That shot pretty much sums up the episode.
Satoru is broken. He’s become the archetypal PK serial killer of yesteryear, that this world’s entire society had been designed to prevent. Now, millenia of history of a carefully constructed society have backfired spectacularly, creating a renegade PK user who is more powerful than any who have come before him.
Throughout this ordeal, Saki is horrified by what Satoru is becoming. Yet she can say nothing to stop him, and only watch with her mouth agape. Satoru is right— without fighting, they would die.
And make no mistake, what Satoru has become is indeed horrible. He’s become a monster, with the goal of committing genocide and wiping out every last rat from the colony. Saki’s actions, or lack thereof, are equally monstrous. Her case is slightly different, since her goal is survival rather than wanton slaughter, but the effects are much the same. Wanton slaughter.
You can see how wrapped up in her own survival she has become by her response to the queerat when he suggested they go on. She tells him that Satoru is tired. And the rat’s expression belays the perfect response:
“I have blood dripping down my cheeks. Half of my squad just died shielding you guys from poison arrows. We barely saved our queen from dying. All but ten people in our colony died half an hour ago from a poison gas attack. And you’re telling me that you’re tried?!” No, Saki, I don’t think the fact that you may have inadvertently revealed your lack of powers is the issue here.
So Satoru has become a monster, and Saki has become the monster’s handler. I would speculate that Saki sees herself as culpable for Satoru’s actions. It was Saki who unsealed his PK powers by conducting the ritual. Which raises the question, could Saki reseal his PK powers? I don’t see why not. Also, why hasn’t she had Satoru unseal her own powers? The ritual seems to be a purely psychological control, if Saki can conduct it just as well as the monks, and without any of the physical elements of the ritual. I would think that once she realizes the deception inherent in the ritual, she could unseal her powers by herself. Perhaps not though. Rituals are powerful things.
Further Thoughts
Just when I thought this show couldn’t get any more trippy. I’ll confess that I’m not sure what to make of this scene. Except that it was great.
I like how Saki is more sexually aroused by these false Minoshiro (?) than by everything Satoru did in the previous episodes. What can I say, librarians are sexy?
Only now, an episode later, do they have a second to spare a second thought about what happened to the others. This is how you build a sense of urgency.
All the fighting was pretty intense in this episode. This is how you portray a war— a mix of strategy, horrible violence, and pure terror.
I am so confused by all the animals. And there are even more this episode. Why do the invaders come in so many different forms? Satoru has a theory. Mine is still that these “animals” are genetically engineered humans, designed to be more effective at their slave labor.
So far the queerats have been using bows and arrows and spears. But this episode they have some pretty advanced poison gas technology. The invaders seem to have progressed much further technologically without the PK users rule.
Everyone is oddly competent. On one hand, there’s Satoru, whose cold-blooded survival ability was very surprising last episode, even feeling borderline Gary Stu. This episode it balanced out by having Saki also display unexpected resourcefulness with the ritual improvisation – in fact, her success in unsealing would’ve been blatantly out of character if not for her being semi-renegade her entire life. At this point it’s quite unbelievable that they’re supposed to be 12 (or whatever their age was, I don’t really remember). And to match them, the enemy queerats are ridiculously strong as well, far superior to the friendlies.
I wonder if the rest of the main cast, as well as any other humans, will display similar capability. It’s definitely a break from the boorish incompetence of many anime characters.
An excellent point. These characters may be children, but they definitely aren’t stupid. I see that as a good thing, even children aren’t as stupid as adults are often made out to be in anime.
Now, where has the infamous death feedback gone? vanished with the new ritual? :/
About the dream Saki has about Shu. Dreams are parts of reality mixed with our feelings and fears. So, it’s natural that she remembers Shu in her dream, since he was shown as her romantic interest some eps ago. Then, the mineshiro that evolved probably have to do with the talk behind evolution and their history. Their encounter with the library was pretty fresh and has left a big impact in their untainted up till now minds. My best guess is that Shu and mineshiro randomly were patched up in her dream as they represent her strongest emotions: love and terror. The screenshot you got here, where the mineshiro ’embrace’ her, could be interpreted as drowning in the newly-discovered knowledge.
btw have you come across one official piece of art where Saki has a quite erotic bath with Maria? I wonder if this isn’t simply fanservice and ties into the story, as Saki referred to others as ‘Maria-tachi’, when she wondered if they were ok.
No, I’m pretty sure the death feedback is still around. That’s why I imagine Satoru got “tired” so quickly. It’s exactly the same symptoms the monk had when he was escorting the children to the temple.
I did see that piece, I think on Feal’s site… I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a bath at some point. I don’t think calling them “Mari-tachi” has anything to do with it though? Adding the -tachi to someone’s name just means Maria and the other people with her.
oh I thought it was just mental exhaustion; the monk made some really weird movements… you might be right though
yeah, but why not say Shu-tachi? or Mamoru-tachi? that’s my point
Ah, I see. Maybe she’s just closest to Maria? Probably simply because she’s a girl. I wouldn’t read too much into it.
What are your thoughts on the design of the little paper cards that they impale upon sealing their powers? The design also appears around the city of the Cherry Blossoms in the flashback. It looks to me like the result of superimposing a human image on the Jewish Sephirot; but maybe there’s something Buddhist that I’m missing.
On a side note, the piercing of the points on the paper body for me evokes acupuncture, which fits into the cathartic notion of relinquishing all one’s worldly desires.
I think the concept of the paper doll itself is based on the idea of shikigami. The shape looks like a bird, which I think again comes from the shikigami. At the center it looks like a flame, perhaps representing the PK powers? I’m not really seeing the Sephirot there though.
Satoru may be becoming a monster, but his transformation is completely pragmatic in nature. Both sides of this fight were trapped by it from the moment they met. At this point, neither group has the ability to back down without being overwhelmed by their opponent.
It’s a simple case of the prisoner’s dilemma where even the thought of positive reciprocity is nonexistent. When it comes down to acts of bloodshed, humans forget politics, ideals and goals; they fight merely for survival.
Satoru has committed terrible acts for all the right reasons. Ending the conflict would require a significant gamble by one side. I hate to admit it, but I can’t blame them for taking the worse route with the better odds.
Defending himself is one thing, but Satoru wants to kill every single one of them. That’s not really necessary for his survival.
I don’t blame him for fighting, but I do blame him for enjoying it and wanting to fight more.
Great episode!
“And you’re telling me that you’re tired?” I think Saki is right to tell them. She doesn’t claim a luxury for Satoru here. If his powers don’t work anymore everyone most likely is doomed.
“Which raises the question, could Saki reseal his PK powers?” As I understood, you need to know a person’s mantra so seal/ unseal it. Saki knew Satoru’s from the paper he left behind at school but I guess he doesn’t know hers.
“The invaders seem to have progressed much further technologically without the PK users rule.” I wonder if Saki et al. just happened to encounter the false Minoshiro at the same time as the PK users civilization is falling into pieces. Or maybe it wasn’t a coincidence in the first place? As a sidenote, these chubby poisonous gas machines looked quite Ghibi-esque to me.
Logically you’re right, it is important that Satoru be able to use his power for them to survive. But the way she said it came across to me the wrong way.
Yeah, so why doesn’t Saki tell Satoru her mantra?
And yeah, the poisonous gas machines are so cute! I love where this is going.