Impression:
The way things unfolded this episodes was really well done. The build up of Izumiko having fallen into Takayanagi’s trap and having snapped out of it because he had mentioned Miyuki’s name. In response she was absolutely furious and unleashed her true powers right in front of them, intimidating Takayanagi and his followers to the point they were questioning whether she is actually human. Having heard that, just ruined Izumiko and right then and there my heart shattered into a million pieces for her.
The saddest part about this episode was when Izumiko thought she was getting closer to becoming a ‘normal’ girl after having successfully used the cellphone without any issues and then only to become horrified of what she has ‘officially’ become. What triggered the beginning of the end (or at least that’s what have been implied the entire time ever since the Himegami told Miyuki about it) is that after having revealed her true self which was something she refused to accept throughout the entire show. Izumiko feels that once her true self is seen by others, there is no going back as she is caught. In return, the only way for her to not be ‘captured’ or ‘seen’ by others is to make them disappear, thus wiping out all humanity.
When you look at how this had ended up happening, it was mainly because Izumiko hates and fears her ‘True Self’ (something she had finally admitted/accepted today) and did everything in her power for as long as she could to ignore it and pursue a life as a ‘Normal Girl’. With that said, if Izumiko had accepted the Himegami as her ‘True Self’, perhaps things may have turned out differently. To be strong and diligent, you must accept yourself and I think this is what her mother Yukariko was referring to for both her and Miyuki. The two of them have been furiously fighting against their destinies, Miyuki not wanting to be a Mountain Monk and Izumiko not wanting to be the Himegami, they shared the same wish of wanting to live normal lives. So I think the key to now preventing humanity from being wiped out is for both of them to make their resolve and of course work together since the only person who will be able to calm and call out Izumiko will be Miyuki.
Also something I would like to point out what Takayanagi had been saying to Izumiko, “We have to seal away dangerous things, and set up this world as a place that humans can control.” This is precisely what the Himegami is against and despises people who possess such mindset. This also brings me to be concerned that since the trigger has been pulled by Takayanagi who failed to realize who he was really messing with, I fear that as the Himegami/Izumiko is about to kill everyone off, the others may feel that the only way to stop her is to seal or kill her. I imagine if Yukimasa genuinely undermines Miyuki as much as he does, and does not actually understand what kind of person Izumiko is as Miyuki had pointed out last week, then this could possibly end up ugly.
