| Ok, just this past week I finally finished this series (despite watching the first two episodes and liking it a lot around 2006) and I liked it, liked how these personas are very broken but still try to endure it and best themselves even if it is just a little but I can't help notice some flaws with the ending. The message Most of the characters overcame their difficulties, or made them more bearable, by finding some other person. Sato found peace in Mizaki and so did she in him. Yamazaki found peace in his new situation by actually finding a fiancee that understood him. Hitomi found peace in having a child (more than having a husbando) That's 4 characters out of 5. Someone having trouble making friend may feel even more depressed by not finding some else in which you find peace and that makes you improve could be a barrier to high, now more than ever (with studies signaling that people are making less friends). I'm not saying this series sidelines self-improvement, but makes a big deal on depending on others for personal growth. The recycling of ideas Man, the series had already dealt with suicide and overcoming the hikikomori status by starvation and here we are on the last episode re-threading the same plot devices. It wasn't bad per se, but it made feel less impactful the second time. It aged poorly, I guess... but it could change So, one of the main subjects in the series (at least on the surface) was exiting the hikikomori status. In the end, the series had not only one, but two hikikomori freeing themselves by suffering starvation. I tried researching (just a little), and I've read some Hikikomori still live like that (more that 20 years after this series was written). I tried searching if there are hikikomoris leaving that status by starvation, and didn't find much. Some are prettending their parents are alive to keep their pensions, others depends on NGO to live, and others have their old parents still caring for them. I say the ending perception could change once we approach 2030, which is the time this ticking boom on Japan society will implode. Anyway, thats my rant on this old anime which at times felt like a time capsule for me. |
truth999 said: The manga played out the end where it was more satisfying I felt like and the second suicide attempt I thought was good cause realistically if you were in that state speaking from personal experience kinda you most likely attempt it more then once personally I thought that the show was a masterpiece and and the characters and their development were very realistic I think with this one, like a lot of heavier anime with deeper messages, you kind of have to be in the right state of mind to TRULY understand the message and have it resonate with you. I'm not saying you have to be a hopeless hikkikomori to "get" the show, but your're also not going to get the same meaning out of it if you've never experienced that kind of crippling depression, vs someone who has. |
Nyamaste said: I think it's extremely important for most people to rely on others for self improvement. Obviously we have to do the heavy lifting ourselves, but it is insanely difficult to do it without support from a good friend, family member, or a community like a club or AA or a church or a good work place, whatever. Yep, I agree with that, but on the same note, in this series family members contribute to the characters problems, let me elaborate more on my original message: Most of the characters overcame their difficulties, or made them more bearable, by finding some other person other than their parents or brothers/sisters which is more sad, cuz most Hikikomoris or persons on depression, that's mostly what they have or mostly who is supporting them. Sato had their lax-parent financially support that toxic lifestyle, contributing to his despair. Mizaki had her mother contribute to her despair by pairing with a wrongman and exiting that situation. Her aunt and uncle weren't enough support, sadly. Yamazaki had his parents plan his whole life which made him despair (but in the end they also had him meet his soulmate, cheers for that). Hitomi were MIA during the whole series, even in her suicide attempt (did they mention why? I can't recall). Kobayashi was in despair because of her brother, and in turn his brother was a Hikkikomori because she supported his lifestyle; you could say they found betterness by cutting loose that bond. I'm just saying, you could also interpret the ending this way. Not that is bad, it's pretty deep anime, which could extend discussion on many layers, even today. I couldn't resist applying the Socratic method to the ending. |
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