, partly, on reality. Sometime, somewhere, someone had fallen into a pool and accidentally pulled someone’s clothes, preferably skirt, mini-shorts or bikini, off….

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

  6. Yeah, my first thought was “What the hell is doing Kaworu Nagisa here?! We should be safe from his power to turn a mecha anime into a BL anime until Evangelion 3.0 Quickening” XDD But anyways great episode, yeah Yukiteru wants a normal life so badly, he wants to help others, no one wants to see others die around them, much less, when you have the power to save them, the problem is that in the twisted world of Mirai Nikki that way of thinking is certain death…

    kingdragun
    Reply

  7. Good review. I definitely remember harboring a lot of Yuki hate at this point in the manga, and its easy as a spectator to disassociate with characters due to how much more we have a grasp of what’s going on rather than try to put ourselves in their shoes and sympathize with them.

    Looking forward to things from here on out. Yea, I realized things would be pretty over the top early on in the manga, but Rei’s arc still was pretty meh for me. I was 100% sold once things got going in this one though.

    Xin
    Reply

    2. Yeah, I was shocked that Enzo even defended Yuki, but I already had that opinion before reading his post this week. My metaphor for Yuki is more like smashing Yuki’s reality mirror with a hammer and the boy desperately trying to glued back the broken pieces and pretend like nothing had happened. People in the real world do this a lot, too. Sad, but true.

      Only when Yuki reach the “point of no return” can he accept and live in Mirai Nikki’s world. Yuno have already gotten then.

      chaos
      Reply

  10. Yep, Enzo; you’re pretty much spot on about the way people are reacting to Yukiteru in this episode. And I still honestly can’t see why. Yukki made it really clear in the second episode even that he lied about being fine with being a bystander. He wants friends; he wants to excel in school; he wants to have a normal, happy life. He just keeps being prevented from obtaining that, and even though he’s repeatedly disappointed, he doesn’t want to accept that there won’t be a happy ending for him.

    Otherwise, I’m happy that Akise’s finally introduced. He was popular among people who were reading the manga, and it looks like he’s still pretty popular with those just following the anime.

    Donyo
    Reply

    1. I think Yukiteru wants to be an idealist who believes in the best of people, wants to make friends and save everyone, even though he lacks the conviction or character to be a proper idealist. That is why he never really trusts Yuno, even though she’s the realist whose cynical intuitions have been proven right each encounter.

      I think this is the best thing of the show – the constant tension between Yukiteru’s idealistic desires for a normal life versus Yuno’s paranoid, psychotic perception & violent results.

      Zammael
      Reply

  12. LOL./…. i get BL vibes btwn akise and yukkii. though im not a fan of BL, this somewhat makes an exception. seems more tolerable than the BL in No.6

    i’ll definately be interesting to see how things develop from here. and when hinata came back from the dead….. i had the same expression as Bass.EXE

    and anybody wanna put a caption to this face >> https://randomc.net/image/Mirai%20Nikki/Mirai%20Nikki%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2029.jpg

    “seems like yuno doesn’t approve of BL as well….”

    c2710
    Reply

    2. i’ll definately be interesting to see how things develop from here. and when hinata came back from the dead….. i had the same expression as Bass.EXE

      When I read this part in the manga, at that time I learned one thing: If you’re not important, you won’t be given a name, so I wasn’t surprised Hinata returns from the dead.

      The Moondoggie
      Reply

  13. Yukki, I understand your feeling. You must feel so bad that when you finally show your brave, everyone insted call you an idiot and pussy. Well,…..

    Yuno, this is the first arc that I start to dislike her. Her over protective behavior is annoying…I don’t konw how can anyone will happy to be her boyfriend.

    As for new characters in this ep.

    Akise Aru: I like him. No need to say more word.

    Hinata and Mao: Hinata design in anime is ok ,but Mao looks a bit older than herself in manga. (she’s still cute anyway.) I always love to see some normal (in term of personality)characters in this kind of show. I will say that Mao is one of my favorite minor character in this show (and manga).

    Marina2
    Reply

    1. Regarding Yuno. Though a part of her “too affectionate to Yukki” may be considered annoying, it’s still love. This i find romantic seeing how the author really made someone that is considered the epitome of Yandere. I really find this the irony withing the authors idea for girls. If anyone read the recent Big Order manga, made by the same author, one would notices there is a huge difference with the girls in this anime and that manga.

      L002
      Reply

    2. She is not overly protective. Her crazy radar just hit it mark once again. In a normal world, she would be deem as crazy and paranoid, but in Mirai Nikki’s world, she is deem as a genius.

      Have you guys ever consider that maybe she thinks the way she does in order to survived?

      In other words, she is not a cause. She is an effect. Mirai Nikki made her what she is. If she didn’t, she would have died a long time ago.

      chaos
      Reply

    1. Last Omake with battling Rei made it clear that not every omake foreshadow an early death (recall Amano Miso Soup omake). But I am beginning to think the omake is used both as a form of preview for future events and post-view to better explain what happen in the aftermath.

      So the omake that doesn’t aim at the killed diary owner is basically a form of preview, which is an interesting way to do thing. New and different.

      chaos
      Reply

  17. I liked the twist at the end. When Hinata was shown dead, i expected either
    i) Hinata was not dead and was the diary holder.
    ii) Hinata was really dead and Akise was a diary holder setting a trap.
    iii) Hinata was really dead and one of the other 2 was a diary holder while Akise was a real ally.

    Turns out they played Hinata first (and with an ally no less) before also confirming Akise as a diary holder. Great fun there.

    Yuno was again very fun to see in action with her writing “kill” in the sand, to pointing out the fact taht all 3 could not be trusted, to suggesting using the other 3 as bait so they could escape. And in front of said bait no less…

    Yuki has regressed back to his delusional state. Seriously, though its right that he wants normalcy but given everything that happened shouldn’t he already have an idea that the only way he’s going to get normalcy is to take out or closely monitor all diary users? Anything else and its just a unilateral delusion

    Zaku Fan
    Reply

    1. Yuno is always right as usual. She just need to explain things better. Her mono-tone one liner makes her sound crazy and evil.

      All she had to say was, “I suspected these are other diary owners. There must be a trap neraby. Let’s leave before that happen, Yuki. Trust me like you didn’t time and time before.”

      chaos
      Reply

  19. ahhhhh… the Yukki Hate. I remember when I got to this point in the manga. I couldn’t stand him either. lmao And yeah, Enzo. You’re spot on as far as why I couldn’t.

    But then I had to step back and realize that as much as we readers/watchers swear up and down that we’d do things sooo much differently than the weak noob in whatever story… we prolly wouldn’t. I mean, we wouldn’t be THAT bad, surely, but we’d still be normal people with normal lives thrown into a day by day life or death situation that kept you constantly on edge and the only person who seems to have your back would be a psychotic murderer who lives in a house full of dead bodies. Hell, she almost killed YOUR mom and only regretted it when you got mad.

    Most of us get frustrated/mad/hate our regular old every day home/school/work lives. This type of setting would leave us emotional wrecks. lol

    But RIGHT before this chapter, I almost dropped Mirai Nikki… and I’m glad I didn’t. Because this is the point where the author settled into his groove. The unpredictability, mindscrew and WTF factor increased x10000 past this point.

    Wait
    Reply

    2. It is all part of the “act” to trap Yuki and Akise. If you were going to con people for money, wouldn’t you “act” out? The quality of your acting determine the success rate. No plothole, just your imagination running wild.

      chaos
      Reply

  23. Hmmm am I the only one that still liked Yukki even after what he did? I was really happy for him when he found friends (at least at the beginning it really does look like friends, kinda) and was kinda annoyed at Yuno for being so, well, Yuno. Can’t you see he was actually having fun with people?

    Though I guess when things when crazy he should sort of listen to Yuno for awhile gahhh >__>

    Alsace
    Reply

      1. I can agree as well. And there is a very good reason why I like the friends Yuki has now. Reason, seeing how it is evident I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler, not like I know how to use that, But Hinata and Mao are YURI. I always did love how they show yuri love in anime, and that it may be somewhat one-sided like a certain magical index, even though they are not main characters.

        L002
        Reply

    2. I was happy for him, until they got to the crime scenes. There was foreshadow of what was going to happen like mysterious death with bite marks (10th automatically came into mind because only he was shown with dogs in the credit), how odd these girls would mention murder scenes in class, how the bully got to this school, why did the bully came along, etc.

      It all seem too easy and too convenient plus with Yuno standing at a distance, it was obvious something was going on.

      As I would say, Yuki is being Yuki while Yuno is just being Yuno. That also means count on Yuno to saved Yuki’s sorry ass once again. Maybe Yuki will saved Yuno this time around without wetting his pant or push against the wall before deciding enough is enough.

      chaos
      Reply

  25. Yuki saw in his diary about Hinata with her arm decapitated, and he did saw that event – But later on, Hinata appeared to be fine.

    Assuming the body he saw was a fake, is it safe to say that Yuki’s diary only works depending on what he can perceive?

    kabayongtao
    Reply

  26. Yukki hate, definitely obvious in all sides. XD I am just glad to finally see Akise Aru this episode. I’ve been expecting him in this one, turns out my predictions were right. XD

    But I don’t hate Yukki that much or anything, he just wanted to have friends. And don’t we all want friends too? Finally, Yuno trying hard to pry Yukki away from them, is something I can definitely tolerate.

    Next episode…
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Thousand Mistress
    Reply

  28. Do people hate Yuki for not listening to Yuno? Because that’s just stupid. She’s a psycho even if she wants what’s best for Yuki. And also, I’m pretty sure Yuki is a bit pissed over the fact that Yuno smacked his mother last episode.

    I know most people would act like Yuki, enjoy something normal, a change from the regular life if one happened to live a life like Yuki… if that can be called life.

    Anyway, nice post Enzo. I love how you described Yuki’s mother! XD

    teri
    Reply

  31. dog gone it look things are going straights to the dog house.

    1/3 are “dead end” yet one of them dairy owner was give a dairy to somebody.
    weeks past yuki wonder how new school is give yuno sneak corner & oh mysterious guy.
    new school & oh one of guy (kosaka) who tried used yuki so save himself & there two females (hinata & mao) give one got pants down other pic time.
    go park little fun & oh yuno write “die” on the dirt.
    then oh boy chop arm & army of dogs with metal mouths.
    oh mysterious guy aka aru (yet remind of someone from NGE yet same voice) tell run to building.
    while you some old guy prepare for lots of foods for the dogs (wonder also play cards as well just if)
    while wondering to do yuki go block telling on windows & it works.
    after all that it reveal to lead it’s trap cause yuki got knife hold with mao with reveal more hinata is alive all this cause she after aru.

    mur mur extra on aru with aru bike meet mur mur to lead amusement park to lead aru figure mur mur plans but not bike chair.

    MR.KLAC
    Reply

  33. Finally Akise appears! He’s my favorite character and he’s voiced by my favorite seiyuu. And I can’t hide my yaoi googles on Akise and Yukiteru, too much Kaworu/Shinji on this one. Anyway, while this mini-arc isn’t one of my favorites, it’s a good point to build up Yukiteru’s relationship with everybody and the issues he has.

    haitechan
    Reply

  35. Wow. This is the first time I am actually taken aback by an appearance of a supposedly dead anime character. Hinata really got me this time.
    And Akise is one character with a very dangerous and ominous vibe that leaves me wanting for more.
    Removed ~Enzo

    KGFJ
    Reply

      1. What? I am so sorry, I mentioned it as in she is a supreme queen of yandere. God, I don’t even read the manga. It was just a (lame) joke. Now amazingly I have spoiled myself.
        I am really, really sorry!

        KGFJ
        Reply

      1. Not exactly, no. Problem is, whether you’re right or wrong or partly right, someone is going to reply to you either confirming or refuting, and in doing so massively spoil people.

        Let me say, based on your post, I would have guessed you’ve read at least somewhat farther ahead in the manga. So credit to you for at least speculating on the right sort of questions… 😉

        Guardian Enzo
        Reply

  36. I think the main reason for all the hate towards Yuuki is because he’s just not being smart. Yes, you want a normal life, but between a normal life and SURVIVAL, I think the smart and wise decision would pretty obvious.

    Yet, he chooses a normal life multiple times, even being fully aware that he’s still in the middle of a game where people are after his life. How can one not be annoyed?

    Actar
    Reply

  37. You know, the best thing about forgetting that I’ve read from the manga is that it give me the privilege of surprises. I admit, even though I’ve read the manga, this episode (and the previous 7 episodes) manage to surprise me in every way. Unfortunately, the said privilege might not appear in the next episode because now my memory are quite refresh to now what will happen next.

    Terrorhunt
    Reply

  38. Funny how many seems to have such a strong impression of Akise, I hardly remember him at all. Nor did he have much impact on me this episode either. I guess his silly dream makes me ignore him somewhat. It’s not like there are any world wide famous non-fictional detectives in the first place.

    Znail
    Reply

  43. Great review! Excited to finally see Akise animated. It’ll be fun to see how they play him out in the anime. I’m beginning to wish that I didn’t read the manga because I won’t be able to experience all the surprises from now on…

    Also, Enzo… I found it difficult to not laugh when I had realized that the Akise-Kaworu similarity was so uncanny that even you had actually referred to Akise as Kaworu at one point… (“Kaworu’s missing bicycle seat”, hmm?)

    taito
    Reply

      2. I didn’t read and manga AND I honestly felt sorry for these guys. They basically spoiled themselves. “Look on the bright side, if you guys died, I will still be handsome…” -Francis from L4D

        chaos
        Reply

      3. @chaos Er, why feel sorry? Some of us were reading the manga long before an anime was even a possibility; I know I started back in 2007. Heck, the manga was at its penultimate chapter of its final arc when the OVA was released and it was finished for quite some time before this TV adaptation was announced. I do my best only to explain/speculate on what’s happened so far, but I assure you that seeing this adaptation in animated form is very rewarding for me, as I’ve waited so long to see it.

        Donyo
        Reply

    2. A hero of justice has a tough job… not only must he erase any evil that he sees, but also he must stay ever vigilant, lest any dark force seep past him and spoil the minds of the innocent. If he is just a second too late…

      being writer is suffering…

      Luxorcist
      Reply

      1. How about a topic that doesn’t contain huge spoilers weakly disguised as puns? Or huge spoilers period, even behind spoiler tags? How about talking about the job the episode did adapting the manga, since you know both? How about talking about what happened in the episode instead of what it foreshadows, which you only know since you’ve read the manga?

        Sheesh. Is it that much fun trying to ruin the experience of people who want to be surprised? Seems like kind of a petty thing to do if you ask me.

        Guardian Enzo
        Reply

      7. “Tell that to the people who had been posting hate post to Guilty Crown week after week.”

        Do you actually understand what is a spoiler? A spoiler is revealing something that has not been revealed yet (eh the butler did it in the green room). It is NOT pointing out real flaws.

        If you’re so sure Guilty Crown is the best, then make a cohorent counter argument against all the flaws pointed out. Unless you also admit that those flaws pointed out are present, in which case you have no leg to stand on. Posting spoilers just requires you to read a manga before someone else, hardly any comparision in difficulty.

        Zaku Fan
        Reply

      8. Still, that’s all uncalled for. A real considerate fan would only post one criticism and stop watching. Yet they would rather make their mark and criticize the show, every week, repeating all their complains and when you try to make them stop they pull out the “freedom of speech card”.

        Should I be the only considerate guy around, while everyone else act like an asshole? Would they stop if I stop what I do? What reward would I gain?

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

      9. Lets take my own viewing experience for Guilty Crown.
        Ep 1: Doesn’t look too bad. Nice song. +points
        Ep 2: This is stupid. Why is Inori in school and ignored by the GHQ? -points
        Ep 3: Druggie friend betraying Shu is very good and fresh. +points
        Ep 4: Looks like druggie friend is a throwaway sob story -points
        Ep 5: Inori using Shu and saying it out loud. Excellent, Shu should wake up. +points
        Ep 6: So everyone has amnesia and forgot about last episode. Shu is such a flip flopper a single sob story and he’s all obedient. Thats just idiotic. -points
        Ep 7: With opponents like those, the funeral palor does not need allies. GHQ looks like a joke now. -points

        Using your measure, i should have dropped it at ep 2. Think about it. Do YOU drop something that started off ok but had a sh*t episode? Most people will hope the next episode is not as terrible. As it is, Guilty Crown has holes enough to drive tanks through, a very stupid main character (possibly Yuki’s self delusion is about the same level as Shu’s), 2 self admitted manipulator main characters and very few likeable characters.

        If you think the story is great, then give a coherent argument why the holes people point out are wrong (in the Guilty Crown thread itself, not here)

        Zaku Fan
        Reply

      10. You did notice. Zaku, that I was using its legion of haters as an example and retort to Hrmmmm’s post? The fact that they are allowed to post such pretentious blasphemies and me not being able to post what I want is grossly unfair.

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

  46. So along came the 13th warrior…

    I was waiting for his arrival, but I would have expected it to be near the end than halfway mainly because he would be 13th. And no I didn’t read the manga. It is all logical deduction. If you watch the ending credit closely, Akise is the one after 12th. I initially thought it was Yuki, but now I am certain it is Akise as 13th.

    I wonder why Deus lied and said that there is only 12 players?

    chaos
    Reply

    1. If you carefully scrutinize the opening credits, where all the players are rotating on that circular platform, there are actually two slots between the First (Yukiteru) and Twelfth (the Power Ranger dude). That they say “dead end” probably means nothing.

      And yes, that is Akise at the end standing on the floating platform. He seems like the wild-card in this entire hullabaloo.

      Zammael
      Reply

    2. I thought there might be another one, but never quite understand it…

      If you watch the ending credit where they show the shadows on the platform, I count 13 players. However, I couldn’t find Akise on there. There was one mysterious one, but it was Akise. I thought there might be 14 total, but that is silly. One wild card is enough, why need two.

      I recognize them in this order from the credit (left to right):
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI0KEwRmXOE

      7th
      ???
      3rd
      11th
      5th
      6th
      9th
      1st
      8th
      4th
      2nd
      10th
      12th

      The ??? is unknown. It looks like a hot girl with long hair. NONE OF THESE SHIT MAKES SENSE!

      chaos
      Reply

  47. Let me share a great summption with you guys…

    “4th is a despicable bastard…don’t trust me. The earlier you killed him, the better.”

    Why did I say that?

    Yuno and yuki moved to a new school, right? But why? I doubt it was their doing. I think 4th told them it was the right choice, but guess what, they encounter 10th as a result. Look back and you will find the pattern.

    How did Rei got to the Amno’s house?

    It was also 4th doing. He setup Rei to battle it out with Yuno and Yuki. He didn’t even bother to help them when he clearly know they were both gonna died in the end. Luckily, 9th came along and saved them.

    How did Yuki met 6th?

    Also 4th doing. It was 4th idea to go to 6th. And when they were battling each other, he ran away and watch everything from a distance.

    Conclusion:

    4th is an ingenious bastard. He intentionally setup Yuki and Yuno to killed other diary owners while is sit safe and sound in his office. Why killed your enemies when you can get other people do your dirty work, right? It is so obvious that 4th is using Yuki. Yuno never trusted 4th and never talked to him, for good reasons. Yuki once again is stupid beyond words and Yuno is wise beyond imagination. HAHAHAHA! 😀

    chaos
    Reply

  48. I don’t know what you guys are talking about. I see no resemblance to Evangelion…

    Maybe the voice is from the person in Eva. When I first saw Akise, I am immediately remind of Light or L from Deathnote. He is the cunning detective persona. See for yourself:

    Akise:
    https://randomc.net/image/Mirai%20Nikki/Mirai%20Nikki%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2036.jpg

    Light:
    http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/characters/13/83181.jpg

    Same hairstyle. Same evil smile. Same eyes.

    chaos
    Reply

    2. Well, it’s not just the voice. He also looks, talks, and has near exact mannerisms as the character he voiced IN Evangelion. Akise shares non of those similarities with Light or L. He is a detective…but that’s it.

      Da5id
      Reply

  49. I’m seriously surprised no one has really discussed the fact that the old guy feeds his dogs at a dinner table or has gave them some creepy as hell dentures. I remember that being one of the most disturbing and uncomfortable scenes in the manga and speaks volumes about his mentally towards humans as well as himself.

    kagamihime
    Reply

    3. I thought about that, but forgot to mention it. DIdn’t wanna stack 3 or 4 comments one after another…

      But since you brought it up, I don’t think those steaks he served the dogs came from a cow. Or chicken or pork. I think it is human.

      Muhahahaha O_o

      It’s about time we mention cannibalism. If you recall, Yuki asked if Hinata had a boyfriend and her friend reply she is not telling. I assume those corpses where from her late boyfriend who dump her for another girl. Then she let the dogs out on a feeding fiesta.

      chaos
      Reply

  51. If you guys didn’t noticed, no dead end flag was raised for Yuki…

    I don’t know whether Yuki should laughed or cried. Once again, other diary owners walk pass Yuki like he is nothing and reveal that the real target is another person. 9th, 6th, 12th, and 5th was the same way.

    From the outside it looks like 10th set up a trap for 1st and 13th, but I doubt it was that simple. I figure 13th was after 1st and 2nd while 10th interfered. I serious hoped that are not gonna try the 6th’s event again where the victim turn out to be the predator.

    According to the events, at least 5 people will died after this battle. The 5th person being all the dogs. Don’t know is Akise will lived or died. I don’t think he is the stupid type like Yuki. Yuno like always is the wild card.

    I hope Yuki loses something in this battle. Maybe a finger, an arm, an eye, an ear, or get get stab. He doesn’t have to died, but definitely need to be roughed up a little to show that he is in some deep shit and need to focus on killing others to survived.

    chaos
    Reply

  52. Transfer of ownership?

    Doesn’t that mean, 10th is removed from the game and another person take his place?

    If so, then why doesn’t Yuki do that since he is seriously doesn’t belong in this survival game. I say give it to Yuno, she will double up in power.

    chaos
    Reply

    1. Give Yuuki’s diary to Yuno will be useless. Yukki’s diary only predict event around him. For example:If he hide at his home while Yuno takes his diary outside,it will only show what happend around him at home. Same goes with Yuno, if Yukki is at home while she go outside, her diary will be useless as well. That is one weakness of thier diary.

      Marina2
      Reply

    2. Nope, all participants are locked into the game now that it’s started.

      The rest is spoilered just in case I unintentionally say too much, regarding how 10th “transferred ownership” in the game.

      Show Spoiler ▼

      Yukki couldn’t get out of this survival game even if he tried.

      Donyo
      Reply

  53. By the way, I quite surprise that almost no one(viewers)talk about Hinata and Mao. All I see are Akise,Yukki,Yuno and 10th lol

    About this arc, this is my favorite one from the manga due to its “unique” outcome compared to another arc we have seen. You guys probably never guess it right how this arc will end.(<< this is a challenge)

    Marina2
    Reply

  54. Trust NO ONE… this is the first rule Yukki must learn.
    I stopped trusting 4th as soon as he let 9th go and started the information leaks.
    Hinata and Mao look like yuri pairing for me… but why would they borrow a diary? and what do they hold against Akise? as usual MN leaves us with more questins than answers.
    Is this series 12 or 24 eps? because with 12 eps it would be running out of time for dealing with so many diary holders still at large.

    ewok40k
    Reply

  58. How about talking about the job the episode did adapting the manga, since you know both? How about talking about what happened in the episode instead of what it foreshadows, which you only know since you’ve read the manga?

    Ok Enzo, let’s try it your way: Show Spoiler ▼

    So, where to begin…

    First, I would like to make praise on how well done this show has been. Sure, the art is sometimes a little off, and I really can’t remember Yuno making mad faces that, if looks could kill, I’d have never lived to see this episode, in the manga, but the adaptation from manga to anime as been faithful enough to keep me watching.

    And, finally, comes episode 8. This marks a turning point in the story in that normal people who doesn’t have a diary, except Akise, had been pulled deep into the mix, unlike those kids who died at 9th’s school attack or the cultists in 6th’s shrine. As with every anime and manga, unless you will prove to be an important character later on, giving a full name to a character is a total waste of time. How important they will be, though is another matter tackled later.

    chaos: Breeder Diary?

    Introduced in this episode is the Breeder Diary, which is what it says “on the tin”:Show Spoiler ▼

    , and Akise’s, which is still unnamed. If I rightly remember, there are 13 diaries presented by the OP, with 2 marked “Dead”(?). So far, 4 diaries remain hidden from view, the rest has been revealed or had been destroyed.

    Closing Remarks: Some people did find this episode boring, however important it is. I guess they will change their mind once things starts to heat up. This had been a good episode and I hope they continue doing a good job of adapting this wonderful story into anime.

    The Moondoggie
    Reply

      3. Well for example: content

        Anyone who will post will have is writing contain “everything we already know”. From the episode being “an important turning point” to the revelation of two new diaries.

        Now that I think about it, I forgot to put some emphasis that Akise is a key character in the series too, moreso than other characters that will follow shortly after, and that his introduction here is the highlight of this episode.

        Also, the first paragraph on my post, for better or worse, sounds like from a fanboy.

        And many post that tries to guess the next episode, as I have seen so far, had been
        Show Spoiler ▼

        Except for a few, like:
        Show Spoiler ▼

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

    2. If your point is that you don’t think it’s worth posting anything unless you can post spoilers, I think your best option is to not post. That way, one poster is unhappy. If ten posters are spoiled, 10 people are unhappy.

      Who knows, maybe the inspiration will strike you and you’ll feel like posting something analytical about the actual episode someday. Until then, please refrain from posting spoilers even if that spoils your fun.

      Guardian Enzo
      Reply

      1. Everything that can be analyzed and posted by me, Enzo, will turn out to be a spolier for you. See: you even edited my last post, even if it’s in a spoiler tag.

        Why can’t people just ignore a post with a spoiler tag instead? Do they really have to open one when they know they will be spoiled? Then what’s the use of a spoiler tag anyway?

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

      3. I don’t know Enzo.

        Do you really have to ask when all I see for this episode are mostly fail guesses, “omg, she’s alive…” or “Akise looks like Kaworu…” or even ” NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TAN-NATA’S PANTIES AND KAWORU NAGISA“.

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

      6. Did you have someone spoiling the entire plot of the arc or show when you were reading? If you didn’t, would you have wanted to?

        Sorry, but unlike everybody else, I’m not the type that gets affected by spoilers. Because just hearing or reading about it isn’t enough for me: I always have to see it with my own two eyes. Even if I got spoiled, example is last week when I was spoiled in Chihayafuru’s romance status, its not enough for me to appreciate the awesomeness of it: I got to see it on my own.

        I admit: I’ll never understand people who are easily affected by spoilers.

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

      7. Yo dude we seem to have a lot in common. I’m not one to care much if I get spoiled but if I do feel like having a bit of fun and not knowing then I just stay away from the places I know will do just that. I’ve also already read Mirai Nikki when it came out as a manga and thought of it as entertaining, lacking at certain points, but still very entertaining.

        Now lets look at our differences. I’m not spoiling others by trying to make cryptic comments that both drop hints to the more perceptive and give those who’ve already read a good giggle. That is because I know that even if I’m not affected I realize that others are and that they might not have wanted to be spoiled and yet may not have the self control to stay away from the site due to this being one of their only outlets for this show and they want to have what they would consider a “fun” discussion.

        You might not be able to understand why but you do understand that they don’t like it so why do you continue still?

        KoroshiyaKi
        Reply

      8. So what I’m reading here is basically, “I’m not impacted by spoilers so F/U to anyone who is – I’ll post whatever I want.” Is that about it? Because I can’t think of any other reason why you insist on continuing down this path despite countless neg reps and pleas to stop.

        It’s very hard to tell where the “Spam” line begins, but I think we’re getting pretty close.

        Guardian Enzo
        Reply

      9. You might not be able to understand why but you do understand that they don’t like it so why do you continue still?

        In search of a better exchange of posts I guess.

        Fact is, I couldn’t really give a damn care if a newbie’s fun is spoiled. Just like how a show’s haters has the right to complain and troll a show week after week, not caring how they spoil the fun of a fan, I think I also have a right to post what I want too.

        Is it really too hard to ask? All I want is to talk about the anime in comparison with the manga and speculate on how they will lay out the next events in the anime adaptation based on the events of the manga. If there is a limit to the discussion, can you honestly have all your views on a matter expressed?

        If you really think that spoilers are not allowed here, then why not just flat out ban spoilers by deleting any spoiler that is posted here and remove the spoiler tags altogether too?

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

      12. Woah calm down mate.

        Why are you turning this into a flame war?

        More importantly why can’t you see people are dissatisfied with the fact you’re discussing manga storyline with the anime? You wouldn’t want me to ruin your enjoyment of any show you watch. Why wouldn’t the rest of us expect the same from you?

        There are plenty of other forums that discuss the manga WITH the anime, so I have no idea why you’re trying to offload your discussion onto an ANIME ONLY forum.

        Hrmmmm
        Reply

  59. I haven’t read the manga and plan to watch the anime as opposed to jumping in and reading the manga. I mean why not? Anime is going good so far and I hear that it’s pretty faithful to the manga anyway.

    While luckily I’ve never read any spoilers so far, is it too much to ask from manga readers to not bring in any spoilers? ^_^

    ronri
    Reply

    1. The manga actually adds several things the anime is incapable of: inner monologue of others, especially Yuno’s in the early going.

      MY solution?

      Watch the anime episode. Then hit the manga up to the same point. Adds extra flavor or fills in some things the visual medium cannot convey. Best of both words – you keep the anticipation for the next episode, and get a fuller sense of the story.

      Downside? Need to have enough self-discipline to resist reading past the anime. 🙂

      Zammael
      Reply

    1. That’s the funny thing. Anime in recent years has been flooded with a bunch of Tsunderes, as opposed to the scarcity of Yanderes. Also, it’s probably easier or more gratifying to see a woman like you against her better judgment, or pretend that she doesn’t have passionate yearnings, only to see her yield in the end. The only Tsundere I really liked was Hitagi Senjogahara — probably because she didn’t stay in denial for long.

      Yanderes are OTOH more one-dimensional, and hence far more difficult to include in a good story.

      Zammael
      Reply

      2. Apparently S.tags are ineffective in that people who doesn’t want to be spoiled are still dumb enough to click it, complain to Enzo that its a spoiler and have him erase it.

        I don’t blame Enzo, I blame those idiots behind his back.

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

  62. There are a lot of similarities betwen Shinji and Yukiteru, the most prominent is that they choose to stay in solitude to avoid being hurt by ohters, as a consequence of the trauma they experienced early. Aside from that, the way they carried out into the story is completely different.

    haseo0408
    Reply

  63. tbh i didn’t bother to read all 200 comments, but honestly this episode made me love yuki. i thought his behavior was pretty realistic given the situation he was in — or at least that would be how i would’ve behaved. in fact i think he’s a little braver than me. i actually identify with him more than any other mc this season. <3 yuki

    april
    Reply

    2. I’m pretty much in the same (nice?) boat… Yukki fares definitely well considering crazy situation he was thrown into. He does what is necessary to stay in this sadistic game, but at every step fights to remain human. And he does his best to contain Yuno…

      ewok40k
      Reply

    3. My personal guess is that more realistically most people will be paranoid (possibly extremely so) after an incident like a crazy killer like 3rd then Uryu’s direct action followed by Tsubaki’s manipulation and the kid Reisuke’s feigned innocence.

      Look at the entire chain. Unless you’re doing the smurf dance with fingers stuck in your ears, it does not make sense not to be suspiscious especially of fellas who you were never very close to in the first place, especially since you know that there are several more unrevealed. Not to mention your best ally is someone who from all angles looks like someone who will kill people around you (possibly even you given a twisted enough reason) for your own good.

      If Yuki wasn’t the main character and this was a fully ensemble style manga, then sure, he would not get on people’s goat and more likely people would be amazed he can survive so long doing the smurf dance but too bad he’s the main character which grants him (barring a Gurren Kamina twist) plot armor until near the end of the series

      Zaku Fan
      Reply

  64. Sanity can kiss my ass, this episode was also excellent! While I do get annoyed with Yuki’s attitude, I do agree that his reactions are fairly believable for his character. That said, I’m just waiting for him to embrace the dark side! We’ve seem a bit of his manipulative side in dealing with Yuno before, so I can’t wait for him to get into the game full swing

    Cain
    Reply

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