I had just assumed the atomic bomb was a plot device to up the ante— just a way to make the terrorists seem so scary. I hadn’t imagined it would be interwoven so tightly with the rest of the plot.

Both the orphanage and the atomic bomb were created in service of the same goal— to regain the dignity of the Japanese people, through military might. When I think about it, Lisa’s situation is a microcosm of this larger story. (Wow, never thought I’d use that word— thanks high school English class and A Separate Peace, but still, seriously, worst book ever.) Everyone thinks Lisa is worthless. Hell, Lisa herself thinks Lisa is worthless. What’s more, she’s been defeated. Run away from home. Can she ever rise from the ashes again to regain her former, imagined glory? Lisa tries to regain her self-worth through violence— she is enthralled by Nine and Twelve’s vision of destroying the world, even if she is a bit afraid. She serves as an accomplice in their act of violence. Continue reading Zankyou no Terror 10 — Tying it all Together →