| Episode 59 / 9 brings on triple catharsis, foremost Akito's. But Cat and Tooru overcome their old emotional chains as well. Tooru is almost "reborn". Catharsis (from Greek κάθαρσις, katharsis, meaning "purification" or "cleansing" or "clarification") is the purification and purgation of emotions—particularly pity and fear—through art or any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal and restoration. (wikipedia) Two women in emotional turmoil meet (visual: under a dark morning sky in the rain). Akito, fresh from stabbing Rooster in the main house, has come to Dog's house with the dagger still in her hand. She finds her target Tooru seconds after Cat finished his "I'm a creep and not worth of your love" outburs, on the front lawn. Hey JoeAkito, I said where you goin' with that gundagger in your hand, oh Akito stays at a distance to Tooru and analyzes her own situation with amazing clarity. This is the unstoppable end of her rule over the zodiacs, Tooru took her place. Tooru transformed from outsider to the center of the zodiac circle, while Akito herself became an outsider (visual: groups during banquet). She hates Tooru. Pitch perfect summary of the previous 2 seasons.I'm goin' down to shootstab my old lady You know I caught her messin' 'round with another manall my men What follows is the weakest moment in an otherwise very strong episode: Tooru runs towards Akito to comfort her. This is too much. Even Siddharta Mahatma Jesus-kun wouldn't be stupid enough to run straight into a knife wielding psychopath who just explained her murder motive. Even an über-kind Mary Jane like Tooru should have a self-preservation reflexes and a reptile brain taking over in such a situation. The stress hormones after two traumatic moments should simply boil in her blood. Yet, she cool headed runs towards Akito and - surprise, surprise - is cut by her. The show should end here zooming into Tooru's tomstone, inscribed "here lies an idiot". So let's assume Tooru predicted the next event and has the mental discipline of a Shaolin monk. Because now she starts to analyze Akito: she's in fear of loss and as a result loneliness. The change this causes in Akito is visualized twice: she drops the knife and by this her murder intent, and the rain stops. She slaps Tooru Freud for good measure, and then listens to her continued analysis. Tooru explains that she herself would like emotions to last for ever, that change wouldn't happen, and eternity exists (visual: her mom in flashbacks). Akito runs off and Tooru catches up at a wet cliff. She continues her little sermon by stating she doesn't want a world where Akito isn't needed. And of course apologizes for any trouble her curse breaking may have caused. She reaches out her hand, konichi-wa Tooru desu. A perplexed and somehow also convinced Akito wants to take that offer when a mudslide happens and Tooru falls down rom great height. Wuthering heights. Akito runs back to the house where she meets Dog, Rat and Cat. Dog has a call with Dragon and they exchange the respective situations: Rooster and Tooru injured Akito is well and with Dog. Dog questions her and Akito explains "I stabbed the Sherrif, but I didn't toss the deputy". Rat is the first responder arriving at a motionless and bleeding Tooru. He gives way and steps back when Cat arrives, just warning him not to move a person with head injuries. Good Rat. Then we have a classic Snow White scene, Prince Cat's tears and kiss bring Tooru back to life. Once again this is underlined by the weather metaphor: the clouds burst and the sun lights up the scene. At that point we also have a full orchestra OST. Big cinema pulling all registers. The important part in this scene is the visual metaphor taking place in Tooru's head. We see her with her mother, then Cat comes. They walk, and her mother stays behind. Cat and Tooru walk side by side, then Tooru stays behind and Cat walks on alone. Then Tooru (remember: she's seriously injured and had a triple trauma) in her head starts to cheer up Cat, in another Jesus-kun montage. She calls Cat "anata" in that dream sequence, "my love". Anyway, she wakes up now. The visual metaphor is the same as before, but positions changed. Now Cat and her Kyouko are standing let and right, and Tooru walks from right to left, from her mom to Cat. In cinema, all planes land in a left->right movement (=coming home), and start right->left (=leaving home). So this reads visually as: bye mom, I have to go into my future with Cat, who is a worthy replacement and I finally overcome my trauma about your death. Then we have a brief exposition dump with Rat and grandpa Honda to make sure the viewer understands that both Rooster and Tooru survived are are well. The next scene is between Akito and Rabbit, who meet in front of the hospital. Akito is flabbergasted by the fact both Tooru and Rooster are forgiving her, care for her, and don't hate her for what she did. Her whole world is upside down. Generous and forgiving, or stupid and easy to exploit? Rabbit tells her the story of the stupid traveler from many episodes ago. He hands her a handkerchief with an embroidered rabbit. This now is in stark contrast to his tall and adult look after his growth sprint. The episode ends with a montage of Akito visiting both Rooster and Tooru alone. She has a bit more inner monologue about forgiveness and her changing value system. Yet, she changes rapidly for the better again visualized by the use of sunlight. So far we hardly had Akito shots on the outside her dark room, now we get tons of that in bright sunlight. Overall, a fairly simple redemption speed-arc, using massive amounts of visual story telling (weather, visual metaphors). Unlike the last episodes the narration is completely linear. This for me gives it more impact, because it's a rapid and strong movement out of the complex narrative structure of the previous episodes. Of which it's another excellent one, three in a row now. I'd also guess that it was practically the finale. We now are headed to close side stories, bring together the pending couples, and have some epilogue. Akito has changed fundamentally, the curse should break down "officially" now. |
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| Hello, Hope you're both doing well this fine Saturday morning. @inim wuthering heights >.< I agree that episode 9 seemed like a grand finale and now we'll be tying up loose ends for all the couples and having the final banquet. The Rat and Cat issue also needs resolving and for them to put their differences and learnt hatred aside (well for Cat). Episode 10. So Thuggirl and Kureno meet and talk, sweet imagery with the butterflies. So we get the Rat and Cat confrontation and it was pretty good, lots of emotional out pouring, mainly from Rat, who actually gets through to Cat in his shell of self pity like no one else but Tooru can. Very well done. I think that was the closest Rat comes to saying he's jealous of the fact that Tooru fell in love with Cat and not Rat. Cat was the one who won her heart and affection and he did it by being himself, not by being like Rat. Impactful scene when Cat visits his dad and realises that his dad is the monster who drove his mum to suicide, not himself. In the next scene we hear Akito's wishes regarding Cat, that he be free. Then the old hag servant repeats Akito's words to Kureno almost exactly "I don't know how to change, I've only ever known life in this estate" and Akito can see her own predicament in the old lady scared to face an unknown future. That was far and away the best episode of the entire franchise for me, less dramatic than some of the others but with such feeling and pay off from everything we've seen happen for Cat, Rat, Tooru, Akito and Thuggirl/Kureno. |
23feanorFeb 5, 2022 2:27 AM
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| @23feanor you woke the list monster with your remakr. Here's what IMDB thinks of the eps in S3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9304350/episodes 9.6 8 (Cat x Tooru talk about her mom in the rain) 6 (Tooru's chilhood back story & reverse Oedipus) 9.5 13 (TBD) 10 (TBD) 9 (Tooru's cliff fall) 7 (Rooster stabbed) 9.4 12 (TBD) 11 (TBD) 4 (Ox x Horse mini finale) 9.3 5 (Rabbit curse breaks) 2 (Dog x Akito backstory) 1 (Tooru struggles with the Rooster revelation from S2) 9.2 3 (Machi x Rat romance) |
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| Episode 10 The episode begins with and focuses on Rat and Dog, particularly the former, who talks about having wished that he took the right path. There’s clearly some need for Rat and Cat to come to some kind of accord, though nothing has happened on that front in quite a while. Wavegirl and Thuggirl end up approaching Rat after ha ving run into Akito at Tooru’s hospital room. Akito fesses up to having caused injury to Tooru (which Tooru denies she caused), and having stabbed Rooster, who Thuggirl loves. Yet, Thuggirl hugs her, having found reason to sympathize with Akito over her turmoil built on years and years with Rooster. Not the reaction I expected. Honestly, been waiting for someone to really take Akito to task over her behavior, yet everyone seems to be handling her gingerly. I’d expect that from the Soumas, but not from Thuggirl. Thuggirl goes to see Rooster, who says that he finally has decided to leave Akito’s side. Thuggirl responds by saying that she will follow him wherever he goes, refusing to tell him why. This seems to make him happy. She clearly wants to be more than just a footnote in his life, and will do what it takes to make herself be more a part of the action. A sweet moment. Rat and Dog return home to Ox, the home invader, after visiting Tooru. There’s a bit of comedic banter between them, followed by concerns for Cat who just arrived back at the house after them. Rat is upset with him for having vanished and, apparently, running away. Cat confirms that is his aim, saying that Tooru would be better with Rat. Rat kicks him (we’re back to this), and Cat says that what he wanted all this time was to be Rat: a boy who was popular with a wealthy, intact family. This is followed by yet another kick and series of punches to Cat. Yet, it was true in reverse that Rat wanted to be Cat: a boy who was free of the expectations that hound Rat, free to be who he wanted, and the recipient of Tooru’s love. In general, Cat’s response to all this is puzzling. He’s effectively behaving as though he wasn’t the sole recipient of Tooru’s profession of love, as though it could just as easily have been meant for Cat. He’s struggling with his concerns about the life that Tooru would have with him, which makes sense, but the attitude that Rat (who was there and very clearly not the recipient of Tooru’s affections) was an effective substitute just doesn’t make sense. Still, Rat pushes back on him as best he can, arguing that Cat is the only one who can truly make Tooru happy, giving him the push he needs to understand that there is no substitute for him, and that risk or no, he has to play his role. They both still despise each other, but now, they understand one another in a way they refused to before. But Cat has something he needs to do before he sees Tooru. As expected, he goes to see his father, who is clearly a depressed drunk who cannot do anything to move on from his fury at Cat for, as he sees it, causing the death of his wife. Cat responds coldly by accepting responsibility for his mother’s death, which his father believes will be the trigger for his isolation. Yet, Cat refuses to be isolated as Kazuma’s grandfather was. He has found his connection with Tooru, and he won’t allow it to be severed. His father can’t comprehend this, saying that he’s unforgivable and the only atonement would be that isolation, calling him a monster that needs to be locked away. Yet, this is the point where his position becomes clear: he isn’t just talking about Cat. He’s also talking about his wife, who he says was a disgrace for even bearing Cat. This riles Cat, who finally understands that it wasn’t him (or at least, not solely him) that drove his mother to suicide. Being told constantly by her husband that she was a disgrace, that she bore a monster unworthy of love, and was therefore monstrous herself. She was isolated, bearing the feeling of responsibility for Cat and the lack of support from her husband. Cat, in response, refuses to let himself be thrown away, refuses to let the fate that befell his mother befall him. His father, meanwhile, makes clear that he is little more than a shell of a man, crying out in fear that he will be killed by Cat when the latter barely grabs his wrist to stop him from being aggressive. Compare that to Akito’s response to hearing from Cat’s father. She rejects putting Cat in isolation, saying that she wants the cottage burned down. She says this to her elder attendant, who remarks on Akito’s ability to change while she, herself, lacks that capacity after so many years building the life she has now. Akito doesn’t reject her choices, but tells her that she’s moving on, even if her attendant cannot. In parallel, Cat does the same saying that he will visit again, leaving his father behind as the latter raves about never forgiving him. Rat, meanwhile, speaks about the need to move along the path forward, to move with our mistakes rather than staying stagnant. He receives a call from, who else, Machi, saying that there’s something she wants to give him. He, too, sets aside his past and concerns to run to her. Finally, Cat gets to the hospital, sees Tooru leaving with Wavegirl and Thuggirl, and even though he still questions how much he loves her, he sets it aside and recognizes that he loves her, and that’s all that matters. Her response to seeing him, however, is to run away. And Cat, for once, is the one running after her. Alright, this episode is the good stuff. Glad to see that they’re not rushing these important moments, even if some of the others feel a bit too fast for my liking. |
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| Episode 60 / 10 breaks down the fallout of last episode's earthquake into smaller scenes for individuals. Like in the previous episode the themes are change, forgiveness, letting go and looking forward. It resets and closes multiple arcs so everybody is ready for the finale, without legacy arcs lingering. The pre-OP is an off monologue by Cat about how wonderful the world would be without hurting each other. This is mirrored at the end in a similar monologue by Rat. Together they set the theme and serve as a bracket for the episode. They also underlines the duality and mutual envy of Cat and Rat, which they discuss their scene in more detail and takes it to a structural level. Not quite Ikuhara, but using themes from content to structure is his trademark as well. Cat and Rat are the Yin and Yang, the Alpha and Omega of the zodiac. We kick off with two minor scenes. Tooru and Cat are missing after the rainy morning, as the school council's member note. A minor comedic scene and reminder that the Machi x Rat arc is not resolved, with along shot into her face. Next is Thug and Wave meeting Akito in the hospital, where both want to visit Rooster. Akito and Thuggirl seem to mutually recognize each other as rivals about Rooster (or so Akito thinks, maybe). Akito apologizes for what she did, and (T)huggirl takes her in her arms and forgives her. It's funny she can do that, because she hasn't really a role in the zodiac events other than her love interest in Rooster. She sort of acts on his behalf already, quite naturally. Next is a calm scene with Rooster and Thuggirl in Rooster's hospital room, no touching no drama, just calm presence. Rooster explains he must leave for Akito to heal, and Thuggirl replies that wherever he goes she'll follow. Silent agreement, and a symbolic scene with two butterflies - one outside, one coming out of the room - fly away together. Next is the Rat vs. Cat scene in Dog's house. Cat is in his broody mood when Rat finds him, and packing his bag to vanish. He tells Rat that it's better for Tooru to be with Rat as he can't protect her. Your stereotypical "if you love somebody, set them free". But Rat rejects the "offer". He explains that Cat's idea of "protecting" is super-human, he can't do super-hero stuff. But in Rat's opinion he did something else: he made her happy over the last year. Rat and Cat mutually express envy for the part of personality they lack and the other has, as seen before. They end up in a brief brawl and Rat sends off Cat: Go to her! and Cat does. After he left, Rat to himself confirms how much he hates the baka neko, and it sounds serious. On his way to the hospital Cat visits his father. He seems to be a musician / composer and cat finds him drinking early in the day, in his working room. Questioned about this by Cat, the father evades an answer. He then starts to repeat the ever same accusations of Cat driving his wife into suicide, guilt and hate. A child can't defend against this, but now Cat is mature enough to calmly listen. Then he simply accepts the accusations without comment, which neutralizes them. His dad is perplexed, now the old sword is dull he has no plan B. Cat tells his dad he won't go into the cat house, and his dad denies his right into a normal life. We then see flashbacks making clear that Cat's dad wanted to part from both the "monster" and his mother. He was already aggressive and maybe drinker back in the day. The scene we see here is the same as last episodes' pre-suicide evening, just that now some nasty stuff said by the dad is added. Cat now directly rejects the accusation of guilt, and leaves his confused father behind. Sayonara. While going to the hospital or the final scene, we have an "we all make mistakes" and "eventually I'll arrive" inner monologue, similar to the one opening the episode. Next are more minor update scenes for side chars, Sheep and Tiger discussing the consequences of Sheep's broken curse. We already had Ox reporting from Horse, they are together and Horse cares a lot for Tooru (insert booby joke here as well). Next is Akito and her domestic hag. The Souma family had a call from Cat's dad to pick him up from his father's home. Akito herself wants to go there and tell the dad that Cat is a free person now, she no longer wants to control his life. Even more, she wants to tear down the cat house. The old domestic servant, still representing the past and old values, tells Akito that she can't change anymore after 70 years. Akito understands and offers her the safety to stay in her service nevertheless. Hag envies youth because they can change, pretty much setting the theme for this episode. There's a double cliff hanger along the duality theme of the episode. Cat makes it to the hospital in time, where Wavegirl and Thuggirl already are waiting for Tooru. Seeing him Tooru runs away. Elsewhere, Rat leaves to see Machi. Overall, a consolidating episode. It takes the time to cleanly finish off a lot of arcs. Good to see they remember how good pacing works. |
inimFeb 5, 2022 12:50 PM
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| Episode 61 / 11 This is the way the curse ends. Not with a bang but a whimper. In it's key part, the episode tells the mythological story of how the curse was created. Akito waives her status as god, breaking the bond for everybody. And finally Cat and Tooru become an official couple. My summary is in chronological order, they choose to go back to mild re-ordering for effect. The episode's story starts with two hospital visits to Tooru by Rat and Akito. There's Rat visiting and asking for Tooru's comment on Cat. She completely evades the question, by countering it with absurd questions like if there's enough toilet paper stock in Dog's house when she returns. Message: After Cat's confession about his relation to Kyouko, Tooru can't make up her mind about her feelings. The second visitor is Akito, and they talk about the beauty of Tooru's and Akito's soul. It's a Mahatma Jesus-kun Tooru scene again, the forgiving kind. When Akito says Tooru's soul is more beautiful than her own, Tooru of course rejects the statement. She says Akito's loneliness and tears are honest and thus beautiful. Tooru apologizes for her (successful!) attempt to "destroy your world" and the hurt that caused. In a previous monologue she said nothing is left to do, it's all over. Akito and Tooru resume their "let's be friend" scene right before the mudslide on the cliff - it's never too late. Akito then sits in her room, but at the door which I think is symbolism for change. She recalls the ancient legend of the curse creation when a hand in a rainbow robe touches her. The god of the legend has returned. At this moment the legend is told, I stick with the humans for now. Akito let's the curse go, she decides it should end and so it does. We have cuts on each zodiac member noticing this, in various situations of their daily life. Everybody looks surprised and fairly neutral, kind of in disbelief. Snake's scene is the funniest, he calls Mine to him, confesses his love, and hugs her. Akito's scene in the montage is her call to cry with her. It's a very bittersweet moment for everybody. The main event is the impact on Cat and Tooru, which is right at the start of the episode. We see the same scene where Tooru leaves the hospital and is greeted by Wavegirl, Thuggirl and Cat. Nice touch: now we see it from her POV camera position rather than Cat's. So those two arcs come together, both Tooru and Cat were dealing with old inner demons, developed and meet again. We've reached a decision point. And like in the other version, Tooru runs away, and when Cat catches her, runs away again. This is much needed comic relief. As hinted at in the Rat / toilet paper scene, Tooru can't decide how to react to Cat. She's torn by contradicting strong emotions in her, love to and simultaneous rejection by Cat (the unworthy). There may also be some anger about his role in her mother's death (despite what she says), and also fear of making an important decision. Tooru is not ready to either declare or accept Cat's love, she runs and evades any decision. She describes the feeling as if each time she hears Cat's name, she feels like someone stabbed her in the heart. This changes when Cat catches her the 2nd time. Cat goes into confession and apology position, on his knees in front of a sitting Tooru. Then he uses the classic Japanese approach. He says he was egoistical to burden her with his confession about her mother. He should have considered her feelings hearing that. Then he goes into the offensive and asks for just one more chance, and that he loves her. This ends in a tearful kiss - finally! Unlike the "full zodiacs", Cat doesn't seem to notice the breaking of the curse. Which must happen around the time of this scene. Cat and Tooru decide to hug despite the transformation, which both also see as a sign of intimacy and trust. So they hug, but nothing happens. Counter-shot on Akito in her room, with her asking the rainbow god "Is it OK not to be a god, father?" and then "Sayonara". She has turned human in that moment. Now Cat understands what happened and tears off his wristband holding back his monster form, and nothing happens either. The precise order of events is unclear: Akito's Sayonara, the confession Cat x Tooru, and the moment each zodiac noticed the change. I think it's safe to assume this is a parallel event shown from many angles. This shows it's importance, and is a smarter writing constuct than using heightened melodrama. The world changes massively, but casually. There's a post-ED scene serving as an epilogue. An off-commentator (the god) asks when the promise between the zodiacs and the god turned into a curse. When they created the bond it was for love. But over time humans change and drift apart, so eternal repetition turned into the curse it was perceived as today, into suffering. Then we see couples coming to the main house, e.g. Ox and Horse. They bring Tooru to Akito's chamber, which she enters alone. The two of them hug. The end (of this episode and the curse). The New Zodiac Legend In the new version it's not a race for the god's banquet. The god is lonely at the beginning, when a stray cat comes to his door. It offers him friendship and he accepts, they live together for a while. Then the god decides it would be even more fun to have more friends like the cat. He is not dealing with humans because of his immense powers and the fear to hurt them. But based on his experience with the cat, non-human friends seem to work well. Twelve animal spirits respond to his invitation for a banquet. They have a lot of fun, the serious god finally can laugh with somebody. They decide to repeat this every full moon. Which, btw, explains the nocturnal nature and darkness in Akito's depiction throughout most of the show - I definitely saw that one coming. This goes on for a long time, when suddenly the cat collapses during a banquet. It's at the verge of death due to old age. Everybody is deeply saddened and they decide that the god should use his magic to revive the cat. He creates a magic potion of eternal life and the cat sips on it and returns to life. Now every animal drinks from the potion, they promise each other to return in an eternal cycle or rebirth to have their banquets forever. The cat dissents, it doesn't want to live forever and refuses to drink. The cat argues it wants to be with humans, it wants sunshine and not pale moon light, and welcomes death as the price for that. Then it dies. The god and the remaining twelve feel rejected, sad and confused by the cat's decision. They choose to ignore it, nevertheless, and leave the dead cat behind. Over time all animals die, and eventually even the god dies. But they all aren't afraid because they know that they will be reborn and meet again, for the endless cycle of banquets in the moonlight. Note: The god isn't given a name, but looks an awful lot like Akito's daddy. Overall, I liked the unagitated style she writer picked for this major event. Also the massively parallel narrative technique which doesn't feel as complex and non-linear as it really is. Next stop: getting all the missing ships out of the harbor! Dog x Akito, Thuggirl x Rooster and Rat x Machi have set sail already. |
inimFeb 6, 2022 3:43 AM
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| Episode 11 I'll focus down on the elements I loved for this one, since @inim has already hit all the bases. The beginning of this episode just has a lot to love. I mentioned already that Tooru running away with Cat chasing her was really apropos, given how she has had to chase him so often over the course of the series. Where her running away stems from - that she's trying her best to put on a happy face and accept that he will reject her, particularly after he said he was disappointed in her - is a gut-wrenching moment, even though we know that it will be alleviated soon. Cat isn't the same person he was when he said that, and now he gets his chance to demonstrate that change, not just by accepting her love, but actively moving to show his as well, to break down the walls he put around himself and embrace someone else despite his fears of what will happen. Even his transformation feels like a small concern when the alternative is to be apart from her. Tooru reassures him, but it doesn't feel like he needs it anymore. And, of course, when they embrace, he doesn't transform. This answers a question I posed earlier: there does seem to be a bond between Akito and Cat, one that Akito actively says "bye" to in this episode, along with the other remaining bonds.Akito is dressed in a feminine kimono in this scene as well, standing in an open doorframe rather than hiding away as she normally is when her masculinity might be questioned by those who see her. She doesn't want to be a god anymore, even if that's what her father wished for her and pushed for her to believe. She wants to be truly loved and appreciated. The growth we've seen from her seems a bit too rapid for my liking, but I love how they framed this moment too much to care. Her brief conversation with Tooru in the hospital gives some insight into what led to this transformation on her part, with Tooru pushing for a new beginning with Akito that brings the latter hope that there will be time for her to establish bonds with others that don't require their submission. The breaking of those bonds, of course, has ripple effects. First Snake, who can finally embrace Mine and show her affection that he could not before. Monkey (who it's honestly a bit difficult to care about, given that he only had any fleshing out in a single episode) dropping a plate in tears from the sudden change. Tiger bursting into tears in front of Sheep and his little sister. Boar suddenly stopped while walking. Horse and Ox together realizing the break and reaching out to one another, feeling the pain of that loss while loving each other for what they've gained. Dragon, putting a hand to his face, perhaps feeling the weight of this moment differently from the others. Dog stops in his walk, recognizing aloud that this is a consequential moment. And Cat, doing what he's wanted to do for his entire life, shatters the beads on his wrist, breaking his shackles. For one last time, Akito wants them to feel anguish with her, to show that connection as it is severed. And they all do, in their own ways. The story Tooru tells is of the Zodiac animals and God is fascinating. The fact of the Cat's arrival as the first, uninvited guest to God does certainly set this creature apart from the others, who all came at God's invitation. The bonds being formed as a means of ensuring that their close friendship can be maintained through death contrasts with the reality that doing so tethers them to God, effectively making permanent the choice that brought them there. Cat's argument that he wanted to accept his mortality, with all the sadness that it brings, is unfortunately the "betrayal" that led to his ouster from the Zodiac, despite apparently being nothing of the sort. The other animals saw this as a rejection of everlasting love. The Cat saw this as embracing that love, however fleeting it is. After the credits, we get to see Cat meet with Kazuma to tell him the good news, a beautiful moment. Over this plays some surmising from God, who asks when this fellowship became a curse, but also recognizes their commitment to it, thanking the Zodiac for their longstanding commitment to God. We finally get an embrace between Tooru and Akito, which, of course, still takes place behind closed doors. Old habits, of Akito not wanting to show weakness, die hard. There are no words except: wow. Hard to believe the series has anywhere to go from here that could be more cathartic. |
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| Episode 62 / 12 concludes the romance arcs for the two remaining main characters: Dog x Akito and Rat x Machi. It also as Akito's "coming out" as a woman, and the truth about Kyouko's last dying words. All of this was expected, tis still is shoujo and a happy end is mandatory. So the focus is more on the "how" but on the "what" part. Rat x Maci: This scene logically belongs to the last episode, as it covers the moment when Rat's curse breaks. As with Cat, it's combined with the confession scene - in his case with Machi. It never reaches the emotional depth of Cat x Tooru's relation, Machi always felt like a plot device to me, needed to discretely dispose Rat's relation status as "resolved and done". What we get as a bonus is the visual depiction of the bond breaking. Rat has a vision of the god, the other animals, and himself in animal form. The god tells him "you are the last, you are now free" in that dream sequence. Also the question what will happen to the curse / bond is answered: it will cease to exist, the zodiac animals won't be reborn and meet again ever more. The confession scene itself is pretty standard. Machi takes the initiative and arranges a meeting with Rat, under the pretext of giving him a gift for Tooru as thank you for the help cleaning up her room (and life). Rat at first is distant as usual, but after his curse broke, he touches Machi. They embrace, cry, call each other by the first name (oh Japan, you are weird) and eventually kiss. The standard imperial procedure. A weak ending for a weak romance arc. Dog x Akito: This is by far the most mature, complex and multi-layered romantic relation in the show. And because the show saves the best for last, it isn't completely resolved in this episode, yet. Dog visits Akito in her room, to bring her a red kimono as a "separation gift". He can't help it and keeps trolling her even in a moment like this. He explains she had another lover (the god) before, and the gift is for her separation from him. He now wants her, but he'll give her the opportunity to run away. Akito states that of all zodiacs Dog always was the most distant, enigmatic and hardest to control. She was actually afraid of him. Her part is presented as another complex inner monologue mixing two timelines. First one is the "confession" scene at the garden spring when she was a little girl, the second maintains taht location but has her as adult - wearing the gifted kimono. Even now Akito's thinking is kind of creepy. She experiences unknown emotions of desire, if not lust, which she blames on her previous acceptance of femininity. She thinks she wants to merge with Dog, cell by cell, share a spine, and become his odor. No comment. Eventually we get our mutual "I love you" and kiss. This isn't your usual first love anime stereotype. This is the romannce between two highly intelligent, emotionally crippled adults in the sense of Evangelion's hedgehog dilemma. I was literally waiting for the nod, e.g. a hedgehog running trough the garden. Two master manipulators united at last, well fitting and deserving each other. Cat x Tooru: They have a scene at Kyouko's grave, in which Cat opens the plan for his future. He wants to leave the Soumas for years of travel, working for a Dojo a friend of Kazuma runs. He wants to test and prove his independence and learn to deal with freedom. He wishes to return one day to inherit Kazuma's dojo, many years from now if he is worthy. The years until then would be modest. Tooru replies that she'll follow him, leaving behind her zodiac friends. Parting from them would be hard, parting from Cat harder. The couple then leaves the grave, hand in hand. Another chapter closed, under supervision of the dead. Kyouko's death: This scene is unusual, as it kind of breaks the 3rd wall. None of the characters knows the revelation of this scene, the writer presents this piece of information directly to the viewer as kind of reassurance of a full happy end. It's another inner monologue inside the head of Kyouko after she has been lethally wounded in the car accident. The camera takes her POV as well to underline this. Story: Kyouko understands she's dying and her thoughts focus on Tooru, still a child in her view. She looks around the bystanders for somebody to "hand over" Tooru to, for protection and care. She recognizes Cat, and imagines kind of a "high five" torch passing moment. If he fails doing so, she'd never forgive him - true meaning of the quote fixed. She then walks off with Katsuya into a dream world ocean, headed straight to the prequel movie. The Zodiac's ad-hoc meeting: The released zodiac members spontaneously arrive at the main house one by one. I'm missing Dog and Rooster in the lineup, else it's complete. Akito arrives at the scene in the red kimono Dog gave to her, revealing her gender officially. A remarkable detail is that her arrival is announced by a young domestic servant, change happened here as well. The show uses the opportunity for a number of pretty good inside jokes by the zodiacs for comic relief, as half of them just learnt about it in this moment. Akito announces she'll assume female gender identity, remain at the mansion, and keep her position as head of the Souma house. Overall, the show keeps closing arcs in what is a multi-episode "sticking the landing". To the point it closes Kyouko's arc in a "for viewer only" way. The quality and pacing of the finale (of which this is another part) is worthy of the show's patient build up. |
inimFeb 7, 2022 5:47 AM
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| Episode 63 / 13 gives each cast member a final scene. The themes are parting, coming of age and taking responsibility for decisions, gratitude and memory lane. Literally nobody is left behind without a piece of the big happy end. There are more than a dozen individual scenes, and it wouldn't really make sense to write a detailed summary for each. They all lived happily ever after. Much of the episode is played for comedic relief. Some "news" still occur, so let's cover the minor characters. Dragon and Mayo (bookworm) are going to a shared vacation on Okinawa, starting a fresh romance. Dog quits writing, and his two editors party like it's 1999. Rooster and Thuggirl have a phone call, talking as if they were already an old couple. It's hinted that Kazuma and Wavegirl may become a couple, there's a suggestive shot of them walking close to each other. Wavegirl and Thuggirl "hand over" Tooru to Cat in a zoo visit scene. Cat and Tooru clean their old rooms in the Soma estate, set to leave the day after. Rat leaves for a remote college and hands over the key for his flat to Machi for care and use. She promises to follow him after graduation. Speaking of which, graduation takes place for all high school zodiacs and Tooru. The serious closing words come from Horse, while the camera is on her scar. She states they all were wounded, and it's hard for her to forget the dramatic nd traumatic events. Ox comforts her in an embrace. Akito decides to not attend Cat and Tooru's farewell event, but when she talks about it to Dog we see the first smile ever in the show on her face. And of course we get the mandatory Snake and Mine comedy scene as well. Only Rabbit is left without a clear perspective, oddly. The penultimate scene shows Rat and Tooru, with Rat expressing gratitude to Tooru in the name of all zodiacs. The dialog is written very much along the setting of the original bond between the animals and the god. Tooru has indeed replaced Akito in the hearts of the zodiacs, as Rat puts it like a mother. She transformed him (and them) into a humans, literally and figuratively. His last sentence is the same as Akito's father / the god used: you're loved by all of us. The final scene is an epilogue decades after the events of the show. We meet Cat and Tooru's adult daughter and her female grand child. Grandma Tooru and grandpa Cat are off for a romantic walk trough a flower field, holding hands. The very last shot is a zoom on those hands, visibly old hands. |
inimFeb 7, 2022 5:47 AM
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| Hello, Looking after a 8 month pregnant woman is no joke, I've been busy all day cooking cleaning and generally serving her every whim. Still think she's getting the short end of the stick with the whole baby in her tummy deal, poor women. Episode 11. That was the big shoujo style romantic confession with Tooru and Cat I've been expecting. Then we get the story of the zodiac and it's origin. That final sequence from the moment Tooru started narrating the story of the zodiac I was entranced, that ending had tears running down my face, exceptional emotional pay off to the entire zodiac myth. I loved when Akito said "cry with me, for a bond broken and for a lonely god", simply magnificent. |
23feanorFeb 6, 2022 10:47 PM
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| I've finished the series now (couldn't help it after the end of episode 11 and with only two more to go), but I'll hold off on posting until tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing everyone's thoughts on the series as a whole, been a long journey. |
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| So we reach the final couple of episodes and I've been impressed so far by this season, very impressed. Yes there have been some pacing issues, but i thought of the first couple of seasons like setting up dominoes (character, myth, romance) and the final season has been watching them fall, one after another, and apart from the Bunny episode and his breaking bond, which did feel rushed the rest has been ok. Powerful, heartfelt and well written. The use of the zodiac curse to heighten already unhealthy personal relations for the Soma clan was inspired. And at the centre of it all, Tooru Freud, and the authors uncanny sense for getting to the heart of an issue and what makes each character tick. To keep an audience engaged for the first 2 seasons, and 50 eps without any major plot developments (ie a major confession from a primary cast, only hinted at) is a testament to the strength of the large cast. Episode 12. And the big hits keep coming as we see Rat x Machi resolved. Go Rat. Then we see Akito as a woman. The show could have stopped after the curse broke and each couple got together, so I'm glad to see we get some closure and see how everything is panning out. Akito's VA, Colleen Clinkenbeard did very well voicing Akito in this final season. So we get the long awaited reunion of Akito and Dog. Another gratifying Tooru x Cat moment when he reveals his plan for the future. Heart breaking final scene showing Kyoko's final thoughts. Episode 13. Great epilogue episode. You don't often get epilogue episodes, normally a sequel or special/OVA. So great to see a series rounded off with all threads tied up. Wait, is that Wavegirl and Cat's Master together, when did that happen? Wow Akito looks cute as a girl dressed up in summer clothes. This episode was mentally refreshing after all the vitriol and emotional baggage we've watched, everything wrapped up after all the drama and a new beginning for everyone. This has been really fun so thanks to all of you for your contributions, it's been great to experience really good anime and discuss it with other people. Here's my final review: I believe it's Run with the Wind next, are you guys ok with starting tomorrow? |
23feanorFeb 7, 2022 3:10 AM
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| Episode 12 Unsurprisingly, we start from where we left off with Rat, who was running to Machi. Simultaneously, this is unsurprising because we saw this in the previous episode, and because he is the only Zodiac member whom we did not see respond to the breaking of his bond with Akito. I can't really say that I find this pre-romance with Machi all that convincing, despite previous events, since it really wasn't built up meaningfully. It's also kind of hard to believe that what she wanted to give him was a gift for Tooru. I understand that she's rather gifted at seeing to the core of someone and clearly recognized that Tooru had a good influence on Rat, but I can't recall seeing her ever interact with Tooru, so giving her a gift just seems... unearned. It's certainly fascinating that Rat gets a brief video message from the God that made the promise with the Zodiacs. He notes that Rat kept the promise for the longest time (technically not true - Cat never rejected the promise, though everyone else rejected his response to it, and really, Rat only started the promise like, what, a minute or two before everyone else dogpiled that milk dish?), but his was clearly the last bond to break. In his realization of the bond breaking, he embraces Machi, finally making at least his affections clear. And, of course, she responds in kind, asking if she can call him by his first name, leading to a first kiss. Adorable. Afterward, all the Soumas (minus Dog, who has not returned yet) are meeting at the compound. Even Cat is there, seeing the inner compound that he’s never been allowed to visit. They are all there to see Akito, who emerges in very clearly feminine clothing to reveal herself as she is to the former Zodiacs. Akito apologizes to them all. This clothing was given to her by Dog before she broke the curse (as indicated by the scratch marks she leaves on his temple, which were scarred over by the time that he realizes the curse had broken), after which he apparently said goodbye to the person that her father had wanted her to be. Akito feared Dog, while Dog actively sought to have Akito all to himself. Akito has the chance to decide whether she wants Dog in her life now, the chance to come to him rather than forcing him to come to her. Clearly, she still has the desire to reach him, and ends up going to him. They have a sweet moment that, for once, isn’t tinged with the pain of their shared existence. A fitting, if a bit abbreviated (feels like we should have explored Dog’s machinations more than this), end for Dog’s and Akito’s arcs in this story. Cat’s scene with Tooru is sweet, telling her that he’s going to travel to a new dojo and hoping that she will come with him. This is an intriguing moment because Tooru’s previous aims for the future have focused on finding work, but not having an aim for who to work for. She affirms that she wants to help him find out who he is without the curse and tells him she will leave with him. Strangely, he pushes back on this, sowing doubt in her decision, though she remains decisive. Finally, she refuses to accept what Cat said were Kyoko’s last words, saying that she must not have said it out of hatred. She refuses to allow the memory of her mother to be sullied, even as she finds herself sidelining the memory of her in her life, choosing to focus on the living love in front of her. Cat even goes so far as to promise Kyoko himself, to keep her safe. At last, we look back at Kyoko’s final moments from her perspective, particularly her regrets about leaving Tooru behind and her fears for her. She appears to see future glimpses of a happy Tooru, and reaches out to Cat, who she suddenly recognizes. She can only get out the last bit of her thoughts, though: “I won’t forgive you, ever.” Left out is that he has to remember Tooru, to find her, to keep the promise he made on the day that he tried to find her. It was holding him to that promise, even though he didn’t and couldn’t recognize it as such. Tragic, but her wishes eventually came to fruition, even if no one knew them. After she passes, she finds herself lying in the waves of some ocean, with a man, presumably her dead husband, reaching down to help her up. Yep, this show is ending strong. |
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| Episode 13 We start the finale at the zoo with Tooru and Kyo (yes, I’m using his actual name now since everyone’s curse is broken) on their first date… with Wavegirl and Thuggirl. Wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s interesting to see Kyo interact with a cat now. Early in the series, they seemed to recognize him as one of their own. Now, they turn away like he’s a normal human. We flash back to the scene of Kyo’s shattering his beads, where Tooru is gingerly gathering up each bead, perhaps in recognition of the sacrifice that created them. On their way out from the zoo, Wavegirl confronts Kyo about taking Tooru away from the two of them. They give up quickly, but make Kyo promise to take care of her. They head back to the house, where Tooru is cleaning with Kyo. Tooru reminisces sadly over the loss of the life that she’s leaving behind, but Kyo tells it like it is and reassures her that this is the beginning of a new blanket. Meanwhile, Yuki’s going to college. So is Manabu, surprisingly. Machi arrives, and Yuki gives her a key to his dorm. Machi’s definitely a bit of a tsundere, though it still feels like we don’t know her all that well as a character. They talk about the fact that Yuki is separating from his erstwhile companions, and about Yuki himself leaving. Machi promises to catch up to him, and they kiss again, with Yuki saying he’d wait. We go to a scene with Ritsu (dressed in masculine clothes for once) and Kagura discussing Dog’s retirement from writing. This makes his editor Mitsuru ecstatic, unsurprisingly, given her streak of near suicides because of his failure to meet his deadlines. They surmise that he’s quitting to be with Akito and there’s some question as to whether love is developing between Ritsu and Mitsuru, though given the almost complete lack of Ritsu in most of this anime, it’s hard to get invested in this. Kagura, meanwhile, seems more than a little frustrated by being left out of all the pairings, even if she’s hopeful for their success. Kisa and Hiro discuss Dog’s house being torn down and Tooru leaving, and Hiro encourages her to cry as much as she wants when they see her off. Hatsuharu, Momiji and Isuzu all discuss everyone moving on, finding their own ways forward, though Isuzu finds it impossible to forgive Akito for the damage she caused her. Outside their door, Kazuma and Wavegirl (an odd pair that’s never explored) believe that each of them will overcome their issues going forward. Thuggirl is alone on the phone with Kureno, who appears to be somewhere distant as promised. As she promised, it looks like their reunion is coming soon. Mine and Ayame are preparing clothing for Tooru and Kyo (mainly the former) to bring with them on their journey in order to, as he says, “send them on their way with a box full of love.” They also aim to send Yuki off with some feminine clothing… I’m sure he’ll hate it. Mayuko is having drinks with Hatori. The latter has never had a trip before, bound as he’s been to the Souma estate. They find themselves going to a travel agency to work something out, their relationship clearly building. Finally, Shigure and Akito are preparing for the send-off. Akito plans not to attend, even if she’s going to visit Tooru eventually. We’re left with some brief interactions between the main cast. Yuki telling Kyo to do a good job, and Kyo telling him to mind his own business, still referring to each other by their Zodiacs. Yuki goes to see Tooru, wistful for the time they had together, but happy for her and himself in their moving on. Yuki finally clarifies that he sees Tooru as a mother figure, even saying that some of the others might see her similarly. Though he’s the one saying it, there’s almost a collective declaration of love for Tooru from the Zodiacs and even Akito, who have all gained a lot from their time with her. He wraps up by thanking her sincerely. She cries, returning the thanks, and saying she will see him again soon. We flash forward. Tooru and Kyo’s granddaughter is asking her parents where the two of them are, but they went out for a walk. We get some pictures and a sort of shrine to their lives together, and the two of them walking through the flowers. A super sweet moment that culminates in a shot of the hat that started so many of their interactions and conflicts. It really was a beautiful series. I can see why it’s so universally beloved. I’ll need to think on this season a bit because I felt the previous two were more consistent, even if the first season was mainly set up and therefore much more low-key. This season undoubtedly contained some of the best moments of the series as a whole, but by rushing stories like Rabbit’s, I think this series also unfortunately undermined some of the best stuff from the previous seasons. Right now, it’s sitting in the mid-to-high 8 range, similar to S2. I’ll get my thoughts together and post a review of the series as a whole. |
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| OK, now that everybody posted "decrypted" eps 12 + 13 too. https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1977815&show=250#msg65648362 https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1977815&show=250#msg65649098 23feanor said: Fine with me.I believe it's Run with the Wind next, are you guys ok with starting tomorrow? Thread created: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1992706 |
inimFeb 7, 2022 5:56 AM
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23feanor said: I believe it's Run with the Wind next, are you guys ok with starting tomorrow? As with @inim, also yes. I’ll be available to start tomorrow. |
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Kuri-cha said: inim said: Episode 59 / 9 What follows is the weakest moment in an otherwise very strong episode: Tooru runs towards Akito to comfort her. This is too much. Even Siddharta Mahatma Jesus-kun wouldn't be stupid enough to run straight into a knife wielding psychopath who just explained her murder motive. Even an über-kind Mary Jane like Tooru should have a self-preservation reflexes and a reptile brain taking over in such a situation. The stress hormones after two traumatic moments should simply boil in her blood. Yet, she cool headed runs towards Akito and - surprise, surprise - is cut by her. The show should end here zooming into Tooru's tomstone, inscribed "here lies an idiot". I'm still reading through everyone's reactions to the last few episodes, but I had to stop and say this nearly made me snort tea out my nose. Well put and 100% agree! Reaching out a hand, maybe, but charging in for a full-on hug was ridiculous. Yep, I had a similar response to reading that. In general, I felt that things with Akito resolved too easily, but in particular, the way that Tooru approached Akito, who was wielding a knife, after Akito had already levied psychological torture on her and her friends and had been willing to openly scratch her face to the point of bleeding over far less, just didn’t make any sense to me. The later catharsis is nice, but that scene was just puzzling to watch. |
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| @kuri-cha To be fair, I see many of my problems with the series as nit-picky. This series absolutely managed the Herculean task of juggling a huge cast of characters and making them all actual humans with realistic motivations and real emotional beats. They’re not all perfect, and in some cases they’re underdeveloped to a surprising degree given how much time the series spends on the others (looking at you, Monkey), but I can’t say I’ve seen another series that can do this with more than 10 characters (and even that’s among some of my absolute favorites, most can’t manage more than a handful). It’s easily one of the best long-running drama and romance series I’ve seen, and the fact that it took its time for so long to build up these characters still makes the payoffs hit home. I’d say that other series should take away that the slow and steady approach works, but in today’s environment of rapid-fire releases, it’s hard for any other series to manage this without a built in fan base that’s willing to ride out the slower portions. Other series could still stand to learn from its example, but the current landscape of anime means that many newer series have to grab audiences quickly and hold on for dear life in order to stand out. |
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