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「Composition （組成）」 (Sosei)
This is what I would consider as more of a character reflection episode since nothing really “happened”. The first half was basically Mikuni narrating his past. As he had mentioned to Kimimaro, Mikuni’s past was slightly rough, partly due to his cold, calculating father. His dreams of music were shattered, his sister Takako is very sick, and their company failed. His situation is kind of sad; even then though, I do appreciate the realistic view he portrayed to his sister though. People say chase your dreams and live for your passions, but then is it worth suffering to do so? Not everyone can live off their dreams, and one’s first priority to make a living; the other stuff feels good, but should come second.
That said however, his father’s mentality is just messed up. Putting the reputation of his business before his family is disgusting, so Mikuni’s rage was more than warranted. One needs money to support a family, but such large amount of it is just providing for the power of manipulation. I now know what Mikuni meant in his past statement that his father made money for the sake of money. He barely cared if his own daughter died, and is truly an embodiment of the obsession with money. After Takako goes into a coma though, Mikuni copes by developing a cool demeanor, and throwing himself into business and eventually the Financial District. He knows the Financial District is cold and heartless but decides to play anyway, and I’m seeing it as his attempt to beat the system at its own game and manipulate it for the better.
The second half is told from Msyu’s point of view as she talks about Kimimaro. Kimimaro isn’t the most level-headed guy, and he’s pretty indecisive too (a point that’s further highlighted when he runs back to punch the guy who pissed him off). However, he clearly cares more about his asset then most Entres do, and their relationship is more than just owner-property. Perhaps as a result, Msyu likes him quite a bit and is interested in a lot of human stuff as well. Their interactions are quirky and fun to watch, and like Mikuni and Q, their relationship seems special. I’m continuing to see similarities between the two pairs too (like in this screenshot), and Mikuni sees some of himself in Kimimaro. Assets are the materialization of the futures that the Entres put up as collateral, but even Msyu admits that she doesn’t know how it actually works, and no one else really seems to know either. There’s just a vague threat of losing one’s future, but the only thing that is known for sure is that the consequences are bad enough that it’s better not to find out. The present vs. future debate is brought up again too, along with some other philosophical discussions, but without a clear picture of the system it is still very difficult to deduce the truth.
Did anyone notice that mikuni’s asset looks like his sister? Maybe the future is something in their lives that is the most important to them and the asset takes the form of that?
I agree with you. Especially when he calls her sleeping beauty in the last fight. I think Q is the embodiment of Mikuni’s sister surviving and living as they share many similar appearances. So from this, we could gather that Mikuni’s future is where his sister is living, so any lose would put her life in danger or outright kill her.
I hope you only forgot that Mikuni has 3 assets…
and @ JX: ya, the resemblance is astounding, frighteningly accurate. But I don’t think that your guess is valid for every entre, with the most recent example being a freaking huge angel style asset…
The thing is we never knew how Mikuni managed to have 3 assets under his possession. My guess if when you buy all the asset’s stock (Like in the fight where Mikuni bought 1/10 stock of Msyu to fund Kimimaro), you gain control of that asset. So, I think originally Mikuni only had Q as his asset, then he gained other assets just so he could use them to fight for him instead of putting Q in danger (He seems over-protective of his asset, as seen in his first fight scene where he shielded Q instead of letting her take damage.).
Ok… Let’s apply the business to it then since it’s all about business.
Mikuni buys shares of other people’s Assets, which means he’s invested in their futures. Which in the world of business means you’re expecting a return from that at some point. Depending on how many shares you own of that Asset, once you hit over half of them, perhaps you gain access to that Asset. And when you own all of them, it becomes your Asset and a new future that you could have and therefore, ceases to be the original Entre’s future. If that’s the case, then what happens if you’ve invested in another Asset and their Entre loses? You own stock from that future and now they’ve lost it. Do you also share in a part of the loss in reality?
Could also be that since he’s been revealed to be this multi-faceted guy… he’s always had three Assets. Three different futures that are possible for him. Anubis could be that he ends up like his dad, all cold and dead inside. Hime could be that good-natured caring guy that he seemed to be in the picture with his sister and the opposite of his cold dad. And Q could definitely be his future with his sister.
Correct me if I’m wrong, I think Mikuni’s sister and Q are also voiced by the same person
Yeah, Q and Takako are both voiced by Gotou Saori. It’s probably no coincidence that they look very similar too.
My ears clued in on this. No such thing as guuzen, I’m chalking this one up to hitsuzen. [/clamp]
Never seen so much character development in one episode before. :]
The relationship between Msyu and Kimimaro is very special, indeed! I’m wondering if it’s a new kind of affection though. Msyu doesn’t understand the term, but she knows that she likes him a lot and she wants to do human things with(to) him. (kyaa~!) x3
Kimimaro isn’t being dense I don’t think. He does care for her. But it hasn’t leveled up to where she’s at just yet. Oh~ I love this sort of thing! xD
Kimimaro is fairly dense from the beginning when it comes to relationships. So far he hasn’t recognized any signals from Hanabi. On the other hand, I can’t blame him since he is in a shitty situation being the sideline guy at best.
Would be nice if the animators give him another set of clothes besides the hoodie and purple sneakers.
What caught my eye was, towards the end, one of the buildings had a sign for an eikaiwa school. I’ve been thinking of giving it a shot. Would definitely be more fulfilling than finance, but the money is pretty lacking.
I can tell the question of “he treats me special because i look like a human” will come up again. THat’s the second the brought it up, not sure if they are just poking around the “feelings” between the assest and Kimi but I’m very interested in how she relates to his future. The whole kissing thing at the end was really foreboding some serious emotional buildup.
Msyu is SOOOO cute… especially when she wants to kiss 😛
Mikuni is really interesting guy now, his backstory gives him more of a human being feel than mastermind entre…
I absolutely loved this episode, best ep by far. on the contrary, heaps of things happened. in the past. when i first saw takako, i thought she WAS Q hahaha the resemblance is definitely not a coincidence.
I kept on thinking the whole time, if their assets embody what they care about the most in their lives (as is evident with takako), what if msyu isn’t the embodiment of what kimimaro cares about the most, but IS what kimimaro (will) care about the most? (although there is not enough episodes to develop this unfortunately……….)
Yeah, Mikuni is totally dating his sister… What a siscon! :-PP
While I did enjoy the whole episode being dedicated to character development instead of action (something that seems to be getting less and less important in this series), I hope the ending isn’t rushed as a result and that they have time to fully flesh everything out. I kept thinking this was a two-cour series, but there’s only four more episodes!
Only 4 eps. left? This show is only 11 eps. long not 12 ?
They better not rush and give a second season.
I hope they do too, maybe this season will end with Kimimaro finally has an idea of what he wants to do on his own. And the next season can focus in destroying the financial district or something.
Aye, while I found this episode fantastic with all of its character development and directly addressing most of the questions and unknowns the series has introduced thus far, I’m equally worried about it giving everything proper closure in the few episodes it has left.
Its definitely possible though. Once Kimimaro grows a backbone and actually decides what he wants to do he can probably get some answers out of the other players interested in him, then push forward and figure out the unknown bits in his unique relations with Msyu. Keeping my fingers crossed that the execution is done well!
I thought for sure this show was going to be two-cour, they even mention it in the ED:
“ED sequence for noitamina 26th episode… has no name, but it called ‘C'”
you missunderstood 🙂
It means it’s the 26th show to air in the NoitaminA timeslot,not that it will have 26 episodes.
Shows that air in the NoitaminA timeslot are almost all just 11 episodes,there’s a couple exception but that’s it.
thanks for clearing that up
Both C and Anohana are definitely ending this season, as there are two new noitaminA shows lined up to take over their time slots in the summer.
theres the theory that mikuni’s assets represent his family.
anubis=dad
hime=mom
Q=sister
unlike Q and takako, msyu doesnt really look like hanabi. she might be his daughter but does that mean he’s… you know….
could also be his future wife who hasnt shown up yet.
Yeah~
probably someone he will meet in the future after the Financial District is gone or when he is free from it.
is it just me or is msyu the most human-like asset? mikuni’s asset comes second but his asset only eats money. msyu eats ramen and wants to kiss. Does that have to do with kimimaro’s future? AHHHH! i can’t wait for the next episode
somehow, I half laughed at Kimimaro’s delayed burst anger, half synthesized with him on the issue at hand…
obligatory screen cap:the surprising third wheel at the table…
young Mikuni = Styl Magnus lol
hmmm, starting to dig the whole “district dollars & its evil influence on reality ” theme..even though its not so specific in it parameters *but thats a good thing right???*BUT i’m really not too sure about this whole “my asset is a cute elfie girl that i want to protect & possibly kissu” ..i mean, its a bit awkward, almost like its attempting to become 2 shows in one. a money power battle anime, and a “lets save the princess and turn her on to life” kinda thing…well, but maybe the whole asset inner workings mystery aspect will make it all relevant..DON’T GET ME WRONG! it would be boss to have a digital nymphish avatar chick that curious bout kissing..but….
I’m having a difficult time separating the fact that MSYU isn’t a human from he fact that she is simply an anthropomorphized concept.
She represents a future or possibility. Is she in a mere idea, or is she an actual sentient humanoid? This episode did a lot to build her character and personality. As a matter of course, I am attempting to do my best to resist growing an opinion of her since I don’t know exactly what she “is” yet. Can we hope for a MSYU + Kimimaro end? Some of the speculation above that MSYU is the future of a girl Kimimaro hasn’t met yet are plausible. I won’t be jumping onto that bandwagon just yet, though.
Is she cute? Yes. Is she interesting? Yes. Is she real? Who knows…
Ok… Character “explanation” would be more accurate I think for this episode seeing as nothing really was developed, they just explained why Mikuni is the way he is and why he’s doing what he’s doing, same for Kimimaro and Msyu.
What I’m amazed at is that no one talked about the end when Kimimaro was in the car and noticed that buildings were missing as he was being driven along. He said he felt it was different, but then the driver told him it would be best probably to just believe it was his imagination instead. Then he saw something else that surprised him and then, boom, the end of the episode. Like… seriously? Ridiculously huge cliffhanger! I mean, it’s clear that the deals effect present reality and that big ones have the biggest and diverse effects. However, the Midas money’s effect from even being in the system is unclear. More Midas money is seeping into Japan and Kimimaro can see it. So then, how is the city seems different now to him from before he started being an Entre and yet he isn’t sure if he really just saw it or not? Ahhh, I feel like I just said something confusing. Lol.
As for the lost futures being the Assets… Msyu looks like Kimimaro, is kinda innocent and naive about the world, and looks mostly human minus the horns. It’s possible that the current humanist Kimimaro that he is today is the future that’s at stake. Because that one guy had the big monstrosity of an Asset, therefore maybe his collateral future is his current beefy strength and vitality. Perhaps if he goes bankrupt, he’ll lose all that and whatever he achieved with it. The non-profit volunteer prince, his Asset was angel. And when he lost, he lost the ability to be that giving in the world. His ability to be a “guardian angel” of sorts. So if we follow that kind of trend… Perhaps Kimimaro will lose his innocence and humanity if he goes bankrupt and the kind of life that he has or would’ve had with a personality like that. *shrug*
Probably because the owner of those buildings lost in a deal and lost his future maybe? And at the end either his school disappeared or he saw some strange building he never saw before.
Perhaps, but we already knew that bankruptcies in deals equal big effects in the real world. So I have a feeling that it’s not that obvious. Because then what would be the reason in showing him noticing buildings missing and him feeling like the place was different. Also, he wasn’t sure if there had been originally five buildings or if it was his imagination. If it was just typical “deal-related” changes, it wouldn’t be so surprising. It can’t be that simple considering the way the show has been going, you know? I guess I’m stuck on that moreso because of the cliffhanger and the fact that the interestingly devil-looking driver told him it would be better if he believed it was his imagination. Which leads me to believe that the truth is something more than just some deals gone bad and that it would most likely upset Kimimaro’s delicate morality.
So a small incident that causes a huge chain reaction over time. I guess that makes sense since he seems rather vague about them. We’ll never now till next week XD.
So far, from Kimimaro’s POV, we’ve only seen the effects of his deals and the pharma bailout. Based on Jennifer’s segment, all entre’s can see all effects in the real world so Kimimaro is finally realizing that. Masakaki did say in ep 2 that the way you see the world will change.
Kimimaro still hasn’t made the link between the financial district and all those stories about kids dying.
Maybe Mikuni’s dad was an entre and he lost in a deal so he lost all of his money in the real world. This reflects Kimimaro’s position where he’s dad was also an entre and he was “forcd” to be an entre.
I knew he won’t have any backbone to kiss Msyu in this episode but I think one of these days he’s going to bang his asset… >_>
Wait and you’ll probably see it in some doujinshis.
Q resembles Mikuni’s sister. Maybe if he loses everything in the Financial District, then he will lose his sister. With that in mind, Msyu may represent Kimimaro’s child or potential lover in the future that is at stake if he goes bankrupt.
Well, this is proof for me that Mikuni is a great guy trying his best to make something good out of the cold financial district. It also shows us that he is not involved with Masakaki. Ah yes, and his “present is everything for normal people” ideals.