First Impressions / Mirai Nikki

「受信圏外」 (Jushin Kengai)
“Reception Outside Range”

“Thanks for the investigation diary. I’m sure it’ll help me beat the shit out of someone.”

I see an interesting dichotomy developing in the reactions to Mirai Nikki. Some viewers are enjoying the series pretty unreservedly for it’s intensity, absurdity and complete lack of restraint. Others are genuinely bothered by the outlandish plotlines and credulity-destroying scenarios it cooks up. For me, I see merit in both sides, and while it’s all well-and-good for me to tell people to suspend disbelief – that’s easier said than done. But as I said a while back, Mirai Nikki isn’t so much a story as a state of mind. In order for it to really work as I think it was intended you have to immerse yourself in it and experience it on an instinctual level rather than an intellectual level. And clearly, while I love the series, that’s not going to work for everyone.

I say all that now because I think the conclusion of Kurusu Keigo’s life arc is a prime of example of Mirai Nikki at both its most viscerally thrilling and its most ridiculous. To say that the internal logic of this episode doesn’t hold up well to close scrutiny is an understatement, and if it please the court, I’ll stipulate to the implausibility of all that stuff so I don’t have to talk about it here. But as it fits into the larger story, I think Kurusu’s situation makes perfect sense – and it packs a good amount of dramatic punch as well. It’s easy to judge Kurusu harshly – he certainly does himself, as it’s clear from the episode – but more so than for any of the other deceased players, his motives were complex and less focused on himself. In point of fact, the alliance with Ninth is testament to the fact that Fourth was willing to lose the game if it meant achieving his ultimate goal – he was just a smart and ruthless man trying to give himself as many potential outs as possible.

Of course Yuno by all appearances has the same approach, in that her goal seems to be to help Yukiteru at all costs even if it means sacrificing her own life. Her diary itself isn’t focused around her, but around him, and she seems to have been willing to destroy herself with Minene’s grenade if it meant taking Fourth with her. That it was a flash grenade is interesting not just because it meant that the kids survived, but because it meant that Minene wanted them to survive. What her plans are for Kurusu’s family remains anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that he placed a great deal of faith in Minene both as a competitor and as a person.

Another major plot point this week was the evolution of Yuki’s feelings towards Yuno. Romantic love is probably something he doesn’t understand in the sense an adult would, but devotion is something he does understand. Unlike last week’s incident where he shot one of Fourth’s subordinates in a moment of panic, when Yukiteru shot Kurusu it was a relatively calm and rational decision, albeit one made under duress. Not only did Yuki shoot someone deliberately and relatively calmly, but it was someone he knew well and once considered a friend and protector. It’s no coincidence that this was another “nexus point” moment, when the future changed – in effect this was the instance when the shift that occurred when Yukiteru saw what was inside Yuno’s secret room (that’s nowhere near as ecchi as it sounds) shifted again. I wouldn’t say Yukiteru forgot about that or even that it stopped mattering to him, but he’s made the leap from sticking with Yuno out of fear and necessity to actually placing his trust in her, for better or worse.

Of course the game is still on, and as Yukiteru takes Yuno on a personal journey of quite a lot of importance to him, the pieces are still in motion. Nishijima has taken over for Kurusu at the police department, Ninth remains a free agent who’s made a promise to Fourth, and Akise is still operating as a wild card, vying with Yuno for Yukiteru’s attention and trust. And that’s not even mentioning the other diary holders who haven’t really entered the story yet. There’s never a shortage of developments in Mirai Nikki, that’s for sure – and we got what I thought was the best omake yet this week. Kurusu’s conversation with Muru-Muru was delightfully random and twisted in a quiet sort of way, while still telling us a little about his character. And Muru needs to study up on her Viennese café culture if she’s going to be ordering wiener coffee…

 

Omake

67 Comments

      1. I find it funny how Deus possibly did all of these “love” things in his “imagination.” When you think about it, he must have did his own version of a shoujo manga with a terrorist and a cop.

        code fan
        Reply

    2. This story has no objections with any strange relationships: Loner BoyxStaker, go for it but just keep her away from sharp objects; CopxFemale Unabomber, go for it just keep her away from any kind of explosive substance.

      haseo0408
      Reply

  4. -so 4th exits the stage – in a truly dramatic fashion – and I can’t but feel for him as his internal conflicts make him a tragic anti-villain of sorts
    -that leaves our main pair plus Minene as known factors plus 3 other unknown diary holders at large
    -which brings me to the prediction that while we might have seen some real selfless and caring side of Yuno, we shall witness her darker side soon
    -last but not least, Minene continues to perplex me, from her final “alliance” with Kurusu, to the seeming care for Yukki when giving him flashbang – though possibly she wasn’t ready to risk a real grenade turned against herself – to her continous run-ins with Nishijima 🙂
    and while it is not showed, it is pretty much implied she has released hostages before planting her bomb, if not because of mercy, then because they were useless as bargaining chips against Kurusu… but how many villains would just have shot them in such situation?

    ewok40k
    Reply

      3. I didn’t say anything about censoring. I just said I was going to buy the DVD. That’s because I liked the manga and I like the show.

        So, yes, I was talking about the story and characters.

        Da5id
        Reply

      2. @Da5id:

        Deleted

        Did anything reveal that? But worry not: I stopped watching…

        …In favor of reading the author’s next torture to mankind(M.N.’s spiritual successor). Future telling phones got nothing compared to the power to take over the world… by just walking.

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

  6. Well, this episode of Mirai Nikki was a solid comeback from last week’s.

    Your insight Enzo helped more, since I felt identified when reading that first paragraph you wrote. In any case, this week’s scene where Yukiteru gains resolve was pure win…I was still hoping, though, he’d throw the gun away and take out something he feels more confident with when shooting…Darts. In any case, sticking with the pistol does make more sense than using a dart and hoping to kill someone, haha…

    Fourth was a great character. I love how he may seem to be a cold, back-stabbing person, but in fact he is what he is because he wants to accomplish his goals, no matter what that means. Personally, I can relate to that type of attitude (but we may greatly vary as regards to the means used to accomplish our goals, of course :P). The best part of him was that when he realized he couldn’t win anymore, he simply gave up and willingly died. He realized his family had more chances of having a normal life if either First, Second or Ninth survived. Given that Fourth knew those three were good folks, he pleaded them to protect their family from there on. He apologized for the trouble caused, wished them the best luck in surviving, and vanished.

    Damn…that was good.

    The omake, just like you said Enzo, was a very fun twist too…

    GOOD STUFF, ASREAD, GOOD STUFF.

    Justinnnnnn
    Reply

    2. Not really. Stockholm is only one-sided in most cases occurring in kidnapping. Theft is another. But no Yuki’s case. He is neither a hostage or a victim. In addition, Yuno’s feeling for him is genuine.

      Chaos
      Reply

  8. Nice review, as always.

    While I never find Minene an interesting character during my time reading the manga, I’ve find to be more interested to her when watching this anime wholeheartedly. Though I do find it rather surprising that she never bear any grudge to Yuki after what he did to her eye. Back when I’m reading the manga, I always wonder why she gave the opportunity (twice) to kill Yuki (and Yuno) and do the opposite. While the first one, when Yuki and and Yuno faced of against 5th, are under 4th request (or order, I dunno), she had greatest advantage at the hospital. Had she not saved Yuki and made him her hostage, she might have killed Yuki and possibly Yuno.

    With all that said, I think that Minene has a weird perspective on vengeance. She blames religion for her parent’s death, yet she doesn’t seems to mind with what Yuki did to her eye.

    Now with the end of 4th Arc, I’m more than excited for the next story arc. Show Spoiler ▼

    Terrorhunt
    Reply

  9. Awesome episode was awesome !!! XD Yuno is getting more and more crazier… The worst part is that Yuki seems to be falling slowly into a trap… Let`s hope that Yuno doesn´t end being like Metal Gear Solid: PO`s Ursula D:

    Kingdragun
    Reply

  10. I think I agree with everyone that Yuno is a raving nutjob that is barely in control. However, as an experiment, I’ve been watching the show since about episode 6 with this in mind. The girl is acting in the most efficacious and efficient manner she can given the circumstances. By our standards, and by the standards of many of the characters in the show, this is seen as extreme, dangerous, and the result of a psychosis.
    Rather or not this makes her even more chilling….well….

    skylion
    Reply

  11. This is definitely the halfway point, considering the other Diary Holders to meet and how the story unfolds afterward, and I’m just looking forward to the next episode when it finally airs, because other than that little ominous ending note, the next arc came out of nowhere.

    Donyo
    Reply

      2. Or maybe another character who just happens to be a detective and also happens to like sugar in his coffee. If he were sitting in the same way as L, I’d understand…but that would be way out of character for Kurusu.

        Da5id
        Reply

      8. Nope, nothing. I even changed the image to see if that was the problem, but it still won’t register.

        But thanks for the help. I know we don’t get along most of the time, but it’s good to know you’re willing to look past that in this instance when I’m trying to avoid identity theft.

        username
        Reply

  17. I was pretty disappointed at how Asread changed a very important detail in the stand-off scene between Yukki and Kurusu in the hospital ruins. The detail I’m talking about is the change from the manga where Nishijima shoots Kurusu. It made much more sense to have Nishijima shoot Kurusu, instead of having Yukki do it as it was done in this episode. After all, just one episode ago, we were shown how awful Yukki is at aiming. It makes no sense that he has miraculously improved in his aim after only having fired a gun once.

    I don’t know why Asread decided to change that scene. It was perfect as it is. One of the other changes from the manga is that the anime Kurusu seems to have less regret about all the rampage he’s caused.

    On a side note: is it just me, or has interest in Mirai Nikki declined during Kurusu’s arc these past three episodes? On this website, I’ve seen an incredible plummet in the number of comments per episode review. On a lot of other anime websites and forums, I’ve seen the same thing happening. Whereas every episode up until episode 9 had at least 100 comments, these past three episodes have had 85 comments at most. Have people lost interest in this show? Or is there some other reason?

    Butterbean
    Reply

  18. As a minor detail point I am glad they swapped the design of the grenade to a proper flash bang instead of what the manga author drew (a pineapple grenade which is a type of fragmentation grenade).

    Now it begins…

    KoroshiyaKi
    Reply

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